So close! GASGAS Factory Racing’s Jaime Busto just missed out on a place on the podium by three marks at round five of the 2024 FIM TrialGP World Championship. The one-day round in Belgium proved super-tough for all, but Jaime’s fourth-place result means that he maintains third in the championship standings. Jack Dance and Sondre Haga put in solid rides in Comblain-au-Pont to finish fifth and seventh, respectively.
- Fourth-place finish for Jaime Busto in Belgium
- Spaniard maintains third place in TrialGP standings
- Dance and Haga both in top-seven in Trial2
Round five on the 2024 TrialGP calendar saw the championship stop in Comblain-au-Pont, Belgium for a one-day event. In what might have been one of the toughest days of competition this year, the super-steep, wooded hillsides, and slippery rocks proved to be a real challenge to all riders.
Jaime Busto took to the first section raring to go, but an unfortunate mistake cost the Spaniard five marks and an early knock to his confidence that, combined with the difficult conditions, put him on the back foot. Taking the rest of the first lap to get back into the swing of things, Busto’s second lap was significantly better as he found his rhythm on his TXT GP 300.
Ultimately, Jaime’s performance secured him fourth place, just three marks shy of securing a podium finish. Earning valuable championship points, Jaime retains his third place in the championship standings, little by little closing the gap to second place.
Round five saw GASGAS Factory Racing’s Trial2 pair of Jack Dance and Sondre Haga secure solid results under tough conditions. Marking his second-best result of the season, Dance pushed hard all day to come home in fifth place, with just five marks separating the Brit from a podium finish. Jack maintains his position in ninth in the championship standings, with all eyes on France to try and climb up the leaderboard. Sondre Haga improved as the day went on and steered his TXE GP to a seventh-place finish, leaving him seventh overall in the standings after five rounds.
After a six-week break for summer, the sixth round of the 2024 FIM TrialGP World Championship will be hosted in Cahors, France, on August 24-25.
Jaime Busto: “I didn’t have the best start to the day, the first section was tough and I made a few too many mistakes. However, I had a much better second lap and managed to come home in fourth place with some important championship points. It’s not what we wanted but we will keep working hard and come back better next time.”
Jack Dance: “I had a pretty good day, even though the conditions were really slippery and tough. I knew it was going to be a difficult day, but I dug deep and managed to come away fifth, which I’m really happy with. We can always push for more but we’re definitely taking the positives from this. We’ll be back for more in France!”
Sondre Haga: “I ended up finishing seventh, so I’m not super happy but there were some really tough sections. I struggled in those, but the rest I felt really good on, so it proves that we are really close to where we want to be. We need to focus and keep working hard and I’m sure we will get there.”
Albert Cabestany – GASGAS Factory Racing Trial Team Manager: “The GP of Belgium has been a pretty tough day for us. Jaime had a knock to his confidence on the first section which meant he struggled for the rest of the day. He was fighting and pushing hard and was so close to being rewarded with a podium, just a few points behind third. In Trial2 the boys looked like they were riding well, but the competition here was super close so unfortunately they didn’t come away with any top results either. It’s definitely a bittersweet feeling as we know we rode well but the results didn’t reflect that today. We’ll come back stronger in France for sure!”
Results: TrialGP of Belgium
TrialGP
1. Toni Bou (Montesa) 39
2. Gabriel Marcelli (Montesa) 50
3. Adam Raga (Sherco) 54
4. Jaime Busto (GASGAS) 57
Trial2
1. Arnau Farre (Sherco) 21
2. Harry Hemingway (Beta) 24
3. Jack Peace (Sherco) 27
5. Jack Dance (GASGAS) 32
7. Sondre Haga (GASGAS) 37
Championship standings (after round 5)
TrialGP
1. Toni Bou (Montesa) 177
2. Gabriel Marcelli (Montesa) 135
3. Jaime Busto (GASGAS) 126
Trial2
1. Jack Peace (Sherco) 149
2. Arnau Farre (Sherco) 130
3. Alex Canales (Sherco) 125
7. Sondre Haga (GASGAS) 90
9. Jack Dance (GASGAS) 56