Toni Bou’s big challenge: “I am always obliged to win”

10 days before the official start of the 2024 X-Trial World Championship with the event of Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona On February 4, the 34-time World Champion Toni Bou made an assessment in an interview managed by his team of the brilliant 2023 season in which he won two world titles at stake in 17 consecutive years until to get his record 34 world championships. individuals and set very clear goals for this new year after renewing its commitment to the Repsol Honda Trial Team in December until 2027.

The TrialGP title took longer to decide because Jaime Busto had a great first half of the season, however, you dominated the X-Trial title from start to finish. Which of the two do you value more?

I give more value to the Outdoor World Championship this year because it was a very difficult start where after six races we were tied. Everything is very crowded and, in addition, it is difficult to find the way with the motorcycle. In the middle of the season I think we made a good change; The team gave me what I needed and thanks to us we finished the season very well. For this reason, this year I give more value to the Outdoor World Cup.

More and more drivers are driving from the bottom. Without walking further, Gabriel Marcelli himself. How do you manage, above all, the physical aspect?

“We always try to work as hard as possible. It is important to take good care of injuries because at the age of 37 it is more difficult to heal and that is where the young have the most advantage. Although this past year I felt pretty good, we had a few scares, something that usually doesn’t happen to me because I’m an aggressive driver and it’s hard for me to control. But I still want to fight with young people who are pushing and that is a motivation.

You have been working with Takahisa Fujinami for two years now. How does it feel to be your former colleague of many years as a Team Manager?

“Fuji is very easy to work with because we have a very good relationship. In recent years as colleagues we have worked together and being with him in this new role is a source of pride for me. We’re enjoying it, living it in the best way and we’ve won four titles together, so it’s something incredible for him as well.

You come from winning the 33rd and 34th World Cups. They ruled the Test world for 17 consecutive years. It’s not too difficult to define what the main goals are for 2024, right?

“The goals are to achieve the maximum number of victories and fight for the same championship, I am always obliged to win. We are also realistic and we have won 17 years in a row, one year to finish, so we must enjoy . I look back and I see everything we have achieved and it is incredible. We stay in shape, so we have the same goals and I want to enjoy the rest of my sporting career.

In the past, you have managed to establish yourself as the pilot with the most achievements in the history of your discipline. Still, the podium record hasn’t fallen yet… although you’re close. Is it on your mind or do you prefer not to think about such things?

The truth is that records are something exciting, fun and motivates you when you are close to achieving them, but during my career I never paid attention to the issue of records. I always go along with the race focused on what I need to do and not get distracted or lose focus to achieve some numbers.

Now that you have shared two years, how do you see the development of Gabriel Marcelli? Do you see it possible to achieve 1-2 in both disciplines in 2024?

“It is something very complicated, but I see a very good evolution of Gabri and he is ready to fight for the championship. So we’ll see, Jaime also had a very good 2023 season and is improving. He is a very strong driver, with a lot of talent. It will be interesting to see the fight of the youngsters and being in the middle, it’s something that makes me happy too. As I tell you, I see a Gabri that does not stop developing, he had a very strong finish to the 2023 season, especially indoors. We will see it in 2024.”

After 17 years with the Repsol Honda Team, they offer you four more with them. What does the team mean to you and what do you think you mean to them?

The team relationship is like a family. Since I arrived, being able to win for 17 years is something fascinating and I think that on both sides it is something wonderful. A 4 season renewal at age 37 is something few teams would do. So like I said before: keep enjoying it and give it your all.

Does it give you peace of mind knowing that your team continues to fully trust you for the long haul?

Obviously, the fact that the team trusts me is a very good thing, it gives me peace of mind. I think I’ve earned it during my career; They have gained my trust and I have gained theirs, it’s nice to stay together. We know that world championships can be lost and we can lose them in these 17 years, but this is sport, we were lucky to experience something incredible and I have only words of gratitude for Honda and Repsol.

The 2024 X-Trial season begins in Barcelona. How do you deal with it? Is it more special than others?

The Barcelona X-Trial is always special because we compete at home and you see the love of the people, that’s something that gives extra motivation. Furthermore, this is one of the important events of the season, as it is the first, so we will do our best to achieve the best result and present a good show.