The four-time world champion Jorge Martínez ‘Aspar’ delivered the ‘Golden Helmet’ for the 2023 season to the multiple world trial champion, Tony Bouin Gala of Champions of the Royal Spanish Motorcycle Federation (RFME), held this Tuesday at Madrid Casino with the attendance of almost all the world champions from last season.
Manuel Casado, president of RFME, presided over the opening ceremony of the Gala awards, thanking the presence of many personalities, such as Alejandro Blancopresident of the Spanish Olympic Committee, who closed the event with a reflection on the World Champions Gala, ‘that’s a lot’, emphasized the president, recalling the first title of Angel Nieto in 1969.
They include Ignacio Verneda, vice president of the International Motorcycle Federation (FIM), or Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of the organizing company of the MotoGP World Championship, Dorna Sports.
Among the notable absences were Moto2 world champions Pedro Acosta and Moto3 Jaume Masiá, who left recorded messages for the gala.
In the “gifts” chapter, the most ‘entertained’ Toni Bou, Jorge Martínez ‘Aspar’, Jorge Prado and Álvaro Bautista, triple world champion, attended the Champions Gala.
‘Aspar’, accompanied by the president of the RFME, gave the ‘Golden Helmet’ to Bou as a successor to this award, which the pilot from Alcira (Valencia) received last year in 2022, in the award paid by the RFME among all Spanish pilots who have won international competitions.
Last season was again a campaign of ‘records’ as Spanish drivers won a total of ten world championships, eight European championships, five world cups, one Mediterranean trophy and many podiums, forty-eight, in various other international competitions.
As for the world champions, those present in 2023 will be present at the event to collect their awards: Toni Bou (TrialGP), on two occasions, both indoor and outdoor, Jorge Prado (MXGP) , Álvaro Bautista (Superbike ) , Josep García (Enduro 1) or Daniela Guillén, runner-up in the motocross world, along with around thirty other top-level riders, such as runner-up in the flat track world, Gerard Bailo.
In the case of Toni Bou, the ‘Golden Helmet’ award is considered the RFME’s highest award, recognizing his outstanding contribution to the promotion of motorcycling sport. Toni Bou has won absolutely everything in the last thirteen trial seasons, a specialty in which he has at least 34 world trial titles, 17 outdoors and 17 indoors, making him the most successful rider in all.
Bou commented, after receiving the award, that he was obviously doing “what I love”, but that “to get ahead you have to practice and practice”. “There are things that can be improved with great physical moments and we have to keep dreaming and keep winning, because we have renewed for four more years and the goal is to keep winning,” he added.
Álvaro Bautista, fresh from the first qualifying round of the Superbike world championship, is happy with the result of this first race of the season, although he immediately clarified that with the new regulations “the defense of the title will be more complicated. ” , especially in view the “awesome” starting grid found at Phillip Island.
“Actually the only bike affected by the new regulations is ours, where we have to add a lot of ballast, but in the end it is what it is and we have to adapt as best and as fast as we can,” he explained. .
Another very special award is that of Jorge Prado from Lugo, double MX2 world champion and the first Spaniard to win the title in the premier category of the motocross world championship, MXGP. The award was given to Jorge Prado by the president of the COE, Alejandro Blanco, and he recalled that the victory at the weekend in his native Lugo, in the first round of the championship in Spain, was “something special”, while at the same time had an effect there in this way it was possible to “remove the thorn of the previous year and the house.” “You couldn’t ask for anything more,” he added.
A special prize at the Champions Gala went to the organization of La Bañeza (León) urban race, the oldest race in Spain, where drivers of the stature of British Phil Read competed, winning it after several attempts. , or worldwide famous Spaniards such as Ángel Nieto or Manuel ‘Champi’ Herreros, among others, and usually with a huge crowd, more than 70,000 in its 2023 edition.
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.
