Toni Bou made the perfect start to the second part of the 2023 X-Trial World Championship season with his third victory at X-Trial Andorra la Vella.
The home favourite claimed his revenge over Jaime Busto who won in the principality last year.
16-times World Champion Bou already had control of the Final after just two sections, because while his rivals Busto and Gabriel Marcelli floundered with two mistakes, Bou notched just four marks to take an early six-mark lead. His victory was assured by Section Four with a clean where his competitors had again failed.
From there, the battle was for second place, only decided in the last section as Busto made it through with a single mark while Marcelli suffered his sixth consecutive failure.
The top three had a clear advantage over the course of ten qualifying sections, but fourth and fifth places proved close-fought. Aniol Gelabert snatched fourth from Benoit Bincaz courtesy of an outstanding second Round, but Bincaz will have been pleased to have been a genuine podium contender on his first run. Adam Raga had an uncharacteristically poor second run that dropped him to sixth, having been just two marks from the top three after the night’s first five sections.
Toby Martyn, Matteo Grattarola and debutant Billy Green were cut adrift of the pace and occupied the final three positions.
“I am very happy with the victory, since the race in Andorra is always special for me,” Bou said. “On the first lap I didn’t have a very good feeling, so for the second I changed bikes and it was much better. Winning such a difficult race is incredible and this gives me extra motivation for the next one, which will be at the home of Repsol, where I will once again aim for victory and the title.”
The next FIM X-Trial World Championship Round takes place in Madrid on 4th November.
