Closely Fought win for Toni Bou at Andorra TrialGP Day One

Spanish superstar Toni Bou picked up where he left off in France seven weeks ago by riding to victory on the opening day of the Andorran TrialGP, round three of the 2021 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship – but he was pushed all the way by his long-time rival and compatriot Adam Raga.

After two fiercely contested laps of 12 sections, the pair had to be separated on a tie-break with Bou, the reigning champion, getting the decision in the premier TrialGP class after completing the course in a shorter time. In fact, time was Raga’s undoing after he parted with one less mark on observation than Bou but collected an additional time penalty which forced the tie-break.

The course – based around the town of Sant Julià – was plotted over three distinct areas with the opening set of sections laid out on a super-steep hill where loose rocks ensured that grip was in short supply. From here the riders moved up into the woods where huge boulders tested their courage to the limit before the lap signed off in a slippery riverbed.

Under a blazing sun, Toni Bou and Adam Raga went toe-to-toe. A single mark on observation in front after the opening lap but two clear one-time penalties were taken into account, Bou – who is aiming to make it 15 titles in a row – looked to have his third win of the season in the bag.

Raga, however, had other ideas and his second-lap score of 17 was two better than Bou’s but the long lap proved to be his downfall, and his failure to match his rival’s pace across the course cost him dearly.

“Today I achieved a win at the absolute limit,” Bou said. “It was very close, but we never threw in the towel at any time and battled until the very end. At first, Adam Raga was only two points behind, then we drew level and he even passed me at one stage. Finally, we finished, tied on points and I was able to win because of a better overall time. It was very tight and Raga made things really difficult for me, so I’m all the more happier with this victory and even more so because it was here in Andorra. That means a lot to me.”

Italy’s Matteo Grattarola continued his impressive run of form after moving back into the class following his Trial2 title last year with a fantastic third-place finish, albeit 19 marks behind the top two, with Jaime Busto matching his best finish of the season in fourth ahead of Miquel Gelabert from Spain.

Sunday will mark the fifth round of the World Trial Championship season and the second day of the event in the Andorran town of Sant Julià de Lòria. Riders will again face twelve sections over two laps of the same course.

Results TrialGP Andorra Day 1

Rider Standings