Toni Bou – Repsol Honda, the thirty-two-time and reigning FIM TrialGP and X-Trial World Champion, is returning to the Utilita Arena Sheffield next year for the second edition of the DL12 Indoor Trial on Saturday 13th January 2024 with the aim of recapturing his crown. 

 

Up until this year the thirty-six-year-old Spanish superstar had tasted defeat just once in Sheffield from fourteen appearances, but a big crash in the heat resulted in a heel injury that forced him to withdraw from the final and cleared the way for his compatriot Adam Raga – TRRS to complete his hat-trick of wins.

 

The good news for his fans – and the bad news for his rivals – is that the Catalan King is fighting fit and has already signed up for next year’s event.

 

“The foot is very well, it feels perfect,” said Bou. “In the end it was just a scare, and it is a pity that I could not finish the second lap. I had a damaged nerve, but now I am one-hundred-per-cent recovered and I am happy that it wasn’t anything serious.”

 

With thirteen victories since his debut there in 2006 when competing as a wild card he claimed his first FIM X-Trial World Championship win, Bou has taken over event co-promoter Dougie Lampkin’s crown as King of Sheffield so it is understandable that the Steel City holds a special place in his heart.

 

“For me, Sheffield is one of the most special races and has been very good for us. We have won many times in the past and we have only been unable to win twice, so it is one of the indoor races that I like the best. It is also a very special race because it is where I got my first World Championship win.

 

“It is a pity that I got injured. I was really looking forward to the final as the sections were very high level and it was a very technical race like the ones I like as well as being the first race of the year. I really liked the course that Dougie had set up, so I am already looking forward to competing there next year.”

 

Bou’s amazing record in Sheffield belies how close and competitive the event always is and he is already weighing up the opposition that stands between him and a fourteenth victory.

 

“These young riders like Gabriel Marcelli, my team-mate, or Jaime Busto will be very strong and may have improved a lot, so I am sure that they will be in the fight. Adam Raga has a lot of victories in Sheffield as well – he is a great rival, and he always makes things difficult. It’s going to be a tight race and I hope to be able to compete and fight for the win until the end.”

 

Tickets for the 2024 DL12 Indoor Trial on Saturday 13th January are already on sale. 

 

To guarantee yours click here.