Miquel Gelabert, Jorge Casales and debutant Kieran Touly will appear as Event Riders for the first X-Trial of the season
The three nominated participants, who will join the five permanent riders at the season-opening X-Trial, have been revealed. For the first time ever the X-Trial campaign opens away from the continent of Europe, although it is the French overseas territory La Réunion that hosts the eight-rider field on 16th November at the Stade Jean Ivoula.
Frenchman Kieran Touly (Scorpa) is the closest to a home Wild Card, making his X-Trial debut at just eighteen years of age. The reigning 125cc Trial World Champion claimed five of the six possible victories at youth level to make 2019 one to remember, and now claims his place among the world’s elite.
The other two nominations go to riders much more well-established at X-Trial World Championship level. Miquel Gelabert was a permanent rider in the 2019 series but will be fighting for qualification at the start of the new campaign in his debut for Vertigo. Meanwhile Jorge Casales, who represented the Spanish manufacturer last season during his three 2019 X-Trial appearances, returns to Gas Gas where it all began in his 2014 debut campaign.
Both Spaniards have been podium contenders in the past, in the case of Casales as recently as X-Trial Andorra la Vella last time out, so should provide genuine opposition to the five permanent riders for the new season: Toni Bou, Adam Raga, Jaime Busto, Benoit Bincaz and Gabriel Marcelli.
The opener to the FIM X-Trial World Championship is therefore sure to be both hard-fought and spectacular. Tickets are available for X-Trial La Réunion at: www.billetplus.re/evenement/trial-indoor , and live coverage is also available at www.x-trial.tv
