It’s time to kick off 2024 with the FIM X-Trial World Championship! GASGAS Factory Racing’s Jaime Busto will take on the entire seven-event season, starting with his home race in Barcelona on February 4, while teammate Sondre Haga has a wildcard entry to compete in the second race in Chalon-sur-Saône, France.
This weekend’s season-opener in Barcelona, the ‘Cathedral of X-Trial’, marks the team’s first world championship event of the year. Runner-up in both the 2023 X-Trial and TrialGP World Championships, Jaime Busto is on top form and raring to go, aiming to put his GASGAS TXT GP 300 at the top of the standings in 2024. The indoor series also allows the Spaniard to compete up close and personal with his rivals, before taking on the outdoor TrialGP season.
Sondre Haga, the 2022 Trial2 World Champion, is eager to return to competition with a wildcard entry for the second round of the series in France, using it as preparation for the 2024 TrialGP championship. Having trained with Jaime and the team in Spain, and boasting two years of X-Trial experience, Sondre is feeling confident and excited about the upcoming year.
Making sure GASGAS Factory Racing looks the business both indoors and out, the team has extended its partnership with HEBO for the next two seasons. The trial equipment specialist will continue to supply GASGAS Factory Racing with high-quality customized shirts, pants, jackets, and gloves. Here’s to two more years of style!
Jaime Busto: “After last season, my first with the GASGAS Factory Racing team, where I finished as a runner-up in both World Championships, I feel confident to push even stronger for the title now. We know it’s going to be tough with Toni dominating the sport for so many years and the other riders pushing hard also, but during the pre-season I’ve been able to work on the bike and now I feel more confident than ever before. In fact, the victory from the Toulouse trial is proof of that. I’m hungry for wins!”
Albert Cabestany – GASGAS Factory Racing Trial Team Manager: “I’m really looking forward to the new season! For me as the team manager it’s a really important one, we have more stability with us carrying over the same riders from last year, which is new for us but I think it’ll allow us to be more consistent. Pre-season has been really positive, Jaime has been working on the bike with the team to make it the right machine for him, which has been successful as he’s feeling great on the bike. I went to Toulouse last weekend to see the team in action and Jaime is in great shape, he looks and feels confident and is riding his GASGAS very naturally. All eyes are on this weekend for the start of the X-Trial season and the team is feeling positive and ready to get behind Jaime and support him. We know we have a difficult goal to beat Toni Bou, as he hasn’t really been beaten since he started winning championships, but I think if anyone can do it, Jaime can!”