Good Friday for X-trial Nations
By TMX Archives on 6th Apr 12
With the World X-Trial (Indoor) Championship now done and dusted with Toni Bou crowned a six-time Champ the Indoor scene moves smoothly into the 2012 X-Trial des Nations which is, of course, staged as a one-off event.
The Indoor team event isn't dependant on a single host country to stage it and Nice, on the south coast of France is the venue for this year's event and the trial will take place TONIGHT (Good Friday, April 6).
It is being televised LIVE on Motors TV.
This year the X-TdN will be contested by five Nations with the hosts France being joined by red-hot favourites Spain who will naturally be represented by Toni Bou.
The incredible Repsol Montesa factory rider will be teamed with World X-Trial 2012 runner-up Albert Cabestany.
Sherco-mounted Cabes earned the right to partner the World Number One when he came out top of a big two-way final round battle with Gas Gas teamster Adam Raga in the final round at the awesome Bercy stadium, Paris, last weekend.
Amazingly it was Bou's first appearance at the Palais Ominsport – a long time host of Indoor trials, having staged many sell-out nights that saw French fans wowed by the likes of Jordi Tarres, Tommi Ahvala, Marc Colomer and Dougie Lampkin.
Britain's Steve Colley was a huge fan of the Bercy Arena and Steve enjoyed several fantastic head to head battles with Tarres when the seven times world champ was at the height of his considerable powers.
Cabestany and Raga arrived at Bercy equal on points and a battle royale was anticipated. However, it didn't quite turn out like that and as Bou staged a virtual exhibition ride, to the delight of the Parisian fans, neither Albert or Adam could really rise to the occasion.
Jeroni Fajardo fired the Beta into a surprise runner-up berth while Takahisa Fujinami was more than happy to nail third.
Raga failed to progress from the semi-final and Cabes squeezed through on a tie-break but it was enough to nail him the 2012 vice championship.
So, Bou and Cabestany travel to Nice as total short odds favourites.
Britain is represented by pals Michael Brown and James Dabill and the pair could easily net second.
They will have to overcome the Japanese duo of a surprisingly in-form Repsol Montesa rider Takahisa Fujinami, who will be joined by Tomoyuki Ogawa who will be flying in specially from Japan.
The home, French, nation will be represented by Loris Gubian and Alexandre Ferrer who will naturally hope to be given a lift by the locals.
Expect the Norwegian pairing of Hakon Pedersen and Ib Anderson to be the whipping boys, but all respect to them for having the nerve to step onto the big stage having had no experience of an International Indoor event.
