“I’d by no means give myself a ten, as there’s at all times room for enchancment”

With the Trial season now over, and the Repsol Honda Trial Workforce confirmed for 2023, it’s time to take inventory and start laying the foundations for the forthcoming season. World champion Toni Bou assesses the 12 months’s experiences and provides some self-evaluation. Spoiler: this 12 months wasn’t a ten.

Seven TrialGP wins in 2022 and three runner-up spots. 4 wins in X-Trial and one runner-up place, plus 9 bonus factors out of a attainable ten. That is the Toni Bou 2022 tally, concluding with one other two world crowns for the Repsol Honda Workforce rider, who now holds 32 titles to his identify. A mighty feat.

It was a fantastic season for the Repsol Honda Workforce. As soon as once more, Toni, you might have received all of the titles up for grabs, taking your tally to 32 world titles. And you haven’t stopped reminding us all season that, not simply you, however the remainder of the staff too, have executed a fantastic job, particularly over the winter. Now it’s winter and, understanding you, you’re in all probability already pondering forward to 2023. Is that the case?
– Sure. Definitely now we have already began working in the direction of 2023. We had a brief break in November to get some relaxation and for Honda Thanks Day. That was once we formally acquired the 2023 pre-season underway and in December we began each the health preparation in addition to the preparation for the bike. Final 12 months we did one thing comparable, however with out going to Japan. It was nice to see the engineers once more and work with them for a couple of days. It was extremely productive and our intention was to enhance on the work executed the earlier winter.

What have you ever labored on within the pre-season?
– It’s tough. We’re at a time when issues are going very effectively and whenever you enhance, it’s laborious to enhance at every part. That’s to say: typically you enhance on a degree that you simply want, however you lose one thing you already had. That places you into a difficult state of affairs. Over the 12 months we made some modifications, trying to enhance sure features and we realise how robust it’s. Generally there are some issues that the rider could make up for along with his driving, however different occasions much less so. We attempt to make the bike as constant as attainable and it’s as much as the rider to do the remaining (with my driving model no less than), however typically it’s not nearly energy; it’s about easy methods to deal with the bike.

Have you ever needed to do plenty of work on the Cota this 12 months?
– Nicely, this 12 months I competed on two “completely different” bikes within the Indoor and Outside championships. I’m glad as a result of we had been a bit daring in X-Trial and it actually paid off, profitable the primary 4 trials with the brand new bike. Then, within the outside, it didn’t really feel so proper, so we took a small step again and I believe that’s the best way ahead: the place I can’t make it, the bike can, and when the bike can’t make it, then I can. That’s what we’re aiming at and we all know it’s not simple to maintain up. Good years like these latest ones… it’s tough to attain so many successes! We’ve had a tremendous 12 months, every part went very effectively however… it wasn’t our greatest 12 months. It’s tough to begin up once more and do issues effectively and sustain that prime motivation.

You say it wasn’t one of the best 12 months since you didn’t handle to win all of the trials?
– It’s laborious to have an ideal season, however there have been some years when now we have managed it. To repeat an ideal season is super-difficult: you must win every part. 2022 was not our best 12 months as a result of we failed and now we have failed much less in different years once we carried out higher than this time. I’m ultra-competitive, but additionally real looking. I’m very clear about issues: it’s been an excellent 12 months; we labored very laborious; we did issues effectively… however it wasn’t our greatest season.

What grade would you give your self for 2022?
– I’d by no means give myself a ten as a result of you possibly can at all times enhance. This 2022 season has been a 7 or 8; season. The staff, a ten. They’ve labored laborious. They did a fantastic job. They’ve executed every part I might presumably have requested from them and I’m very grateful for that. They put plenty of effort into it and have stored up the motivation. This was the primary 12 months with Carles and in addition with Fuji as Workforce Supervisor and it went very effectively. I’m very glad and I believe we’re going to get higher.

It was additionally your first 12 months with Gabriel Marcelli as team-mate. How has it been to share the staff with him?
– I get on very well with Gabriel. He’s a really easy-going man and he has a fantastic character. Having team-mates like him may be very constructive. He has a really excessive stage. I’ve helped him as a lot as I might and I believe he’s a rider with a fantastic future.
I see him doing higher on the bike than is mirrored in his outcomes. On the finish of the season he has been doing greater than is predicted of him, moreover, being on this staff shouldn’t be simple. He’s been working effectively and settling in… Plenty of new issues…

With the brand new Workforce Supervisor Takahisa Fujinami there was not a lot time to adapt.
– It was robust as a result of with Miquel Cirera we had received every part. The primary 12 months is sophisticated as a result of, after 15 years of profitable every part… think about if, for no matter cause, you lose a title… it might occur, as a result of it’s one thing that may ultimately occur. We will’t win on a regular basis. Fujinami has labored laborious, he had no timetable, however one of the best factor is that he understands us as riders. He’s there for no matter we’d like. We now have seen so many occasions how issues are executed, so possibly it was simpler, however no matter could be improved upon, he will definitely do it.

Bodily you had been in nice form at first of the competitors.
– Good! Bodily I’ve been on kind all 12 months and I’ve felt actually good. There have been moments once I’ve been superb on the bike, higher than another years, however it’s additionally true that we’ve additionally made some errors. It’s true that the rivals push us laborious, however we additionally tousled typically. Hopefully the 2023 season might be nearly as good as this 12 months.

A part of your methodology is to coach lots and continually enhance!
– It’s a really sophisticated factor. And since I’m very demanding, I do know I can enhance. Even the nice seasons we’ve had might have been improved upon. Something that may be improved on the bike might assist me to take a step ahead. So far as driving goes, I believe I’m near my restrict, but when we enhance on the bike we are able to preserve shifting forward.

If we speak about rivals… it appears that evidently they by no means let up. Quite the opposite, this 12 months you might have had, along with your nice rival of the final 16 years (Adam Raga), Jaime Busto, and Matteo Grattarola.
– I believe there are two or three essential factors: there’s a group with extra high riders than different years, with 5 riders who can win trials or be on the rostrum. Additionally, the trials are simpler, so extra persons are within the combat and extra issues might occur. In the meanwhile, this has benefited us as a result of being extra common than others has given us a title with an enormous factors benefit: once we haven’t received, we’ve completed runner-up. With seven wins and three second locations, it’s a tremendous all-round championship and those that have completed second and third, in a number of trials have ended up off the rostrum. This provides you extra peace of thoughts within the championship.
After I say that now we have made errors, it’s exactly that: in some trials we had been near ending fifth or sixth. This 12 months it was very easy for that to occur as there isn’t a room for any errors!

The present sections are one thing that circumstances the outcomes: simple trials result in extra equality and a higher variety of rivals within the battle for the win.
– It’s partly regular, as a result of it’s extra even; however that is leisure, and you must placed on a present. There have been simple trials, with few marks, and others which have been much less simple. I believe the extent of the riders is so excessive among the many frontrunners that it ensures that factors are scored. If the extent had been any decrease, there could be no present.

Let’s discuss in regards to the 2023 season. It seems to be like there might be a couple of extra trials than in 2022 and in X-Trial a cut up championship with a couple of extra occasions. What’s your take?
– This comes after a couple of years with just some occasions, so having 8 indoor trials and 12 outside races is already good. You will need to have extra dates within the calendar in each competitions. It is usually true that we wish to maintain one competitors and, as soon as it’s over, begin one other one. If we don’t end the indoor championship and begin the outside one, it’s not one of the best factor, but when as an alternative of getting simply 4 occasions there are going to be 8, then… so be it!

Let’s work in the direction of the thirty third…
– Let’s go!