Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona today witnessed the second round of the FIM X-Trial World Championship. Toni Bou took second place on the podium with Takahisa Fujinami posting seventh.
In spite of a good performance, Toni Bou was unable to conclude the trial with the desired result. After making the cut for both the second phase and the final, Toni suffered a heavy fall in the semi-final sustaining an injured back. The pain severely hampered the champion in the head-to-head with Adam Raga, with Bou eventually having to settle for second place.
The result sees Bou in second overall place in the championship general standings on 35 points, equal to the current leader Adam Raga.
Today we have to be positive; we finished second and we were very close to victory. In the semi-final, I suffered a hard fall, but it seems that everything amounted to a scare and it is not a serious injury, although I was worried that I had done the same as what happened last year. I made mistakes in the final, but I made it through the complicated sections and I was still fighting right up until the final moments, which is the important thing. I want to congratulate Adam Raga for his victory and also thank all the fans who have filled the Palau Sant Jordi in this trial at home.
Repsol Honda Team stable-mate Takahisa Fujinami, a wildcard rider in this second round of the world championship, rode a solid first phase, but failed to make the grade for the semi-final finishing seventh in the event.
The third event of the X-Trial World Championship, with Toni Bou competing as the sole representative of the Repsol Honda Team, is scheduled for Saturday February 16th at the Bizkaia Arena (Bilbao Exhibition Center) in Barakaldo.