Jaime Busto has battled through to third place at round two of the 2024 FIM X-Trial World Championship. Riding his TXT GP 300, the flamboyant GASGAS Factory Racing star played a huge role in entertaining the packed stadium in Chalon-sur-Saône, France on his way to securing his second consecutive podium of the season.
Right from the start of round one, Busto laid down the gauntlet to his rivals by producing four clean sections in a row. A series of small mistakes on the fifth section ended up with Jaime earning five marks, but the result was enough to place him in a solid third at the end of the round.
Round two went even better for Busto. Skillfully picking his lines over the technical, man-made obstacles, the 26-year-old demonstrated his precision and control and was the first to clean the opening two sections. Despite failing the third of the four sections, Jaime completed the round with just five marks and moved up to second overall, securing his place in the final.
By cleaning the first section of the six-section final, and earning just two marks in the second, Busto looked on target to take the fight for the win to race leader Toni Bou. Unfortunately, as the sections became tougher, a number of small mistakes ruled Jaime out of the hunt. Completing the final with 22 marks, the GASGAS rider placed third overall on the night.
Although disappointed with the results, Jaime is now tied on points with rival Gabriel Marcelli for second overall in the championship standings. And with less than one week until the next event of the series, the TXT GP 300 racer will be looking to make amends on March 22 in Nice, France, for round three.
Jaime Busto: “It was a night of mixed feelings for me. I started the night riding really good and got through rounds one and two without making too many mistakes. I started the final strong, but then things didn’t go to plan at all. I began to make too many mistakes and we didn’t end up with the result we wanted. The good news is, the bike was really good tonight, so we’ll learn from this one and come back stronger next weekend.”
Results – 2024 X-Trial World Championship, Round 2
1. Toni Bou (Montesa) 7 final
2. Gabriel Marcelli (Montesa) 17 final
3. Jaime Busto (GASGAS) 22 final
8. Hugo Dufrese (GASGAS) 38 round 2
2024 X-Trial Championship Standings (after round 2)
1. Toni Bou (Montesa) 44
2. Gabriel Marcelli (Montesa) 27
3. Jaime Busto (GASGAS) 27
8. Hugo Dufrese (GASGAS) 1