Reigning champions Toni Bou (Montesa) and Emma Bristow (Sherco) maintained their control of the premier TrialGP and TrialGP Women classes on day one of the TrialGP of Germany – as Jack Peace (Sherco) strengthened his lead in Trial2, George Hemingway (Beta) extended his win-streak in Trial3 and Martina Brandani (Sherco) seized an early advantage as the FIM Women’s Trial2 World Cup got under way.
- Toni Bou and Emma Bristow top TrialGP and TrialGP Women on opening day in Germany
- Jack Peace and George Hemingway extend Trial2 and Trial3 leads
- Martina Brandani draws first blood in FIM Women’s Trial2 World Cup
Having lost just once in the first six days of competition, Bou started the day with a comfortable twenty-seven-point lead in the standings and the sublime Spaniard was untouchable on the opening lap at Neunkirchen with his score of seven including a maximum on section eleven where a huge triple step stopped everyone.
With the sections comprising a mixture of super-steep bankings under trees and massive imported rocks, Bou’s compatriot Jaime Busto (GASGAS) held second at the halfway stage on fourteen, four clear of Miquel Gelabert (Vertigo) with Italian veteran Matteo Grattarola (Beta) best of the rest on twenty-two, one ahead of Jorge Casales (TRRS).
Bou and Busto then locked horns on lap two with the pair reeling off a series of faultless rides before arriving at section eleven having cleaned everything at their second attempts, but with rain beginning to fall the imposing step once again remained unconquered by the entire field. Both sailed through the final hazard unpenalized and while Bou maintained his seven-mark advantage until the end, Busto’s second lap performance sets up a dramatic showdown between the two tomorrow.
“I’m super-happy after a few problems in Italy,” said Bou. “I’ve ridden here with more confidence and the feeling is very good, I just made mistakes in section eleven. Today has been important for the championship.”
While the top two distanced themselves from the chasing pack, the battle for the final step of the podium raged behind them until the final section of the Trial. Grattarola held a slender advantage, but he failed to get up the big step before the exit and dropped to fifth while Gelabert’s five at the same place also cost him a top-three finish.
By contrast, Gabriel Marcelli (Montesa) recorded a clean here that pulled him back up to fourth after an expensive opening lap, but it was Casales who booked his first visit to the podium since 2020 when he cruised through feet-up.
Having announced before the opening round that this will be her final year of top-flight competition, Bristow is determined to record a perfect swansong season and the British lioness maintained her 2024 unbeaten record with a clear win as she took another step towards a tenth title in eleven years.
“I’m really happy with my win today and to extend my championship lead,” said Bristow. “I’ve been training a lot and I felt really good on the bike.”
Parting with three marks on her first lap and two on her second, Bristow outclassed a strong field led by French rider Naomi Monnier (Montesa) whose opening lap total of nine placed her second at the halfway mark, four ahead of Spain’s Berta Abellan (Scorpa) who in turn was three clear of Andrea Sofia Rabino (Beta) from Italy.
As Bristow eased clear on lap two, Monnier resisted strong pressure from Abellan to add a further six to her total and end the day three ahead of the Spaniard who has been vice-champion for the last two seasons. The Czech Republic’s Denisa Pecháčková equalled her career-best finish at this level in fourth on twenty-five, one in front of Rabino.
Leading Trial2 by seven points heading into Neunkirchen, British national champion Peace carried the momentum from his win on day two last time out in Italy to claim his third day victory of the campaign and extend his advantage at the top.
With consistency key in such a close and competitive class, the twenty-four-year-old went head-to-head on the opening lap with compatriot and defending champion Billy Green (Scorpa) with the pair tied on seven following the first twelve sections, two clear of a three-way tie for third between Britain’s Harry Hemingway (Beta), Italy’s Carloalberto Rabino (Beta) and Gerard Trueba (Beta) from Spain.
Peace and Green picked up where they left off on lap two with Green moving into an early single-mark advantage before Peace finally took the lead on section seven and even a single dab on the final hazard of the day that took his total to ten could not stop him securing victory from Green by just one mark.
“I’ve really enjoyed today,” said Peace. “It’s been a really good Trial and I am happy to keep the momentum going from Italy. There was a lot of pressure at the end, but I’m really happy with the way I rode.”
The best lap of the day was recorded by former championship leader Alex Canales (Sherco) from Spain whose loss of just one lifted him to third following a costly opening lap score of fourteen with Hemingway fourth on seventeen, two ahead of Spain’s Arnau Farré (Sherco) as Rabino and Trueba dropped down the order.
Trial3 has been dominated this year by George Hemingway and the younger of the talented brothers extended his win-streak to five with a conclusive victory, his total of three placing him twelve clear of fellow British rider Euan Sim (Sherco) and nineteen ahead of France’s Pablo Echene (Beta).
“I started off with two on the first lap and had a good lead,” said Hemingway. “I wanted to clean everything on the second lap and didn’t quite manage it, but I’m pleased with how I was riding.”
The rising young stars of the FIM Women’s Trial2 World Cup sprang into action in Neunkirchen where Italy’s Brandani drew first blood following a close battle with Laia Pi (Beta) from Spain.
Ranked sixth in 2023, Brandani held a slender two-mark lead from Pi after the opening lap on a score of fourteen and then extended her advantage, adding a further eleven on lap two to end the day seven ahead of last year’s third-ranked rider. Poland’s Justyna Lonycz (GASGAS) took the third step of the podium on a score of thirty-seven.
“I’m so happy to get the win today,” said Brandani. “I made more mistakes than I would have liked to, but in the end I managed to get the victory.”
| The action from Neunkirchen resumes tomorrow at 09:00 local time and will be streamed LIVE on FIM-MOTO-TV from 12:45 local time with a season pass – covering all seven rounds and the FIM Trial des Nations – priced at €34.90. |
