Despite bringing a ten point lead into the final round, Bou was on the back foot from the opening lap on Saturday, as Raga attacked with little to lose as he went all out to close the gap.
Raga‰Ûªs tactic‰Ûªs paid off and certainly put Toni in a tense and nervous mood in what was to prove a relatively low scoring competition. Raga seized the lead early on Saturday morning and was in no mind to surrender it as he rode to a three mark win over Fajardo, which left Bou down in third spot and having conceded five valuable championship points.
With his advantage halved overnight and the threat of rain on Sunday, Bou faced another difficult day as he attempted to wrap up his seventh title. The real scale of his plight became apparent as Bou found himself down in fourth place at the end of lap one, with Raga once again ahead of him and threatening to steal his crown away from him in a dramatic end to the series.
Bou re-found his composure as the trial wore on to move into second spot behind Raga by the end of the second lap, which would have been enough for him to have successfully defended his title if this was the final result.
However events were about to turn in Bous‰Ûªs favour as Raga wrongly gambled on the rain arriving and rode at speed on the closing lap which was to cost him marks, and ultimately the title.
Bou held his nerve brilliantly despite the dark clouds overhead and put together a final lap aboard his four-stroke machine that was to win him the trial and more importantly his seventh outdoor crown in a row.
‰ÛÏThis feels almost as good as my first title, as it has been such a tough championship and an incredibly difficult weekend for me." Bou stated. "Yesterday I was not confident on the bike as I have not ridden so much since the last round due to the injury I sustained at the British GP.
"Adam and Jeroni rode really well and punished me. I was very nervous going into today, especially about the rain and then when I made some mistakes on the first lap that put me in fourth place, I thought it was not going to be my day.
"In the end as a team we did a good recovery and managed to win the trial and the title, which feels so incredible at this moment. ‰Û
