Bou unstoppable in Nice
The Repsol Honda Team rider wins for the third time this season, with Gabriel Marcelli rounding off the podium.
At the third round of the X-Trial World Championship, the Repsol Honda Team riders demonstrated once again the high level they are at this year. Toni Bou earned victory in Nice, his third consecutive win of the season, and Gabriel Marcelli joined him on the podium in third.
The 34-time World Champion started the day in front from the first lap. Bou maintained the same level on the second lap and qualified directly to compete in the final alongside Marcelli and Jaime Busto. Unstoppable on every zone in the last run round the course, the Montesa Cota 4RT rider made it three consecutive victories from as many races.
Marcelli had a tougher first lap, as he made several mistakes that earned him 9 penalty points and dropped him to fifth place. On the second lap, the Repsol Honda Team rider fought to get into the final and ended up closing out the Top 3. Marcelli gave everything to take second position in that final, but after facing Busto in a tie-breaker he had to settle for third.
Bou leads the overall standings with 65 points, with Marcelli occupying third place. The next X-Trial World Championship round will be on May 4th in Geneva, Switzerland, the last event before the series takes a break.
Toni Bou 1
CHAMPIONSHIP: 1ST
“I am very happy with this latest victory. The team worked very well throughout the week. It was a difficult day because it was very easy to miss out on the final, but we remained very consistent, with only one mistake on the second lap. The final was very good, and we rode at a high level. We are on the right track and we have to keep working.”
Gabriel Marcelli 38
CHAMPIONSHIP: 3RD
“Today didn’t go particularly well. On the first lap my forearms were very tired, and that continued throughout the race. It greatly affected my riding, but we managed to qualify for the final and were on the podium, which is important for the championship. The work by the team was very good and we hope to be able to achieve a better result at the next event in Geneva.”
Takahisa Fujinami
Team Manager
“From the first lap, Toni was already on course for a great result. On the second lap it was a shame about the mistake he made, because he did not get the maximum possible score. However, in the end, winning today in Nice is important for the championship since he extends the gap over Jaime. On the other hand, Gabri was not comfortable from the first lap. It wasn’t a good day for him, but the important thing is his position in the final. It is very positive that even on a bad day he made the podium and took a step forward compared to last year.”
