The 2023 X-Trial World Championship has passed the halfway point of the calendar with the celebration of the X-Trial in Bordeaux, which surprised with a large influx of spectators and a spectacular staging of the route. From a sporting point of view, Toni Bou has taken his third victory out of a possible four, propelling him to the top of the standings with twenty points ahead of Jaime Busto, with only three races left to play from October.
Toni Bou (Repsol Honda Trial Team) took his second consecutive victory, third of the season, in an X-Trial e Bordeaux that was mathematically decided in the last section of the final and ended up defining the fight for second place in the play-off in which he won the second race. Adam Raga (TRRS) overtook Jaime Busto (GasGas).
FINAL: BOU vs RAGA vs BUSTO
The three protagonists of the thrilling and evenly matched final started with fives in the first of the six sections. In the second, Bou scored one point less than his rivals to see how in the third, Raga was the one who took a step forward adding the only zero in the section. The fourth and fifth zones have made the difference for Bou who, despite this, has reached the last zone without having the mathematical advantage to secure the victory as he accumulated two points less than Raga and Busto. In the last section, the World Champion went to zero while his rivals were charged with two deuces.
The draw between Raga and Busto was decided in a playoff zone in which the TRRS rider scored one point and his opponent two. Previously, Busto had accumulated the point for being the best in the First Round and Bou the corresponding one in the second.
Toby Martyn, fourth
Toby Martyn (Montesa) qualified fourth after being just two points away from entering the final, while his teammate Gabriel Marcelli (Repsol Honda Trial Team) closed the Top 5 in fifth place in each of the two rounds with little chance of entering the final.
Matteo Grattarola (Vertigo) achieved his best result so far this season with the sixth final position and behind him were the local hero Benoit Bincaz (Sherco), Aniol Gelabert (Beta) with his worst result of the three races he has competed in and Sondre Haga (GasGas) who has closed the classification from the First Round.
X-TRIAL CLASSIFICATION burgundy
Budeos - X-Trial 2023
- TONI BOU (MONTESA)
- ADAM RAGA (TRRS)
- JAIME BUSTO (GASGAS)
- TOBY MARTYN (MONTESA)
- GABRIEL MARCELLI (MONTESA)
- MATTEO GRATTAROLA (VERTIGO)
- BENOIT BINCAZ (SHERCO)
- ANIOL GELABERT (BETA)
- SONDRE HAGA (GASGAS)
CAREER STATEMENTS
toni bou (P1)"It was a very demanding race in which I went from less to more and I ended up riding at a high level despite the fact that in the final I started with a mistake. Without a doubt, it has been a very exciting X-Trial for the spectators, but one of nerves and tension for us. To lead the Championship with three wins and a second position heading into the summer break is great news."
adam raga (P2)"To return to the podium and do it a day after my birthday is great news. Maybe I could have done a little better in some areas, but I'm very satisfied with the result and the position. In addition, I think that in the races where I didn't get on the podium, I also rode at a high level."
JAIME BUSTO (P3)"Today I rode again at a high level, although small mistakes in the final and also in the jump-off with Adam relegated me to third position. Despite this, the most important thing is to maintain consistency on the podium, something I have not been able to do before."
Burgundy x-trial video 2023
2023 X-Trial World Championship Calendar
- X-TRIAL BARCELONA - SPAIN - 5 February
- x-trial WIENER NEUSTADT - austria - 11 MARCH
- X-Trial Pamplona - Spain - 25 March
- X-trial Bordeaux - FRANCE - 7 April
- x-trial ANDORRA LA VELLA - 7 October
- x-trial MADRID - SPAIN - 4 November
- x-trial tba FRANCE - 11 November
- X-Trial Nations - Reunion Island - FRANCE - 17 November
