GasGas Factory Racing’s Jorge Casales has completed round five of the 2020 FIM X-Trial World Championship with a sixth-place result in Bilbao. Coming into the event off the back of a career-first X-Trial podium at round four of the series in Barcelona, and having also topped the opening round of the 2020 Spanish Trials Championship, an off-night in Bilbao saw Casales’ hopes of another top-three result ended. In finishing sixth, the Spaniard sits level on points in the championship with fourth-placed Benoit Bincaz.
GasGas Factory Racing’s Jorge Casales has completed round five of the 2020 FIM X-Trial World Championship with a sixth-place result in Bilbao. Coming into the event off the back of a career-first X-Trial podium at round four of the series in Barcelona, and having also topped the opening round of the 2020 Spanish Trials Championship, an off-night in Bilbao saw Casales’ hopes of another top-three result ended. In finishing sixth, the Spaniard sits level on points in the championship with fourth-placed Benoit Bincaz.
- Tough night for Casales at X-Trial Bilbao ends with a sixth-place result
- Positive start to the night during round one followed by a frustrating second round
- With two events remaining, Casales sits sixth in the X-Trial series standings
Once again out first in heat one of the night’s first round, Casales went up against countryman Jeroni Fajardo and Brit Toby Martyn. Making a positive start by dropping no marks through the opening section, Jorge then scored fives in sections two and three before finishing the heat strongly. At the end of the first round, Casales was sixth with 13 marks dropped and confident of a strong second-round performance.
Up against series leader Toni Bou and Frenchman Benoit Bincaz in heat one of round two, Casales was also the first rider through each of the five sections. Not feeling himself, and unable to perform like he had just a handful of weeks earlier at X-Trial Barcelona, Jorge dropped maximum marks in each section, ending the heat on 25 marks lost and was unable to qualify into either the runner-up final or final.
Despite his frustration, Casales is still well placed in the X-Trial World Championship standings, just six points away from the top three.
Jorge Casales and the GasGas Factory Racing team will next be in action in the 2020 X-Trial World Championship at the sixth round of the series, X-Trial Wiener Neustadt inside the Arena Nova, Austria on March 21.
Jorge Casales: “It’s not been a good night for me. We were coming into Bilbao after a good run of results but for some reason I wasn’t feeling like myself tonight – I didn’t find my flow with the zones. They were quite hard to be honest, but the bike was working great and the team did a great job. I just wasn’t myself tonight. Even not feeling very comfortable I managed to go to the semi-finals, where I had to open track. I made some very unnecessary mistakes, which totally compromised my position for the overall. We go home with a sixth overall position, not happy with my riding but looking forward to come back stronger in the next races.” Results: X-Trial Bilbao 2020 1. Toni Bou, Montesa/Spain, (9 – Final)
2. Adam Raga, TRS/Spain, (13 – Final)
3. Benoit Bincaz, Beta/France, (2 – Runners-up final)
4. Jeroni Fajardo, Sherco/Spain, (3 – Runners-up final
5. Gabriel Marcelli, Montesa/Spain, (17 – Round 2)
6. Jorge Casales, GasGas/Spain, (25 – Round 2) 7. Miquel Gelabert, Vertigo/Spain, (15 – Round 1)
8. Tony Martyn, TRS/Great Britain, (25 – Round 1)
Championship Standings: X-Trial World Championship 2020 (after round five) 1. Toni Bou, Montesa/Spain, 100 points
2. Adam Raga, TRS/Spain, 75
3. Jeroni Fajardo, Sherco/Spain 34
4. Benoit Bincaz, Beta/France, 28
5. Jorge Casales, GasGas/Spain, 28 6. Miquel Gelabert, Vertigo/Spain 22
7. Jaime Busto, Vertigo/Spain, 28
8. Gabriel Marcelli, Montesa/Spain, 25
Download high-res images from X-Trial World Championship round five here.