It was a perfect stage. Toni Bou, the world’s best Trial motorcyclist and unrivalled FIM World Champion for the past six years, thrilled fans packed into the Palau Sant Jordi arena in Barcelona by acing the second round of the X-Trial series.

Bou has been supreme in his native Catalunya since bursting onto the Trial scene as a gutsy and immensely talented teenager in 2003. His first title arrived in 2007 and he’s made the top step of the podium a comfy home ever since. The Palau Sant Jordi is one of the recognized concert venues in Barcelona but there was a different kind of ‘music’ on Sunday night. Bou’s noisy banks of fans in the Catalan capital let him know how much they appreciate the skills and the bravery for which his ‘attacks’ of the trial zones have become famous. Toni sent the crowd into frenzy for what was his seventh win in his local town.

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