Toni Bou - Repsol Montesa was in exquisite form at round three of the 2011 SPEA FIM X-Trial World Championship, recording his third victory in as many rounds beneath the gaze of thousands of his most vocal Catalan fans in Barcelona. Behind Bou was a stubborn Albert Cabestany – Sherco, who beat Adam Raga - Gas Gas to the runners-up spot by a three-mark margin.
Bou was in a classy mood during what proved to be an electrifying event, reinforced by the passion and animation of the Spanish crowd, who cheered their favourite riders loudly. Bou was calm and composed from the off, romping to a convincing victory that saw him outclass his rivals over some of the biggest hazards seen in the series to date. He eventually finished a remarkable eighteen marks clear of Cabestany in second.
Bou was not the only one riding well. Both Cabestany and Raga looked up for it and, spurred on by their own supporters, rode with the commitment necessary to tackle the huge steps. Others though were less fortunate. Both Jack Challoner - Beta and Takahisa Fujinami - Repsol Montesa were victims of the brutal metal hazards. Challoner, who progressed to the semi final for the first time ever, suffered the most. He fell from the peak of the highest section and injured his knee. Luckily he was fit to continue and the plucky Brit bagged his best result of the season, finishing in a deserved fifth place.
Fujinami meanwhile, aggravated his neck injury early in the semi final and his inconsistency saw him pushed out to sixth. James Dabill - Beta and Michael Brown - Gas Gas were the earliest casualties of a harsh event. Both notched up too many maximums over the five qualifying sections and failed to make the semi finals on an evening where the difference between a clean and a five was marginal.
In front of a legion of loyal Ossa fans Jeroni Fajardo - Ossa rode well, but his efforts were only rewarded with fourth place. In truth while he was definitely the best of the rest, he could not match his compatriots’ consistency. The promising Catalan fived all three of the sections in the final to seal his fate. Nevertheless, it was a solid performance from the youngest of four fixed Spaniards.
With hindsight round three in Barcelona will perhaps be remembered for three things. Firstly - its unforgiving sections. Secondly - the amazing atmosphere and finally - for Bou’s elegant performance. It was a result that consolidated Bou’s position in the series. He now leads Cabestany by eighteen points with three rounds remaining. Raga meanwhile, is a further three-points behind Cabestany in what may prove to be an extremely tense and interesting battle as the championship resumes in Geneva in seven days time.
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