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A ruthless Toni Bou - Repsol Montesa made it two wins in two days at the second round of the 2012 FIM Trial World Championship, held in Mount Tarrengower, Australia. The triumph saw Bou extend his lead in the series over Adam Raga - Gas Gas to sixteen points after Raga was knocked off the podium on Sunday by Jeroni Fajardo - Beta and Takahisa Fujinami - Repsol Montesa in second and third respectively. Raga finished fourth.
Bou dropped just three marks on his first lap, which set the tone for a dominating performance. His second circulation would have been even more impressive were it not for a five on section fourteen. Until then he had dabbed just twice and was in vintage form. He completed the day nine marks clear of runner-up Fajardo who, like Bou, had an excellent first lap en route to his second podium this season. Fujinami was a further twelve marks behind in third.
The course was easier on day two as organisers had modified sections to reduce their severity. A lack of rain also made the going easier. Once again a good crowd turned out to support the riders as they battled a cold wind that made conditions feel more like northern Europe than the southern hemisphere. Despite the changes Raga had an inconsistent first lap and clocked up thirty marks, from which it was impossible to recover. Lap two was much better, but the damage had already been done. Albert Cabestany’s - Sherco performance mirrored Raga’s as he completed the top five.
In the Junior division Alexandre Ferrer - Sherco demonstrated his intent once again with a superb victory over Francesc Moret - Montesa. It was the Frenchman’s fourth consecutive triumph and it saw him extend his lead in the championship to twenty-one points over Moret, his Spanish rival. Having finished fifth on Saturday Benoit Dagnicourt - Beta improved overnight to score a podium position ahead of Britain’s Jack Sheppard - Beta. New Zealand’s Jake Whitaker - Beta rounded out the top five while Pol Tarres - JotaGas was a disappointing sixth.
The podium on day two in the Youth class was identical to that of day one, with France’s Steven Coquelin - Gas Gas narrowly beating Bradley Cox - Beta to record his second win down under. There was very little in it, with just one mark separating the duelling pair. Sverre Lundevold - Beta took third place once again, the Norwegian a further two marks adrift of Cox. Kiwi Blake Fox - Gas Gas was fourth, while fellow New Zealander John Hayes - Beta was fifth.
There is no rest for the riders now as they head straight to Japan for the third round of the 2012 FIM Trial World Championship this coming weekend. Raga will travel to Motegi with revenge in mind as he attempts to narrow the gap between he and Bou in what will be the third successive two-day Grand Prix this season.
