The French city of Bordeaux hosted the fourth round of the X-Trial World Championship, where HEBO riders once again shone with Toni Bou taking the win, Jaime Busto finishing third, and Gabriel Marcelli in fifth.
Toni Bou (HEBO - Repsol Honda Trial Team) claimed his second consecutive victory, and third of the season, at the X-Trial in Bordeaux, which was mathematically decided in the final section and saw the battle for second place come down to a tie-breaker in which Adam Raga (TRRS) edged out Jaime Busto (HEBO - GasGas).
The three riders in the thrilling and close final began with fives in the first of the six sections. In the second, Bou scored one less point than his rivals, while Raga made the difference in the third section with the only clean section. The fourth and fifth sections proved decisive for Bou, who reached the final section without a mathematical advantage to secure the win, as he had accumulated two fewer points than Raga and Busto. In the last section, the World Champion went clean while his rivals received two points each.
The tie between Raga and Busto was decided in a tie-breaker section, where Raga scored one point and Busto two. Previously, Busto had accumulated the point for being the best in the First Round, and Bou got the one for the second.
Toni Bou (1st): "It was a very demanding competition where I started slowly but picked up my pace, finishing with a high level of riding, even though I made a mistake in the final. Undoubtedly, it was a very exciting X-Trial for the spectators, but nerve-wracking and tense for us. Leading the Championship with three wins and a second place going into the summer break is great news."
Jaime Busto (3rd): "Today, I rode at a high level again, but small errors in the final and also in the tie-breaker with Adam relegated me to third place. Despite that, the most important thing is to maintain consistency on the podium, something I hadn't been able to do previously."
Following this result, HEBO riders dominate the overall standings, occupying the top three places: Bou, Busto, and Marcelli in that order. The next round of the X-Trial World Championship will take place in Andorra la Vella on October 7th.
FINAL X-TRIAL BORDEAUX RESULTS
1- Toni Bou (HEBO - Montesa) 8 points (final)
2- Adam Raga (TRRS) 12 points (final)
3- Jaime Busto (HEBO - GASGAS) 12 points (final)
4- Toby Martyn (Montesa) 17 points
5- Gabriel Marcelli (HEBO - Montesa) 21 points
6- Matteo Grattarola (Vertigo) 26 points
7- Benoit Bincaz (Sherco) 29 points
8- Aniol Gelabert (Beta) 29 points
FIM X-TRIAL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
1- Toni Bou (HEBO - Montesa) 79 points
2- Jaime Busto (HEBO - GASGAS) 59 points
3- Gabriel Marcelli (HEBO - Montesa) 46 points
