RHODE RUNNER
By Team TMX on 29th Jul 15
Bous back in the driving seat
IT was back to situation normal in the battle for the 2015 Trial World Championship last weekend at Rhode Island in the USA.
Following three consecutive wins for determined challenger Adam Raga, reigning champ Toni Bou delivered two crushing wins to virtually assure himself of extending his tally of
World Championships to an amazing nine.
And in the topsy turvy, super-competitive World Cup class Britain's Jack Price nailed his second win of the series on Saturday and held the lead for two laps on Sunday before slipping to fourth place.
But with series leader Quentin carles de Caudembourg having an off day it all closed up at the top with Spaniard Miquel Gelabert taking over at the top – for the moment.
The American round, a flyaway for all contenders, was staged at Stepping Stone Ranch in Rhode Island on the east coast and delivered a tough challenge on natural terrain in woodland featuring steep climbs and rockery.
Saturday took place in sunny conditions but rain prior to the start meant that damp earth was dragged onto the rocks making them extremely slippery and scores were high.
Bou was in fantastic form on the factory Repsol Montesa and took control right from the start.
His opening lap of just nine was less than half that of eventual runner-up Raga and Toni relentlessly increased his advantage through the second and third laps to win by a thumping 32 marks.
Raga was consistent in his scoring but simply nowhere near Bou's standard.
Surprise of the day was young Catalan Jorge Casales picking up his first World Championship podium.
Casales is on a mission, having missed three rounds since breaking bones in his foot on the second day in the opening round in Japan after taking sixth in the first day.
The Beta rider still languishes in 11th in the series but along with compatriot Jaime Busto is well capable of breaking into the long-established top five.
It was the usual mix and match for the minor placings between Cabestany, Fajardo and Takahisa Fujinami – the Japanese ace losing exactly 100 marks in a trial where most riders dropped a few time faults as the dozen contenders rode cagily, not wanting to give their rivals any advantage.
Britain's James Dabill, on the factory Vertigo, improved from an opening lap of ninth to an eventual seventh as he encouragingly dropped his score each circuit, which his immediate rivals Busto, Ferrer and Kadlec couldn't match.
Jack Sheppard unfortunately had a torrid day in the sections on the Jgas and finished a distant twelfth but still in the points.
For Bou, the second day was just a re-run of the opener.
Having got the measure of the course Toni was concentrating hard at chipping away at his score, with the only section he couldn't master being the sixth.
This took fives off most, the best rides being single dabs by Bou, Raga and Fujigas.
FOR FULL REPORT & PICTURES SEE TMX NEWS, JULY 30, ISSUE 1982
