The 44th edition of the Barcelona Indoor Trial, second and last round of the X Trial World Championship, which will be held at the Palau Sant Jordi next Sunday, at the Palau Sant Jordi, will be the great opportunity for Toni Bou (Montesa-HRC), who arrives as leader, to achieve his fifteenth consecutive indoor world title.
The covid-19 pandemic, which prevented the celebration of this year’s edition on its usual February date, has also caused the 2021 World Cup to be compressed to only two tests: Andorra, which was celebrated on the 6th with the triumph of Toni Bou; and that of Barcelona, which arrives again at Sant Jordi after 20 months of absence.
The event was presented today at the Olympic and Sports Museum ‘Joan Antoni Samaranch’ of Montjuïc, chaired by the Barcelona City Council sports councilor, David Escudé and the president of RPM Sports, Juan Porcar.
Toni Bou, 35, with 13 victories in 16 participations in the Barcelona event seems to arrive in great shape. The pilot from Piera, who has 29 world titles (14 indoor and 15 outdoors), wants to fight for his 69th victory in the World Cup, although he must once again have a close duel with Tarragona’s Adam Raga. (TRRS), second in Andorra and who beat him in Barcelona in 2019; If Raga wins in Barcelona, he will be the world champion, since in the event of a tie whoever wins the last round wins the title.
In this season there are nine drivers, eight fixed and one guest (wild card). Adam Raga (TRRS), 39 years old and six times winner in Barcelona, in what will be his twentieth presence, and four world champions, Jeroni Fajardo (Sherco) from Girona, second and third last season, top the list.
Along with them are young riders, such as Jorge Casales (Gas Gas) from Vigo; the Basque Jaime Busto (Vertigo), third in Andorra; the Pontevedra Gabriel Marcelli (Montesa); Barcelona’s Miquel Gelabert (Gas Gas); Italian Matteo Grattarola (Beta), 2020 Trial2 World Champion and fourth-placed in the 2021 Absolute Outdoor World Championship, and British wild-card Toby Martyn (TRRS) recently proclaimed Trial 2 World Champion.
For the first time in the history of the Indoor Trial, the competition for female riders will be held, which will be called the Women’s Trophy Barcelona. Almost all of the best pilots in the world will be at the Palau Sant Jordi on November 21. The list is headed by the seven-time women’s trial world champion, the British Emma Bristow (Sherco), who will face two of her biggest rivals in the women’s TrialGP world championship: the Catalan Berta Abellán (Vertigo), third classified in the World Cup, and Madrid’s Sandra Gómez (TRRS), fourth.
Also participating in the competition will be the Norwegian Ingveig Häkonsen (TRRS) and the French Naomi Monnier (Beta), fifth and sixth in the world respectively.
The five pilots will face four “natural” type zones – they will not be artificial modules – and in which they will have to overcome a series of logs or large stones or a combination of both.
The competition system for the men’s category is the same as last season and third place on the podium will be heads or tails: two drivers and a single zone. In the first lap, the nine riders, divided into three groups, will have to overcome five zones. Six riders go to the semifinals, divided into two groups and who must overcome 5 zones.
The format of the grand final is also maintained. The best of each of the two semifinal groups will go to the final and six zones will decide who will be the winner of this edition.