Brilliant rides from Jack & Toby as Britain battle to X-Trial des Nations third
By John Dickinson on 17th Apr 19
It was as you were in the 2019 X-Trial of Nations with the final podium being exactly the same as 2018 as Spain continued their unbeaten run.
France again finished second and Great Britain thanks to brilliant rides by Jack Price (Gas Gas) and Nations debutante Toby Martyn (Beta) a fine third at Vendee, France, on Saturday evening.
The incomparable Toni Bou (Repsol Honda) and young gun Jaime Busto (Gas Gas) set the record for the biggest margin of victory in the history of the FIM X-Trial of Nations.
The pair did not drop a single mark in the opening two rounds of the contest while French pair Benoit Bincaz (Beta) and Alexandre Ferrer (Sherco) accumulated 12 marks as they joined them in the Final.
Up and coming Bincaz was actually handicapped by a fall in the warm-up prior to the event which left him with bruising to his wrist and leg.
But he performed well alongside the more experienced Ferrer to take home nation France to the capacity crowds vociferous delight to second place despite some late failures.
In the two-Nation final, Spain also suffered a couple of failures but it was academic by then and they won by 12 marks to 34.
British youngsters Price (Gas Gas) and Martyn (Beta) performed superbly, finishing just one point behind France after the first two rounds to just miss out on the Final. Martyn on his X-Trial debut and Price were two of the stars of the evening to take third for Great Britain for the second year running.
The Italian team of Luca Petrella (Beta) and Matteo Grattarola (Montesa) finished fourth despite completing round one a point ahead of Great Britain, largely thanks to a disappointing second lap for Petrella.
But the Brits still put in the performance needed and fully-deserved their podium.
Norway returned to the competition after a seven-year absence and young Sondre Haga (TRRS) and veteran Hakon Pedersen (Gas Gas) had a hopeful first round but struggled badly on their second lap to finish in fifth place.
The event comprised two rounds of six sections, with each country's two riders tackling three sections apiece, the choice being their own.
Combined scores of each round were added to give a total, with the top two teams Spain and France as it happened going forward to contest the final.
After the opening two rounds Spain had not lost a single mark, mainly duo to the sections being set relatively easy in deference to the countries who don't boast a Toni Bou or Jaime Busto, an eminently sensible course of action.
France were second throughout the competition while Italy actually held a narrow one-mark lead over Britain after the opening six-section round, before Jack and Toby turned the tables on their rivals to take that fine podium.
In the final the organisers were able to up the level of section difficulty and while this caught even the rampant Spanish squad for marks it also allowed them to show their obvious superiority.
All credit to Jack and Toby though third place was a superb result.
X-Trial FIM des Nations
Vendee, France
Round 1
1 Spain 0
Toni Bou (Montesa) 0
Jaime Busto (Gas Gas) 0
2 France 2
Benoit Bincaz (Beta) 1
Alexandre Ferrer (Sherco) 1
3 Italy 5
Matteo Grattarola (Montesa) 0
Luca Petrella (Beta) 5
4 Great Britain 6
Jack Price (Gas Gas) 3
Toby Martyn (Beta) 3
5 Norway 14
Hakon Pedersen (Gas Gas) 8
Sondre Haga (TRRS) 6
Round 2
1 Spain 0
Bou 0, Busto 0
2 France 10
Bincaz 5, Ferrer 5
3 Great Britain7
Price 5, Martyn 2
4 Italy11
Grattarola 0, Petrella 11
5 Norway 27
Pedersen 15, Haga 12
FINAL
1 Spain (Bou 7, Busto 5) 12
2 France (Bincaz 15, Ferrer) 22
Overall: 1 Spain, 2 France, 3 Great Britain, 4 Italy,
5 Norway.
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