On The Pegs April 2018 - Volume 3 - Issue 4 | Page 41
On The Pegs
Vol. 2 Issue 4 - April 2018
TONI BOU
P 41
Not only was the Paris round of the 2018 X-
Trial World Championship series where Toni Bou
clinched his 12th indoor world title, but it was
also where Gas Gas factory rider Jaime Busto
claimed his first-ever X-Trial victory and Gas Gas’
first X-Trial victory since it was bought by Torrot.
Bou wrapped up the 2018 title early despite
suffering a back injury just a few weeks before
the event. The Repsol Honda rider finished fifth
in Paris, which was just enough for him to sow
up the title early due to cancelation of one of
the rounds.
Bou settled for the fifth after completing two
laps of the six-section course, which was held in
the AccorHotels Arena in Paris. In the first quali-
fying phase of his 81st indoor trial, the Montesa
Cota 4RT rider performed a near perfect lap,
picking up a mere three penalty points. In the
semi-final phase, in which the best from each
group of three makes the cut, Bou had difficulty
getting going and was clearly being hampered
by the injury, being unable to perform as he had
done in the first phase. With a final tally of 16
penalty points, Bou finished in a notable fifth
position in the final standings, after 27 days out
of action due to the injured vertebrae.
As a result of the cancellation of what would
have been the sixth round of the championship
in Seville, which the FIM (International Motorcy-
cling Federation) finally didn’t substitute, Bou se-
cured the overall world title. Bou’s title tally now
stands at an impressive 23 total titles, including
12 indoor and 11 outdoor.
“I’m very happy today because this last month
has been very complicated for us,” said Bou. “We
didn’t know how the calendar would be and un-
til the last moment we didn’t know if we could
win the championship before competing here
in Paris. In the first round I was able to ride quite
well and make the best performance. The break
between the first and second round I wanted to
control the pain but when I started to ride I saw
that it was not possible to be competitive and