Following his shock third-placed finish last time out in Andorra, superstar Spaniard Toni Bou returned to the top of the podium with a comfortable victory at the second French TrialGP of the season – round four of the 2021 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship – at Cahors.
A big turn-out of fans basked under a blazing sun and were treated to the sight of Bou bouncing back to his brilliant best. The defending champion – who’s on course to make it 15 consecutive TrialGP titles – parted with three single dabs in the first four sections of the trial set in a disused quarry and then remained clean for the remaining 20.
“I looked at the sections yesterday and knew it would be a low-scoring trial so I had to concentrate very hard,” said Bou. “I made a few mistakes on the first lap but was clean on lap two and it’s a great result for me after not the best weekend in Andorra.”
Fresh from his first win of the season at round three, Adam Raga led by a mark after the opening three sections but a maximum on the fourth – and then another on the eighth – effectively ended his hopes of back-to-back victories. A second-lap total of two still earned the two-time world champion the runner-up position, a single mark ahead of Jaime Busto, as the top-three gapped the field.
With many of the sections composed of imposing, imported slabs embedded along a riverbed, Bou was in his element as he hopped, skipped and jumped his four-stroke through the hazards. His fourth win of the season means he now leads Raga by a healthy 11 points with just three scoring days to go.
Miquel Gelabert completed the all-Spanish top four but his final total of 28 was double that of Busto as veteran Japanese fan-favourite Takahisa Fujinami (Repsol Honda) recovered from a bad opening lap to come home fifth after losing a tie-break.
Next up is the Spanish TrialGP at Pobladura de las Regueras on September 10-12.
Results TrialGP France
| Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | L1 | L2 | L3 | T3 | Champ | Team | Constructor | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BOU Toni | 1 | SPA | 0 | 3 | 0 | 20 | Repsol Honda Team | Montesa | 3 | |
| 2 | RAGA Adam | 68 | SPA | 11 | 2 | 0 | 17 | TRRS Factory Team | TRRS | 13 | |
| 3 | BUSTO Jaime | 69 | SPA | 12 | 2 | 0 | 15 | Vertigo Factory Team | Vertigo | 14 | |
| 4 | GELABERT Miquel | 56 | SPA | 11 | 17 | 0 | 13 | Gas Gas | Gas Gas | 28 | |
| 5 | FUJINAMI Takahisa | 7 | JPN | 20 | 8 | 0 | 11 | Repsol Honda Team | Montesa | 28 | |
| 6 | GRATTAROLA Matteo | 88 | ITA | 14 | 17 | 0 | 10 | Beta Factory Racing | Beta | 31 | |
| 7 | CASALES Jorge | 33 | SPA | 16 | 17 | 0 | 9 | Gas Gas Factory Team | Gas Gas | 33 | |
| 8 | MARCELLI Gabriel | 38 | SPA | 24 | 10 | 0 | 8 | Montesa Factory | Montesa | 34 | |
| 9 | BINCAZ Benoit | 73 | FRA | 25 | 12 | 0 | 7 | Beta Factory Racing | Beta | 37 | |
| 10 | FAJARDO Jeroni | 5 | SPA | 21 | 22 | 0 | 6 | Sherco Factory Team | Sherco | 43 |
Rider Standings
| Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Points | Team | Constructor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BOU Toni | 1 | SPA | 112 | Repsol Honda Team | Montesa |
| 2 | RAGA Adam | 68 | SPA | 101 | TRRS Factory Team | TRRS |
| 3 | GRATTAROLA Matteo | 88 | ITA | 79 | Beta Factory Racing | Beta |
| 4 | BUSTO Jaime | 69 | SPA | 75 | Vertigo Factory Team | Vertigo |
| 5 | FUJINAMI Takahisa | 7 | JPN | 69 | Repsol Honda Team | Montesa |
| 6 | GELABERT Miquel | 56 | SPA | 66 | Gas Gas | Gas Gas |
| 7 | FAJARDO Jeroni | 5 | SPA | 55 | Sherco Factory Team | Sherco |
| 8 | MARCELLI Gabriel | 38 | SPA | 53 | Montesa Factory | Montesa |
| 9 | CASALES Jorge | 33 | SPA | 34 | Gas Gas Factory Team | Gas Gas |
| 10 | BINCAZ Benoit | 73 | FRA | 20 | Beta Factory Racing | Beta |
| 11 | PEACE Dan | 10 | GBR | 20 | Sherco Factory Team | Sherco |
| 12 | COLAIRO Téo | 13 | FRA | 5 | Beta | Beta |
