DOUBLE TRIALGP PODIUM FOR BUSTO IN GERMANY.
GASGAS FACTORY RACING’S SUPER SPANIARD SECURES TWO RUNNER-UP FINISHES IN NEUNKIRCHEN.
GASGAS Factory Racing’s Jaime Busto has snagged two podium results in Germany at round four of the 2024 FIM TrialGP World Championship! Placing second on both days in Neunkirchen, the Spaniard’s strong results move him up to third in the championship standings at the halfway point of the season. Nice one, Jaime! In the ultra-competitive Trial2 class, both Sondre Haga and Jack Dance claimed consistent results across the weekend to maintain fifth and ninth, respectively, in the overall standings.
Germany marked the fourth stop on the 2024 TrialGP calendar, where the town of Neunkirchen provided the perfect stage for the world’s best trial riders to battle it out. Jaime Busto came out swinging on Saturday morning, making minimal mistakes to hold second place at the halfway point. In what was a nearly faultless second lap apart from one tricky section, Jaime secured an excellent second place, 21 marks ahead of his nearest competitor. Across the whole day, the super Spaniard went clean on an impressive 18 out of the 24 sections. That’s what we’re talking about!
Starting off his day strongly again on Sunday morning, Busto had a solid first lap where he settled into a confident rhythm on his TXT GP 300. Taking on each stage for the second time on lap two, Jaime was struggling with a small injury to his arm and made some minor mistakes. However, his grit and consistency paid off as he secured second place by nine marks. After four rounds, the Spaniard has moved up to third in the overall standings, with just five points separating him and second place.
GASGAS Factory Racing’s Jack Dance and Sondre Haga put on a show for spectators in the Trial2 category, delivering some excellent riding on the technical sections, which featured steep, tree-covered bankings and huge boulders throughout. Jack had a strong start to day one, cleaning the first six sections, but a series of small mistakes meant that the Brit was forced to settle for sixth place. Riding his electric TXE GP, teammate Sondre was sitting comfortably in fourth place all day until an unfortunate five on the final section pushed him down to ninth.
Sunday saw similar fortunes for the GASGAS Trial2 duo, with Haga coming home in 10th place after a difficult second lap. The Norwegian maintains his position in fifth overall in the Trial2 standings, with all eyes on Belgium next week to try and fight his way back up the order. Jack put in a strong performance on his first lap but took on a few too many marks on lap two, which left him in 12th place. Dance also retains ninth in the championship standings at the halfway point of the 2024 series.
Round five of the 2024 FIM TrialGP World Championship will be held in Comblain-au-Pont, Belgium in just one week’s time on July 13-14.
Jaime Busto:“I had a great flow today but just made a few too many mistakes on my second lap. Day one was great, I was really happy to finish second and all day I was super pleased with the feeling on the bike. I’m especially proud of my second lap where I only made one mistake on one section. I’ve moved up to second in the championship now, which is great for myself and the team, and I can’t wait for the next rounds.”
Sondre Haga: “I had a bit of a frustrating start to the weekend on day one, as I had a really good feeling on the bike and I was lying in fourth until the very last section. The results were super close though, so even a small mistake meant that I ended up ninth. On Sunday I had a really good first lap but a combination of bad luck and mistakes on my part on lap two meant that I was out of the running for the top positions. We still want to take as many positives as we can, though, and get ready for Belgium next weekend!”
Jack Dance: “Saturday was a really positive day for me! I felt really confident on the first lap, but I just got a few unfortunate marks which prevented me from finishing higher up. Sunday wasn’t my best day – I was riding well on lap one except for a few small mistakes and my second lap was even better. However, Trial2 is so close, you can’t afford to make any mistakes, so I know where I need to improve, and we can take plenty of positives from this weekend as a team.”
Albert Cabestany – GASGAS Factory Racing Trial Team Manager: “What a weekend for Jaime! Saturday was great, he got into a good rhythm all day and was pushing hard! I’m super happy because I could see how much he was enjoying the course as it really suited his style. He got really close to Toni [Bou] which is really positive for the team. On Sunday too, Jaime was super close to Toni all day until his arm gave him some trouble. We’re catching up in the standings too – third overall now for Jaime which is exciting. In Trial2, it is getting closer and closer each round, so even though Jack and Sondre were working really hard all weekend, it wasn’t enough to finish higher. We are learning from it and looking forward to going again next weekend in Belgium!”
Results: TrialGP of Germany
TrialGP – day 1
1. Toni Bou (Montesa) 12
2. Jaime Busto (GASGAS) 19
3. Jorge Casales (TRRS) 40
Trial2 – day 1
1. Jack Peace (Sherco) 10
2. Billy Green (Scorpa) 11
3. Alex Canales (Sherco) 15
6. Jack Dance (GASGAS) 21
9. Sondre Haga (GASGAS) 23
TrialGP – day 2
1. Toni Bou (Montesa) 14
2. Jaime Busto (GASGAS) 25
3. Gabriel Marcelli (Montesa) 34
Trial2 – day 2
1. Jack Peace (Sherco) 8
2. Billy Green (Scorpa) 21
3. Alex Canales (Sherco) 22
10. Sondre Haga (GASGAS) 35
12. Jack Dance (GASGAS) 37
Championship standings (after round 4)
TrialGP
1. Toni Bou (Montesa) 157
2. Gabriel Marcelli (Montesa) 118
3. Jaime Busto (GASGAS) 113
Trial2
1. Jack Peace (Sherco) 134
2. Alex Canales (Sherco) 117
3. Billy Green (Scorpa) 114
5. Sondre Haga (GASGAS) 81
9. Jack Dance (GASGAS) 45
Text/Bild: GasGas