Matteo Grattarola, despite a satisfactory first lap, was unable to achieve a significant final position in the third round of the 2023X-Trial World Championship held at the Navarra Arena this weekend.
Pamplona featured in the X-Trial World Championship calendar for the first time and the trial held at the Navarra Arena was as spectacular as it was technically tough. It was Matteo Grattarola’s third participation with the Vertigo Nitro in the 2023 X-Trial World Championship and, in spite of showing an improvement on previous events, an excess of errors led to a position that did not reflect the improvements made by the Italian rider. However, there is no rush for Grattarola – with his lack of experience in this type of competition – to go in search of top results.
Despite being the second rider to start the trial, Matteo got off to a good start, battling hard on the first lap in the five technical and demanding sections of the course, in spite of the battle against the clock. Seventh position in the table at the end of the first phase looked upbeat, making one think that he might improve the second time around, but the pressure of trying to get better in each section and overcome the obstacles in a minute less, forced the rider to slip into a series of mistakes that he was unable to recover from. The unforgiving X-Trial competition failed to produce the intended final outcome.
Next competitions
Grattarola will fight on in the next round, in Bordeaux on Friday, April 7, as the rider from Lecco attempts to put the season’s unlucky start behind him. Meanwhile, next weekend Matteo Grattarola will compete in the Italian Outdoor Trial Championship. It will be the first trial of the Transalpine National to be held in Tolmezzo. Grattarola will wear the number 1 on his Vertigo for the first time.
MATTEO GRATTAROLA (Vertigo Factory rider): “Obviously, the result was not positive in this third trial of the X-Trial World Championship. It’s clear that this year we can’t make the slightest mistake because the penalties leave you without a chance of getting a good result. I think the first lap wasn’t bad. On lap two I tried to push a bit harder, looking to finish with less marks, because the field was really evenly matched, but I didn’t succeed. We will keep working to improve.”
Photos: Pep Segales
