Tomorrow and Sunday will see Spain host the final round of the 2014 FIM Trial World Championship, however last season the Spanish Trial GP came midway through the series. Pobladura in the north east corner of the country was the venue for the 2013 encounter, which proved to be a tough affair and marked a significant moment in last year’s title fight as Toni Bou – Repsol Honda regained the championship lead from Adam Raga – Gas Gas.
Bou won on the day with a hefty score of sixty-one marks, some twenty-six marks ahead of Raga, to snatch a narrow two-point advantage in the general standings at the halfway point in the 2013 season. Whilst Raga would not have been pleased with his performance at his last home GP he can perhaps have counted himself lucky to have hung on to the runners-up place after defeating Albert Cabestany – Sherco on a most cleans tiebreak. Cabestany completed an all-Spanish podium for the sixth time that season, as the southern European nation continued to dominate the sport of Trial.
Japan’s Takahisa Fujinami – Repsol Honda and Matteo Grattarola – Gas Gas from Italy rounded out the top five at the 2013 Spanish Trial Grand Prix and are just two riders amongst the leading non-natives who will be looking to upset the higher order this time around as Bou and Raga face another important fight on home turf to decide the 2014 title.