On The Pegs VOL . 4 ISSUE 10 - OCTOBER 2020 59
I BOU TRADED WINS WITH S FACTORY RIDER ADAM A AT THE OPENING ROUND HE FIM WORLD TRIALS GP IN LA , FRANCE .
Superstar Spaniard Toni Bou ( Repsol Honda ) picked up where he left off at the end of 2019 with a spectacular performance at TrialGP France – the opening round of the 2020 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship – staged today at the Alpine ski resort of Isola 2000 .
In the TrialGP Women category , Britain ’ s leading lady Emma Bristow ( Sherco ) got the defense of her crown off to the best possible start with a demolition of her rivals to stamp her authority on the class .
Staged 2000 meters above sea level under a fierce sun , the sections mostly comprised imposing rocks under trees on a super-steep hillside . The dry conditions ensured that grip on the huge boulders was plentiful but loose ground in between meant traction was hard to find .
The toughest hazard for the premier TrialGP class was section nine , plotted along a stream with an under-cut step making for a challenging exit . With the opening lap scrapped for all classes due to time issues , Bou – who ’ s aiming for his 14th consecutive title – dropped half of his four marks lost on observation here with single dabs on both scored attempts . These , coupled with an additional two time penalties , brought his final total up to six which still gave him a five-mark winning margin over his young compatriot Jaime Busto ( Vertigo ).