Repsol Honda Team score another double in the French TrialGP qualifying

Today was an important risk for me to achieve the first place that means that I start out in last place tomorrow. I had no choice but to race hard. I saw that the others were pushing really hard. I saw that Cabestany had a problem just before I started, but in the end it turned out well. I was a bit slow in the first part and right up to the limits, but I’m very pleased to have achieved my first ‘pole’. We will have to see if they leave the sections as they are for tomorrow. Fujinami, the new rider’s representative, expressed the opinion of most of the riders who prefer to leave the sections as they are and not touch them. If it rains, it will be a bit more difficult, but it can be done. This is a subject that I’m fed up with; they keep changing the sections to make them easier. You arrive there and find that they are far easier than on other occasions. I think that the non-stop event should be more than just easy sections. It’s possible to have high-level sections without them being dangerous. I don’t know if they just don’t want me to win, but I’m getting really bored with this subject. I love this sport but I’m tired of having to struggle every day to get them to make a decent trial.

This is the position that I’m getting used to starting from recently. Jaime and Toni have been really fast and I think I was among the remaining riders. Making mistakes in qualifying was really easy and some paid heavily. Maybe I didn’t take enough risks as I wanted to finish without errors, at about 70-80% of my potential. But sixth gives me a good starting position for tomorrow. Last year I won this trial and I felt very comfortable in the competition today. Let’s hope that I can repeat the 2016 result!

I was quick but I got caught up a bit at the end. I think that it’s not a bad result getting to start out in front of Toni in tomorrow’s trial. In front I have Raga and Dabill, who will be good reference points - the important thing is to do it well. The sections seem a bit too easy and we’ll have to wait and see if they modify them for the weather, but I think they are good sections if they leave them alone.