This Sunday, starting at 5:00 pm, 32-time trial world champion Toni Bou will begin the conquest of what could be his 17th consecutive indoor trial crown at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona with the most important X-Trial event FIM 2023, the Indoor Solo Moto Trial of Barcelona that reaches its 46th edition and for the third time in history will open the indoor championship.
One of the great new things is the Outdoor Zone for boys and girls from 4 to 12 years old. and from 1 pm to 5 pm along the stretch between Estadi Olímpic and Palau Sant Jordi they will be able to participate in various dynamic activities.
There are eight permanent riders who will compete in the eight rounds in 2023: Toni Bou, Adam Raga, Gabriel Marcelli, Jaime Busto, Matteo Grattarola, Benoît Bincaz, Toby Martyn and Sondre Haga, who will be joined by a wild card invited by the organizer, who in the case of Barcelona event is Jeroni Fajardo. For the third year, the Women’s Trophy joins Barcelona’s line-up with Emma Bristow, Berta Abellán, Andrea Rabino, Naomi Monner and Huideborg Barkved.
But the first two are the great legend of the amazing motor modality on two wheels, which turns into a wonderful indoor show, a rivalry that has improved both of them and made them want to beat the other’ t one. . The two have shared the last 21 Trial Indoor Solo Moto victories in Barcelona, 15 for Montesa, including the last in 2022, and 6 for TRRS’s, the last in 2019. And between them together they have since 2003 all indoor titles, from 2003 to 2006 for Raga and consecutively since 2007 for Bou.
Toni started the year with what she describes as a “bundle”, a double fall in Sheffield on January 7 at the DL12 Indoor exhibition, the first he hit hard with his right foot and the second head first on the cement cushioned in the helmet, luckily and with little effect on his physique than it seems.
“The crash in Sheffield was more scary than anything else, I touched the nerve (plantar of the right foot) a bit and for this reason we decided not to start in the second round then because it was not a World Cup race, and there was a small that crack After the resonance at home we are calm and they drink liquid and for 3-4 days I ride the motorcycle, yes it bothers me, I have a little sleep, but on the motorcycle almost, I am almost 100% and only when I fall behind and I plant my foot in some way is when it bothers me, so I arrived 100% in Barcelona and luckily everything turned out to be a scare”, he explained .
After 32 titles, going out to defend the crown has become a season-long ritual for Piera: “When you win every year, the next year you are forced to choose the same thing over the most things, it’s a bit complicated, but I’m used to living with it and I’m a super competitive driver, but it’s especially difficult and I like the challenges, they motivate me and we’ve had a good pre-season again and we’re going out again to try everything.”
Starting the event in Barcelona is a double-edged sword: “The beginning of the championship is when everyone is most helpful. It is positive that the start of the World Cup is in Barcelona, the best setting and it the best race. in the whole calendar, special for all of us and it’s a good start”.
The four years that Adam Raga took from Toni Bou allowed the man from Ulldecona add six world titles, but since 2007 he has had to add runners-up although he continues to fight, towards 41 years old (on April 6), and since July the first-time father of Max (he was born late between the rounds of the test of the Spanish championship in Pobladura de las Regueras) has been in the elite for 20 years. “I keep training to not let my guard down, keep up every day and try not to find excuses not to train but instead reasons to train and that’s a reason to stay there,” he explained.
“I feel very good about the races we have done so far, I came from a back operation two and a half months ago and I also recovered quickly, I feel better every day and I am looking forward to Sant Jordi,” he explained. the TRRS pilot.
the new format
There is an issue that has led the team managers and drivers to the head in the last three weeks with rather tough negotiations with the promoter of the French competition Esdeux, the company of Bernard Estripeau. It’s all because of the fast-paced test mode he intends to impose in search of a twist on the show. Nine participants will compete in two rounds, of five zones, but if they complete them in the first without penalty within 5 minutes, in the second one minute will be reduced. The final, without change, exclusively in the best three and six zones.
“We want to overcome obstacles, the more complex the better and for the best to make a difference, rather than fast. We adapt to what is needed because if it is positive for the public, it is also positive for us , we will. see how it works. I see that a lot depends on how each race is marked, if you can run and achieve it it can be a great show, but we have to see what kind of place we will see for ourselves” , Bou explained.
“I don’t really like to push a lot of time in the test, I like a good test, and having enough time to do the actions, the movements properly, I appreciate more that a rider can pass the place than in doing it faster, because the essence of the test is to pass the zones. But we don’t decide the regulations and we have to prepare to do what they tell us”, pointed out Adam.
They already have enough that the X-Trial World Championship will suffer a six-month break between the first four trials and the last four and between the Trial GP World Championship.
“Obviously, the pause between the indoor and outdoor championships is a bit annoying. It is good to do one first and then the other, the current situation is not ideal, but it is true that between doing a world championship of only four races. or eight we like the calendar It’s better for us to do the whole indoor World Cup again, have a month of preparation, do the outdoor World Cup, and then rest to have a good pre-season for the indoor World Cup . It’s not the perfect match but we prefer to have more races “, Bou pointed out.
The schedules
1:00 pm Start of activity in the Outdoor Zone
4:00 pm Palau Sant Jordi doors open
4:45 pm Draw for pilot shirts (Palau Sant Jordi)
5:00 pm End of activity in the Outdoor Zone
17h00 Start of Trial Indoor Solo Moto and Women’s Trophy
17h10 First round X Trial Barcelona (9 pilots 5 zones)
18:10 Women’s Trophy (5 riders 5 zones)
18h45 Second round X Trial Barcelona (9 pilots 5 zones)
7:35 pm Final X Trial Barcelona (3 riders 6 zones)
20:10 Awards Ceremony
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
