Geneva awaits X-Trial round two
By John Dickinson on 18th Jan 12
Back in the calendar last February after an 11-year absence, Geneva, Switzerland, will play host to the second round of the FIM X-Trial World Championship this Saturday evening (January 21). The Arena de Geneve, situated close to the international airport is once again set to welcome a capacity crowd to witness the heroic feats of this elite group of motorcycle riders.
Series leader and reigning champion Toni Bou (Repsol Montesa) will be looking to repeat the win he achieved there in February 2011, but will be up against nine other protagonists, all of whom will have their own battle plans.
Based on the form shown in Strasbourg last Friday, Bou will head to the beautiful Swiss city as the clear and deserved favourite. His ruthless destruction of the chasing field in France last week was a joy to behold, that is unless you were one of his unfortunate rivals on that occasion.
Adam Raga (Gas Gas) was the closest challenger, although was still some way of Bou's winning pace. Adam eventually had to endure a tense passage through the closing section in Strasbourg to keep both Albert Cabestany (Sherco) and Takahisa Fujinami (Repsol Montesa) at bay. In the end the pair finished third and fourth respectively.
All the riders will be expecting yet another tough test, as, for the second week in a row, French section wizard, Bernard Estripeau, will be responsible for devising a course to challenge Bou and co.
Jeroni Fajardo(Beta) will have benefitted from having had another week of training on his new mount, with the 26-year-old having only recently returned to the Italian-based Beta squad. In Geneva last year, Fajardo scored his first podium spot of the season and the first ever rostrum finish at this level for the re-born Ossa team. Jeroni is sure to be looking to repeat this kind of form when he returns to Switzerland at tghe weekend.
Supporting the five more established stars, are three permanent riders and two 'wild-card' entrants all of a younger order. Loris Gubian (Gas Gas) gave his home fans much to cheer about in Strasbourg as he threatened to cause an upset. However, eventually had to settle for a respectable sixth position as he made his debut as a fixed rider in the series.
The more seasoned Michael Brown (Gas Gas) failed to impress in France and will be desperate to make amends in Geneva, as will Alfredo Gomez (Montesa) who suffered an uninspired initial outing as a permanent rider.
The entry list for the second round of the FIM X-Trial World series will be completed by wild-card riders Jack Challoner (Beta) and Benoit Dagnicourt (Beta). The wo young riders who will be hoping to make the most of their opportunity of being part of this
prestigious series, as it visits the home of the FIM.
This will be only the second time in the long history of the FIM, since it was formed back in 1904, that it is has organised a sporting event of its own. The first occasion was also a round of the FIM X-Trial World Championship in 2011.
