And we’re back to business! After a tough opening round, GASGAS Factory Racing’s Jaime Busto has come back swinging to claim two podium finishes at round two of the 2024 FIM TrialGP World Championship in Andorra. Placing third on day one and finishing as runner-up on day two, the Spaniard is now knocking on the door of the top three in the overall standings, lying in fourth place. In the ultra-competitive Trial2 category, Sondre Haga had an impressive weekend to maintain fourth overall, while Jack Dance now sits in 13th place.
- Jaime Busto stands on the TrialGP podium both days
- Sondre Haga settling into a rhythm on his TXE GP
- Tough weekend for Jack Dance at high-scoring Andorran venue
Staged over 900-meters above sea level in the mountains of Sant Julia de Loria, Andorra, the second round of the 2024 TrialGP season provided plenty of entertainment. Riders were tasked with taking on steep, wooded mountain slopes and huge rock steps, all while at an incredibly high altitude!
Fired-up and ready to show what he’s made of, Jaime Busto got straight to work on day one, tackling the technical course with skill. On what was an incredibly competitive second lap, the Spaniard held onto second place until the final few sections where, despite being tied for points, he was forced to settle for third.
On Sunday, Jaime was determined to better his day one performance and put in a compelling ride on his TXT GP 300 to claim second, 14 marks ahead of his nearest competitor. The Spaniard now lies fourth in the overall TrialGP standings, just seven points shy of third place. That’s the Jaime we know!
In what is proving to be a super-competitive category, round after round, the Trial2 class was the one to watch in Andorra. Day one saw GASGAS Factory Racing’s Sondre Haga, still recovering from illness, put in a strong performance on his electric TXE GP to come home in sixth place, just five points behind the top four riders, who were all tied on 12 marks. Jack Dance had a difficult day, finishing in 16th.
Day two brought another set of consistent results in the Trial2 category, with Haga going one better to close out round two with a fifth-place finish. The man from Norway is now eyeing up the top three overall in the standings, lying in fourth place with just one point separating him from the podium. The steep, high-altitude course proved tricky for many, with Jack Dance taking 17th and moving to 13th in the standings after two rounds. Onwards and upwards in Italy!
Next up in the 2024 FIM TrialGP World Championship is round three in Valsassina, Italy in less than one week’s time on June 14-16.
Jaime Busto: “I’m really happy to be back on the podium again! There were some really tough sections, so I didn’t have the best feeling on the bike, but I’m really motivated for the rest of the season. Day two was incredible! I started off really strong, even though I made a few mistakes on the first lap, but my second lap was great. I’m so happy to have finished second!”
Sondre Haga: “Day one in Andorra was tough, I’ve been struggling with illness for a few weeks since Japan, so I couldn’t push as hard as I wanted to. I didn’t have a great first lap, so I tried to improve second time round but it wasn’t enough this time. Fifth place today was pretty good, it’s an improvement on yesterday, and all these championship points add up at the end of the day. Although it’s not been a perfect weekend, it’s been really good still and I’m hyped for Italy next weekend!”
Jack Dance: “I have mixed emotions from this weekend as I felt I rode well through some sections, but others just weren’t up to standard. We need to take the positives from this weekend though and I think we’ve learned a lot as a team. I’m looking forward to going again in Italy!”
Albert Cabestany – GASGAS Factory Racing Trial Team Manager: “I’m really happy with how this weekend has gone, especially for Jaime! It’s great to see him back on the podium again and it’s boosted his and the team’s confidence a lot, and he clearly enjoyed this whole weekend. We have been working super hard since Japan so it’s definitely well deserved. I’m proud of the boys in Trial2 as well, Sondre had an amazing performance this weekend when results have been so close. What he is doing is really important for the development of the electric bike and he’s proving its incredible capability! Jack rode well, but unfortunately, every mark counted today, and even just losing a few could set you back four or five positions. However, I know he will come back super motivated and ready to take on Italy.”
Results: TrialGP of Andorra
TrialGP – day 1
1. Toni Bou (Montesa) 23
2. Gabriel Marcelli (Montesa) 58
3. Jaime Busto (GASGAS) 58
Trial2 – day 1
1. Arnau Farre (Sherco) 12
2. Billy Green (Scorpa) 12
3. Jack Peace (Sherco) 12
6. Sondre Haga (GASGAS) 17
16. Jack Dance (GASGAS) 44
TrialGP – day 2
1. Toni Bou (Montesa) 18
2. Jaime Busto (GASGAS) 38
3. Gabriel Marcelli (Montesa) 52
Trial2 – day 2
1. Alex Canales (Sherco) 13
2. Billy Green (Scorpa) 24
3. Gerard Trueba (Beta) 25
5. Sondre Haga (GASGAS) 33
17. Jack Dance (GASGAS) 58
Championship standings (after round 2)
TrialGP
1. Toni Bou (Montesa) 80
2. Gabriel Marcelli (Montesa) 64
3. Adam Raga (Sherco) 55
4. Jaime Busto (GASGAS) 48
Trial2
1. Alex Canales (Sherco) 65
2. Jack Peace (Sherco) 57
3. Arnau Farre (Sherco) 53
4. Sondre Haga (GASGAS) 52
13. Jack Dance (GASGAS) 13