continues to make history. His double victory in Arnedo, where the last round of the 2014 World Championship was held this weekend, confirms his superiority and the ability of the rider from Piera to cope with the pressure in the most decisive moments.
His list of honours Toni Bou has been impressive since his arrival at Montesa in 2007. He has won 16 world titles, half of them indoors and the other half outdoors. His last outdoor title allows him to become the best Trial rider in history, surpassing the legendary Jordi Tarrés and Dougie Lampkin, both with 7 titles to their credit.
One of the great merits of Toni Bou has been his ability to continue winning and adding titles even despite the radical change in regulations that the World Championship underwent in 2013 with the arrival of the “nonstop”, which, unlike the traditional regulations, prohibits the rider from stopping the bike during the zone. This fact has brought his greatest rivals closer together, especially Adam Raga, who came to lead the current campaign and reached Arnedo with a chance of opting for the world crown.
ARNEDO DAY 1
In Arnedo only needed a win for Raga and needed Bou to be at least third on one of the two days. Everything started well for Raga, as on the first day he led until zone 8, but everything went wrong in a group of zones that he did not have time to look too well and where he chained four fiascos in a row. On the second lap he found his rhythm again, but in the last pass through the zones, with hardly any time, he ran more than necessary and the sum of several mistakes separated him from second place by only one point in favor of Cabestany.
Toni Bou achieved 
Toni Bou: “It’s clear that it was a very important day, not only for the victory, which gave me a lot of confidence on the bike, but also for the last day of the race because we are not obliged to win tomorrow. We’ve worked all summer to get here in the best shape.In a tough, difficult race like this, we were able to make a difference and win from the first lap. At first I was a bit nervous, but right after I made a mistake, I was able to fix it and that’s even better. Tomorrow will also be difficult, although I may not take so many risks.”
Adam Raga: “It was a difficult day because we went out with a goal in mind that we couldn’t achieve. Up to zone eight he was leading the race, two points below, but then the race took a sharp turn. There were some sections that we hadn’t been able to look too well at and I had almost four fiascos in a row, which ended up conditioning this race. On the second lap I was able to recover, but we did the third lap with hardly any time and we had to run a lot, and finally I lost second place because of it. The championship now is almost impossible given the difference, but tomorrow we will go out to do our best and finish the championship.”
The first day was also a cause for celebration as Jaime Busto mathematically won the world title in the World Cup (formerly Junior), after an impressive season and showing great superiority in the year of his international debut.
SPANISH GP WORLD PRO DAY 1 CLASSIFICATION
SPANISH GP WORLD CUP STANDINGS DAY 1
SPANISH GP CLASSIFICATION 125 DAY 1
ARNEDO DAY 2
The second day of competition was the closing of the championship and the excitement to see the outcome of the championship was maximum. Bou had everything going for him, as an eighth place against a victory for Raga was enough to add his eighth consecutive world title.
. The reigning champion quickly forgot about the calculator and went out to win. Once again, the rider from Piera was unstoppable and set the best times in the three passes through the zones, confirming his new world title and the manufacturers’ title for Montesa in a very special year, where the team is integrated within the HRC structure.
Raga joined him on the podium and ended an extraordinary season 15 points behind the newly proclaimed World Champion. The Gas Gas rider has shown that he can fight for the title and victory in every race, so Raga will try to look for the opportunity again in the next campaign.
The third step on the podium on this second day went to Jeroni Fajardo, who has also had a great season, although in the end he could not snatch this position in the general standings from Albert Cabestany, who with a nine-point advantage signed this third position in the championship. It was also a great year for Cabestany, who was runner-up in the indoor championship last March.
SPANISH WORLD PRO GP STANDINGS DAY 2
SPANISH GP WORLD CUP STANDINGS DAY 2
SPANISH GP 125 DAY 2 CLASSIFICATION
Toni Bou: Yesterday was a key day, and today, to be able to win the eighth title by winning the race, I had a huge feeling of joy. I can’t ask for more! This year, when we joined HRC, I was a little afraid that I could lose the title, but we started a relationship in an excellent way. Today, my riding was different, I was able to focus on enjoying the race, and also on winning it.
The first title is the best because it’s the first time you’re world champion and you don’t know if you’ll ever be world champion again. But this eighth is very special, especially because it’s number 8 and because my opponent has made it very difficult for me throughout the season. As a driver I think I can improve more.
Takahisa Fujinami: I didn’t start the race well at all, with an incomprehensible fiasco in the second section, which was very easy. Then I was able to hold on quite well and I had a good time in some difficult sections. I was able to recover the mistake of lap 2 on that same lap and on the second lap. I could compete against my direct rivals. However, on the final lap I made two fiascos that left me short of achieving my goal. I’m a little angry about it, but I couldn’t do more.
This next week I will go under the knife to have surgery on my knee and I hope that ‘Fujigas’ returns to the championship in full condition, and not at 60%, as this year. I want to congratulate Toni Bou on his eighth title. I’m very proud to be his teammate.
: “Today went well, the race was complicated and even more so taking into account the points I was behind in the standings. Two weeks ago I injured my wrist, I broke my scaphoid. And thanks to Dr. Xavier Mir and my brother’s cures we have been able to run this last race, although it is a pity that we have not been able to do it in 100% conditions. However, despite this, I am very happy to have fought until the end for this World Cup, even if in the end it was not to be. This has been a very good season for us, in which we have been highly competitive and in which we have been fighting for the win throughout the races. It’s clear that we all like to win, but we have to be aware that sometimes that’s not always achieved. I think we’ve done a great job throughout the year, the bike has responded perfectly and we have to congratulate the whole team for their great work. Now we have to keep working, and improving to be at the front. The runner-up position is not a defeat, it is the result of a great work by the whole team throughout a season and I think we should be very satisfied with what we have achieved because we have always been fighting to be at the front and to win”.
Jorge Casales: “I’m happy with the result this weekend. The truth is that it was a very difficult trial and in the end, today, I may have made some small mistakes that I shouldn’t have made, but I’m satisfied. I was fighting for sixth place in the championship and, after yesterday’s performance, I thought I could do it, but I had a crash and suffered a heavy blow to my ribs. It hurt a lot. So, in that way, I did everything I could to finish the race and score points. This has been my first season in World Pro and I’m really happy with how everything went, I think we’ve worked really hard with the whole team to get this seventh position. It’s been a very positive year where I’ve learned a lot, and I think we’ve done a splendid job.”
Arnau Farré: “The first day went pretty well for me, I finished fourth. It was very hot and the areas were tricky, with a type of stone that falls apart. It was a demanding race and I made two mistakes in zone eleven which were a shame, because if it wasn’t for these, I think we could have been on the podium. The next day things didn’t go so well for me, maybe I felt a little tired from the day before. In the third zone I scored a five and the first lap I scored 19 points, too many, although in the following ones I improved my score. These five grands prix have been a magnificent experience for me. It’s a pleasure to have this opportunity to be at the World Cup. Being able to compete alongside the best drivers in the world is a luxury. In addition, in these races I have been able to get to know my rivals better for next year. I’m happy with this opportunity to make the World Cup and I have
I would like to thank my team for this and for their work. I am very grateful to Gas Gas for making all of this possible for me.”
Text: David Quer
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