Bilbao ready to roll for third round of X-trial World Championship
By John Dickinson on 14th Feb 19
The third round of the 2019 FIM X-Trial World Championship takes place in Bilbao this Saturday, February 16. And while Toni Bou (Repsol Montesa) and Adam Raga (TRS) will join in battle to break the deadlock at the top of the table, sadly there wont be a Brit in the line-up.
However, the stage is set for two young riders to make their first appearances of the 2019 season. They are Gabriel Marcelli (Montesa), who wont turn 19 until April and who made his debut last season in the final round in Budapest, and promising young Norwegian Sondre Haga (TRRS).
Haga, just 19 himself, will be making his X-Trial World Championship debut. The young Norwegian has been a TRS rider since 2016 and has grown in stature since arriving at the squad.Haga won the Norwegian X-Trial series in 2018 but will find the World X-Trial a whole new adventure!
Marcelli and Haga will join 20-year old Luca Petrella (Beta) as nominated riders in Bilbao, appearing alongside automatic qualifier from X-Trial Barcelona Jeroni Fajardo (Gas Gas). These four wildcards are added to the quintet of permanent riders, Bou, Raga, Jaime Busto (Gas Gas), Benoit Bincaz (Beta) and Miquel Gelabert (Sherco).
Bou and Raga head to Bilbao tied on 35 points at the top of the standings having scored a win each in the two events held so far. They are well clear of joint second place men battling Gas Gas duo Jaime Busto and Jeroni Fajardo. Whatever the overall result on Saturday, both deadlocks will be broken.
Last years breakthrough boys, Frenchman Benoit Bincaz (Beta) and Shercos Miguel Gelabert will be looking for a podium.Bincaz has just 12 points to date while Gelabert missed the opening round through injury, came back in Barcelona and now he needs to get back into contention.
More like this…
Report: Barcelona X-Trial World Championship 2019
Adam Raga nailed his first victory of 2019 in a close-fought X-Trial Barcelona. Raga beat arch-rival Toni Bou by a single mark in an epic head-to-head final on Sunday evening in the iconic Palau Saint Jordi stadium.
