Toni Bou strengthens the leadership
By TMX Archives on 12th Feb 07
Toni Bou achieved at the Indoor Trial Repsol Cidade de Lisboa his fourth triumph of the season in five rounds after a thrilling final against his main rivals in the fight for the title, Adam Raga and Albert Cabestany.
Repsol Montesa-HRC obtains a great result that let him to strengthen his leadership at Indoor Series with eight point cushion ahead of the defending champion.
Around 6000 people enjoyed an amazing trial show at Campo Pequeno Arena. Trial Indoor Cidade de Lisboa presented a tough and hard competition with seven observed sections and one race. Bou and Raga offered a dramatic end; their face to face on double lane and section 6, in which the current leader was the only to avoid five penalties, became the highlights that decided the victory on Repsol Montesa-HRC rider's side.
On qualification lap, Bou invented a fantastic line on section 1 that let him to complete it with one mark, while the rest of riders suffered a big mistake. Anyway Repsol Montesa-HRC rider added five in the last observed section when he hit his back. Bou headed Adam Raga at double lane and snatched first provisional place for the final. Defending champion did also an excellent performance and forgot nerves and pressure after he fived the opening section. Third rider for the final was Albert Cabestany who proved to be a little bit more consistent and regular than the other candidates for the last final lap ticket.
Takahisa Fujinami, very motivated after his amazing second place in Barcelona, didn't run the final due to one point. Two slight mistakes in the last part of the circuit gave some advantage to Cabestany. The Japanese star forced to close the gap, he beat Sherco rider in the race, but it was not enough to overcome his rival. Dougie Lampkin made again a poor performance with too much marks and showed a little unconfidence on some hazards. The fantastic classification achieved at home trial in Barcelona last weekend didn't help Jeroni Fajardo to ride in style at Lisbon. Beta rider committed four maximum penalties throughout the seven sections and fell to sixth place. Closing the standings again Shaun Morris. In his second start in 2007 Indoor Series, Briton rider didn't have the pace to maintain the rhythm on the sections.
FITWC come back in seven days when Milano hosts the sixth round of the 2007 calendar.
Toni Bou: `I'm very satisfied with this win. It's a very important result and let me to increase the gap with my rivals. But anyway, as I'm saying from the beginning of the season, you need to stay very concentrated at each round and go on fighting step by step´.
Adam Raga: `After these results in Lisbon Toni Bou is a little bit more far away. But it's not a big difference, I can recover it. Four rounds left and everything can happen till the end of the championship. Today two of the sections were almost impossible and the victory was solved in a very specific moments. You didn't have margin to fail´.
Albert Cabestany: `Again I've finished with a bittersweet feelings. I gained a podium place but this was not my aim. I wanted to cut the difference with my two main rivals. Congratulations to Toni Bou after his nice performance and, in my case, we have to continue working and try to do in a better way next time´.
Trial Indoor Repsol Cidade de Lisboa
Qualification Lap
1. Toni Bou 7 penalty points
2. Adam Raga 7
3. Albert Cabestany 16
4. Takahisa Fujinami 17
5. Dougie Lampkin 22
6. Jeroni Fajardo 29
7. Shaun Morris 34
Final Lap
1. Toni Bou 14 penalty points
2. Adam Raga 18
3. Albert Cabestany 22
FIM Indoor Trial World Championship 2007
Provisional Standings
1. Toni Bou 43 points
2. Adam Raga 35
3. Albert Cabestany 29
4. Takahisa Fujinami 27
5. Dougie Lampkin 24
6. Jeroni Fajardo 22
7. Tadeusz Blazusiak 4