Never giving up, right to the end, GASGAS Factory Racing’s Jaime Busto has claimed second place at round three of the 2024 FIM X-Trial World Championship. It wasn’t easy for the flamboyant Spaniard with the closely fought battle for the runner-up spot going right down to the wire, and a tie-break section deciding the final two podium positions.
Jaime made an excellent start to his night at the Palais Nikaia in Nice, delighting the enthusiastic French crowd with a fast and skillful run through round one. Losing just six marks, Busto placed second for the round and looked ultra-confident on his TXT GP 300.
Maintaining his strong momentum into round two, Jaime blitzed through all four sections, losing a total of three marks. As the first rider to clean sections one and two, the 26-year-old lost two further marks on section three and a final mark on the fourth section. The result was enough for Busto to top the round and earn himself a valuable championship point. It also meant he becomes the first rider this season to steal a point away from championship leader Toni Bou.
Heading into the final, Jaime was the second rider to tackle section one, where he lost just two marks. However, such was the difficulty of the remaining sections, Busto would ultimately go on to fail all four. With close championship rival Gabriel Marcelli finishing on the same number of marks as Jaime, the fight for second place on the night would come down to a single-section tie-breaker.
Jaime attacked the formidable obstacles of the tie-breaker as he had all evening and completed the section in good time and with just two marks lost. With Marcelli under pressure, he failed the section, which not only gave Jaime second place on the night, but also an important four-point advantage over his rival in the championship standings.
X-trial returns with round four on May 4 in Switzerland.
Jaime Busto: “Everything went well tonight, I was feeling really good on the bike, right from the very start. Taking the win in round two was really important and set me up well for the final. I went into the final sections fully motivated to give my all, but a few fives dragged me down a bit. Winning the tie-breaker was really important and I’m super happy to come away from France with second on the night and second in the championship. We have a bit of a break now, then it’s on to Switzerland for round four.”
Results – 2024 X-Trial World Championship, Round 3
1. Toni Bou (Montesa) 13 final
2. Jaime Busto (GASGAS) 27 final
3. Gabriel Marcelli (Montesa) 27 final
2024 X-Trial Championship Standings (after round 3)
1. Toni Bou (Montesa) 65
2. Jaime Busto (GASGAS) 43
3. Gabriel Marcelli (Montesa) 39