Press Release | December 5, 2017
Jaime Busto gets his first podium for Torrot at the opening event of the 2018 X-Trial season.
This is a press release from GasGas…
The newly signed GasGas rider gets on to the second step of the podium in the Vendée X-Trial. His team-mate, Jeroni Fajardo, finishes fourth, making a magnificent start to the season for the Torrot sports team in the opening event of the Indoor World Championship held in France.
The Vendéspace displayed the sold-out sign the day before the start of the X-Trial World Championship, a contest that this year began with significant changes in the format of competition, triggered by the arrival of a new promoter, the company 2Play.
Just two days after the presentation as new riders for the GasGas Trial Factory Team of the Torrot Company in Bilbao, Jaime Busto and Jeroni Fajardo had their first taste of the X-Trial world, sharing a group, the second of the three in which the nine competitors of this renewed indoor competition were distributed. A first qualifying phase that gave access to the six best riders to the second round and that both Busto and Fajardo, passed with a remarkable performance, closing this qualifying round in second and third positions, with 4 and 8 points respectively on their cards.
In the second round, Jaime Busto confirmed his super-quick adaptation to his new GasGas TrialGP 300. The young star from Bilbao achieved the best score in a complicated group formed together with him by his team-mate Jeroni Fajardo, and Adam Raga. A result that made sure of his ticket straight to the grand final. Unfortunately, a mistake in the next-to-last zone forced Fajardo out of the final. The rider from Girona closes this first round of the X-Trial World Championship with a fourth place.
Toni Bou and Jaime Busto confronted each other again in the six first zones of the evening. A circuit in which, a premature five from GasGas, cheated him from the final victory. A second place, however, was something of an early birthday present for the young rider from Górliz, who turns 20 on the 4th of Desember.
After advancing the start of the X-Trial World Championship in the event calendar by practically one month, the second round of the championship is to be held on January 13th at the Sud de France Arena in Montpelier, also in France.
Jaime Busto: “Reaching the final and getting up on to the second step of the podium is the best way to reward Torrot for the confidence placed in me by forming part of the GasGas Factory Trial Team. It has been a very good start to the World Championship. The zones did not have a too complicated level, so in the first round I was able to qualify in the second position and then, in the next, although my rivals were very good, I fine-tuned my riding and I managed to pass through to the final. Toni [Bou] was very strong as always and we made a small mistake at the beginning, in the second zone, which prevented us from fighting for the final victory. However, starting the Championship this way is incredible for us. The zones were not extremely difficult, which meant that in the classification a high price would be paid for any mistake. However, we have been riding at a great level and in the end we finished second, a very good start for us and all our team in the X-Trial World Championship. ”
Jeroni Fajardo: “The truth is that I had very good feelings. In the first round, an initial mistake made it difficult for me to get into the race as it put a lot of pressure on me. I knew I couldn’t make any more mistakes, but in the end I got a third place, getting through to the next round. The second elimination phase was very hard. Jaime and I were in the same group, with Adam [Raga], and the truth is that the fact of leaving last gave me a slight advantage. In the next-to-last zone, I noticed that the crankcase touched an obstacle. The commentator said that, after that, we were in a tie with Adam [Raga]. So I took a risk to finish the area with a better time than him but it just didn’t work out and so finally I finished fourth. It is always better to get a podium, but this time it was just not to happen for very little. Despite this, my feelings about the new GasGas TrialGP 300 have been very good. We were ahead and I am sure that good results will not be long in coming for our team and for Torrot. ”