The Trial World Championship takes to the heights this weekend

The TrialGP World Championship is back in action this weekend with the third date in the calendar held in Andorra. Toni Bou – clear leader in the championship – will be anxious to perform well in a complicated trial on home soil.

Round three of the TrialGP brings the championship to Sant Julià de Lòria, Andorra. After the duels in Camprodón in Motegi, the tiny country perched high up in the Pyrenees gets to host the action. The sections, which riders will have to tackle on this one-day only event, are located in Naturlandia at an altitude of some 1,600 metres.

Toni Bou, incumbent champion and overall championship leader, has yet to experience defeat this season and won’t wish to do so in what amounts to a trial on ‘home ground’ for the local resident who lives a mere twenty kilometres from the site. The Repsol Honda Team rider sits on a fifteen point advantage over nearest second place rival Adam Raga.

In the running for a podium place will be Japanese team-mate Takahisa Fujinami, who currently lies just two points off third-placed Jeroni Fajardo in the overall standings. ‘Fujigas’ arrives at the event fired up after the podium place in Motegi, Japan.

Likewise, Jaime Busto should be in contention. The Basque Repsol Honda Team rider is looking to put a lacklustre Japanese performance behind him and rise to the level of his two team-mates. Busto could find the Andorra trial far better suited to his riding style than the previous outing.

The official opening of the Territori Toni Bou, a space dedicated to the twenty-one times world champion, in the installations of Naturlandia at a height of 1,600 metres, is due to take place on Saturday 17th June at 18:00 hrs.

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE ANDORRA TRIALGP

• This is the twentieth occasion on which a world championship trial has been held in Andorra, since first time, 25 years ago. La Rabassa – the municipality of St. Julià de Lòria – and the location’s urban centre, has hosted trial’s top category as well as three editions of TDN.
• The first edition was held in 1992. The altitude, which often nears 2,000 metres above sea-level, often leads to erratic bike performance.
• Behind Dougie Lampkin (7), Toni Bou and Adam Raga (6) are the two riders with the highest number of wins to their names, while Takahisa Fujinami is the rider to have made it on to the rostrum most times with a total of 11, one more than his Repsol Honda Team companion.
• The route of the trial takes place between the centre of Sant Julià de Lòria and Naturlandia (La Rabassa) at 1,600 metres altitude, where fourteen of the total fifteen sections are found. Riders will have to negotiate the ten-kilometre lap twice with a twenty minute break in between.
• Andorra TrialGP Timetable:
  Friday
  15:00                   Inspection of the sections
  Saturday
  10:30 to 11:00     Scrutineering
  11:00 to 13:00     Free training
  12:15 to 12:45     Qualifying round
  14:45                   Autograph signing
  15:00 to 16:30     Qualifying section
  Sunday
  09:00                   First rider start
  12:05                   Start of second lap
  15:20                   End of race
  15:35                   Podium ceremony

· Toni Bou Stats
92 wins in the world championship
188 GP participations
134 podiums
2978 points

· Takahisa Fujinami Stats
33 wins in the world championship
314 GP participations
159 podiums
4270 points

· Jaime Busto Stats
36 GP participations
379 points