Repsol Honda Team back to the birthplace of Trial

Toni Bou, Takahisa Fujinami and Jaime Busto of Repsol Honda Team are this weekend set to tackle the fourth date of the FIM Trial World Championship in Great Britain, one of the most emblematic events of the championship.

After trips to Japan, the Czech Republic and Sweden, the next destination is the U.K. with one of the most important GPs of the season. Great Britain is, of course, a country heavily steeped in the trial tradition, with a long history of the discipline, having produced some of the great historical figures and where spectators appreciate the intricacies of the sport’s techniques.

Nord Vue plays host to the fourth round of the trial championship that sees Toni Bou arrive on top of his game and on top of the leader-board after six back-to-back victories. The Montesa Cota 4RT rider sits on a 28 point advantage over closest second-place rival Adam Raga and arrives at a circuit which has always been a lucky charm for the Catalan ace whose participations correspond to the number of wins.
Repsol Honda Team colleague Takahisa Fujinami also goes in search of a good result after refinding his form in the Swedish GP, where he finished on the podium in the first of the two races. The Japanese ex-world champion currently holds fourth place in the overall standings with distinct possibilities of improving on this position.

Likewise, rookie Basque rider Jaime Busto will endeavour to continue his apprenticeship amongst the World Pro elite at his first season with Repsol Honda Team. Busto is sixth overall.

The Nord Vue trial, close to Carlisle and Penrith, will be disputed on the grounds of a country house where a 2.5 kilometre route has been designed featuring twelve secctions. As is usual, riders will have to complete three laps with the final rider – Toni Bou – due to set off at 11:00 a.m. local time (GMT).

· Toni Bou, after the Swedish GP, has achieved 70 wins in the world championship; some 44.30% of his participations have ended with a triumph.

· The world champion has reached the figure of 104 podiums in the world championship – 65.82% of the total number of races disputed.

· Toni has won 10 times in Great Britain. Dougie Lampkin is the most-garlanded rider to date: 11 (5 wins with Montesa). Takahisa Fujinami has been victorious on 2 occasions (2006 and 2010).

· Repsol Honda Team’s Japanese rider has accumulated 152 podiums in the world championship. 12 were won in Great Britain.

· Fujinami won his first points in the world championship in England in the trial of Hawkstone Park, in 1996.

· It was also in Hawkstone Park where Toni Bou won his first world title in 2007.

· In the British phase of the world championship, the Repsol Honda Team riders are equal with 12 podiums apiece.

· Malcolm Rathmell, in 1976, achieved the first win for Montesa in a world championship trial in Great Britain, a feat that he once again repeated in 1977 and 1979. Ulf Karlsson, in 1981 – the year in which he won the title with Montesa – took the triumph in Bainbridge. This was the same place that Eddie Lejeune would win with Honda 1983. Steve Saunders in 1986 and Pateley Bridge were two other riders who won for Montesa in Great Britain. Since 2000, Dougie Lampkin, Takahisa Fujinami and Toni Bou have dominated 17 out of the 18 trials disputed there.

· This weekend Nord Vue becomes the location to have hosted the highest number of world championship trials in Great Britain. Until now, Hawkstone Park has played host to the competitions highest level on nine occasions. The trial world championship has also visited Wales, the Isle of Man and Scotland.