Bigger and bigger: Toni Bou increases his legendary status with an eleventh X-Trial Championship title

Repsol Honda Team rider Toni Bou’s extraordinary honours list was lengthened further tonight in Nice, France where he became FIM X-Trial World Champion. This is the eleventh time the Spanish rider has been garlanded with the honour, taking the total of world championship titles in indoor and outdoor to 21.

The Repsol Honda Team ace arrived at the Palais Nikkaïa in Nice firm favourite to win both the event and the overall title as he had done at the three previous outings in Barcelona, Wiener Neustadt and Marseille. Tonight Bou was proclaimed ‘King of Nice’ too after rounding off a perfect season in the indoor discipline.

Toni Bou put on a dazzling display of high-level riding prowess in the glamorous French city to claim victory on the day with no penalty marks. At the end of qualifying, the Montesa Cota 4RT rider had already mathematically sealed the title with the points necessary to take him through to the final.

In the final itself, Bou was clearly enjoying himself. With the win, the champion celebrated a full-house of wins in 2017 that takes his tally of wins in this competition since February 2016 to seven.

Toni Bou’s eleven X-Trial/Indoor titles plus the ten in the outdoor discipline add up to a total of twenty-one consecutive titles, a unique achievement, not only for motorcycling, but unmatched in virtually any other sport.

Repsol Honda Team companion Takahisa Fujinami was unable to reach his objective of qualifying for the final and accompanying team-mate Toni Bou on the podium. An error in section two sealed Fujigas’ fate and the Japanese veteran missed out on the final cut by two points. Jaime Busto, the third member of the Repsol Honda Team, in spite of not participating, was present alongside team-mate Bou as the fellow Spaniard collected the eleventh X-Trial title.

TONI BOU’S NUMBERS

• In X-Trial, Bou has won 52 trials, more that any other rider in history and has beaten almost every record by impressive margins. In spite of this, Bou is as hungry for victory as he was when he surprised the world in 2007, clinching the indoor title by winning half of the year’s trials. From then on, Toni Bou installed himself on the X-Trial throne and has remained there ever since.
• Toni Bou has scored 80 points, the highest possible score in the season.
• The last time that Toni Bou missed out on a podium finish in an X-Trial world championship was in January 2007 in Marseille.
• Toni Bou has totalled 52 triumphs out of the 75 occasions in which he has participated for the Repsol Honda Team in the Indoor/X-Trial world championship.
• The most recent time when Toni Bou failed to win top honours in an indoor event was in Sheffield, UK on 9th January 2016.
• Of the 75 indoor events Bou has clinched 64 podiums (85.3%)
• Of the 75 indoor events Bou has won 52 times (69.3%)

•

Toni Bou

“I’m really happy, this is a special title. After winning the first three races we knew that we had to get through to the final to be able to celebrate the title. But we also knew that the race was going to be easy, so we had to work very hard in the qualifying as we knew we could have a tough competition. We ended up winning the event and finishing with no marks, which was a good job as Adam always puts the pressure on. We have won all the races – it’s been two years since we were able to do that – it’s an incredible sensation. I would also like to thank the team which has worked so hard. Winning the title is a way of giving them back a little of everything that they have done to help achieve it.”

Takahisa Fujinami

“It was a pity about section two as I could have made it through to the final. I am much more at ease with the bike now and I’m happy with the way I’m riding. I’m fifth in the world championship and I think that the team has done a perfect job. I wish to congratulate Toni on his 11th title and also all the team members and my family.”

Miquel Cirera

“We have to thank Toni so much and give him a great round of applause. It has to be that way as it is incredible the amount of work that he has done and the passion and the will that he has to keep on improving. Those closest to him have worked really hard and the Repsol Honda Team also. We have to congratulate them too because the result doesn’t always reflect the amount of work that they have put in. But on this occasion they have worked and they have won. Fujinami has had a correct season always in the battle for the final. We know that he finds the indoor events tough but he has worked a lot. Jaime has improved a lot but the handicap of not being one of the permanent riders has hampered his evolution.”