On February 4, the UNIVERSAE Trial Indoor in Barcelona will kick off the 2024 X-Trial World Championship. For the second consecutive year, the first leader of the Indoor Trial World Championship will leave the Palau Sant Jordi competition.
Toni Bou (Montesa) will once again be the great favorite for victory and the title (he has won 17 indoor World Cups in a row), but the big unknown will be to see to what extent the unstoppable progression of his most dangerous rivals is going to make things difficult for him. difficult... or give the bell. Jaime Busto (GasGas) and the incombustible Adam Raga have already defeated the champion, and now the figure of Gabriel Marcelli, Bou's teammate and a world champion in the making, according to the experts, emerges strongly. The young Galician is already a regular on the World Cup podiums.
The 47th Barcelona Indoor Trial, the event unanimously considered the best of the indoor trials World Championship, will be the first touchstone of an exciting 2024 X-Trial World Championship. A championship that will have six scoring events.
Since 2007, the two trial World Championships (TrialGP -outdoor- and X-Trial -indoor-) have not known the name of a champion not named Toni Bou. 34 titles that represent a record in the world of motorcycling and also the absolute record for an athlete in any sport.
The record of victories in Barcelona (16) also belongs to the genius of Piera, who doubles -and by far- Jordi Tarrés (7) and Adam Raga (6). Since making his debut (with victory) at the Sant Jordi in 2006, 'Dynamite' has only missed victory twice: in 2008 and 2019. Bou also holds the record for consecutive wins at the Palau, thanks to his impressive streak of 10 wins in a row between 2009 and 2018.
“This season,” comments the 34-time world champion, “I am competing in several indoor tests before Barcelona, which is going very well for me to advance in the set-up of the bike. I foresee a very tight and interesting year, because the young drivers have improved in consistency and also have a lot of room for improvement, which makes them even more dangerous. But this motivates me even more.”
The two best trial pilots in the world, Emma Bristow and Berta Abellán, will face each other in the only women's indoor trials competition of the entire season. All the more reason not to miss the fourth edition of the Women's Trophy.
“The Women's Trophy,” says Bristow, “has already become the classic that opens the season and where we want to show that we are in good shape. And who doesn't like to win at
Barcelona, under the light cannons and before thousands of spectators? If it is confirmed that this year the zones will be significantly more demanding, it will be great news. I think we are prepared to face more difficult areas and, thus, the public can also appreciate the evolution of women's trials. My rivalry with Berta? I think it is very good for the competition… and also for the show, of course! The battle between the two for victory is assured, another reason to enjoy the Women’s Trophy.”
An exciting face to face between champion, Bristow, and runner-up in the world and national driver, Abellán, in which anything can happen... with permission from the rest of the members of the world top-5. Women are also the protagonists of the big day in the “cathedral” of indoor trials.
