words and photos courtesy of X-TRIAL
The FIM X-Trial World Championship opened in Nice with another stunning victory for the reigning title-holder
Already fifteen -times X-Trial World Champion , Toni Bou ( Repsol Honda Trial Team ) started his pursuit of another with victory at the 2022 season opener , X-Trial Nice . A packed crowd in the Palais Nikaia witnessed another Bou masterclass as he secured a maximum score of 22 Championship points , winning Round One with just a single dropped mark , Round Two with a perfect clean and the Final by an eleven-mark margin .
Bou ’ s regular rival Adam Raga ( TRRS ) pipped Matteo Grattarola ( Beta ) for second after the Italian made the first podium of his X-Trial career . On top form , Grattarola conceded just a single mark from the opening Round to set himself up perfectly for qualification to the Final . From there the 34-year-old was almost a match for Raga over the six decisive sections , heading the reigning world number two after three and only losing out when he failed sections five and six consecutively .
It was a difficult night for 2021 bronze medallist Jaime Busto
ON THE PEGS // PAGE 66