The World Champion secures a very hard-fought victory as Hemingway claims his first-ever podium at home
Toni Bou (Repsol Honda Trial Team) claimed his fifth victory of the season in a thrilling and spectacular Final that was decided by just one point in the last section. The event had local hero Harry Hemingway (Beta) as its standout protagonist, as the return of the Great Britain X-Trial saw him achieve the first podium of his sporting career in the FIM X-Trial World Championship, in front of his home fans and on his birthday.
Bou set the early pace with a 1 in the opening section, where Hemingway and the other two finalists, Gabriel Marcelli (Repsol Honda Trial Team) and Jaime Busto (GasGas), all incurred maximum fives. In the second section, Hemingway went clean with a zero, while Bou, Busto and Marcelli all scored fives, starting to fall out of contention for the top two. They gradually dropped back until Marcelli’s five in the penultimate section ruled him out of the podium, which was secured by his rival.
Meanwhile, Bou and Hemingway — who had qualified for the Final as the best rider in Q2 — were separated by four points after the fourth section of a Final in which Bou was struggling with discomfort from a shoulder injury. In the penultimate section, the gap was reduced to two points, and in the final section the Briton scored one point to Bou’s two, allowing Bou to secure the victory with the young Hemingway right on his heels.
Harry’s brother, George Hemingway (Beta), made his Championship debut and achieved a commendable sixth-place finish, just behind Matteo Grattarola (Beta), who had been the slowest rider in Q2. Behind the younger Hemingway brother were Jack Peace (Sherco) and Hugo Dufrese (Beta).
In the provisional Championship standings, Bou now holds a 34-point lead over Marcelli and a 41-point advantage over Busto.
Toni Bou (1st): “It was a very difficult Final and win. In the first section I was aiming for a clean because I wanted to start by making a difference, and in the end I dropped a point. Then in the second section I made a bad move and my injured shoulder bothered me a lot. Fortunately, the physical issue improved and I started to feel better. I want to congratulate Harry Hemingway because he rode in an extraordinary way.”
Harry Hemingway (2nd): “It’s incredible. This season I had already reached three Finals and missed out on the podiums in the tie-breaks. Today, back at home, on my 20th birthday, in Leeds, I achieved second place. I pushed Toni Bou all the way to the last section and lost by one point. I can’t complain. I hope to keep this up for the rest of the season.”
Jaime Busto (3rd): “I went very well in Q1, but in the Final things were different and I had a lot of ups and downs. Even so, I managed to get on the podium, and considering how the Final went, I have to be happy with that. I’m glad Harry achieved his first podium on his birthday.”
The seventh round of the season will be the X-Trial Barcelona , to be held at the Palau Sant Jordi on February 8.
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