Great victory for Toni Bou in Belgium

Repsol Honda Team rider Toni Bou, with a masterful ride, secured victory today in Comblain-au-Pont in the fifth round of the TrialGP World Championship. Takahisa Fujinami, likewise rode an excellent trial to narrowly miss out on a repeat of last year’s podium by a single point.

It turned out to be a gruelling course for the fourth round of the top-tier trial competition. The sweltering heat proved to be the day’s main protagonist forcing both riders and minders alike to take on constant refreshment to hydrate themselves and avoid wilting before the two fifteen-section laps had been completed.

Toni Bou suffered on the hard terrain, the climbs and the slippery slabs of rock. There was barely a difference between the champ and Jeroni Fajardo throughout the entire trial, until the competition reached the final section of the last lap, where the Repsol Honda Team star was able to seal his fifth season victory. Bou hasn’t been off the top step of the podium since last year’s trial in Andorra. The win stretches the incumbent champion’s lead at the head of the overall standings and gives him a nineteen-point cushion over the nearest second place rival.

Japanese rider Takahisa Fujinami pulled off a spectacular fourth place, a mere point away from a place on the rostrum. Today “Fujigas” was the first top-flight rider to open the track this morning but nevertheless rode a noteworthy trial. Fujinami holds fourth spot in the overall rankings.

The next trial world championship outing will take place in Portugal on 13th and 14th July, although prior to that Toni Bou has a date with the Spanish national championship in Pobladura de las Regueras, León.