Superstar Spaniard Toni Bou (Montesa) stamped his authority on day one of the TrialGP of Andorra – round two of the 2026 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship – with a pair of commanding race performances in the premier TrialGP class as Italy’s Andrea Sofia Rabino (Beta) took the overall in TrialGP Women after trading wins and second places with defending champion Berta Abellan (Scorpa) from Spain on a warm, bright day in Sant Julià de Lòria in the Pyrenees.
- Toni Bou in control in TrialGP with double race win on day one
- Andrea Sofia Rabino takes TrialGP Women decision on a tie-break
- Billy Green and Fabio Mazzola on top in Trial2 and Trial3 Junior
In Trial2 a lack of consistency among the front runners resulted in an extremely close-fought competition and race wins for Britain’s Billy Green (Scorpa) and Benoit Bincaz (Electric Motion) from France while Italian Fabio Mazzola and Germany’s Marco Laure (Beta) each claimed a race victory as competition got under way in the Trial3 Junior class.
The action started on Friday with the timed Super Test that was contested by all classes to determine starting order for the following day’s opening races with Bou and Rabino both victorious, while Britain’s Harry Turner (Sherco) topped Trial2 as his fellow countryman Harison Skelton (Scorpa) drew first blood in Trial3 Junior.
As well as a technical course with the majority of sections plotted on the steep, wooded mountainside where giant rocks tested riders’ skills and resolve, altitude also came into play. With the highest point of the course over sixteen-hundred metres above sea level, the thin air made bike set-up and rider fitness critical and, as fans have come to expect over the last nineteen years, when the going got tough it was Bou who got going.
Bidding for an incredible twentieth consecutive title, the thirty-nine-year-old – unbeaten at last month’s opening round – hardly put a wheel wrong in the day’s first race, underlining his dominance with a miserly total of just five marks to win by fifteen from his team-mate and compatriot Gabriel Marcelli with Matteo Grattarola (Beta) from Italy taking third on a tie-break from British rider Jack Peace (Sherco) after both finished on twenty-five.
A further three marks adrift, Spain’s Jaime Busto (Beta) – second in the standings following the TrialGP of Japan – was fifth, just one clear of British class newcomer Harry Hemingway (Beta).
Starting positions for the five-section Final were then determined by Super Pole where Marcelli emerged on top from Busto and Grattarola after Bou slipped to seventh with an untidy three that forced him to start as third rider away. However, this did not appear to bother the record-breaking champion who carded an amazing clean on the opening hazard, a performance matched only by Marcelli as the rest of the field took maximums on a steep climb over a series of imposing rocks.
Demonstrating his mastery of conditions in the Pyrenean principality he now calls home, Bou completed the Final unpenalised with his strongest opposition coming from Marcelli who finished on a total of seven that put him nine clear of Busto and eleven ahead of Spain’s Miquel Gelabert (Honda) as Hemingway became the only other rider not to incur a run of five maximums.
With the scores from the Final now carried across to the four-section Super Final contested by the full TrialGP entry, Bou made sure of his second victory of the day when he parted with just one mark on observation that gave him a total of three once two time penalties had been applied.
“I’m super-happy to race here at my home,” said Bou. “This result has been amazing for my confidence – I was riding very well today – and I’m super-happy to take the win on the first day.”
Marcelli added another two on observation plus two on time for a final total of eleven with Busto taking a distant third on thirty-two. Gelabert, riding the sole electric machine in the class, was another two in arrears with Hemingway completing the top five on thirty-five.
A double winner in TrialGP Women in Japan, defending champion Abellan maintained her series lead after trading wins and second-placed finishes with Rabino, but it was the Italian who took the day’s overall verdict on a tie-break thanks to her better finish in race two.
Starting on the back foot with a maximum on the opening hazard that was cleaned by Rabino, French rider Alycia Soyer and Denisa Pechackova from the Czech Republic, Abellan quickly regrouped and showed her class by adding only ten more marks to her total to win by seven from Rabino, who won a tie-break with Soyer. Pechackova came home fourth on thirty-three – three ahead of Britain’s Kaytlyn Adshead – as Italy’s Alessia Bacchetta, who started the day second in the standings, slipped to a costly eighth.
A clean on the opening section of race two gave Rabino an early lead she refused to surrender and with Abellan unable to close the gap following a maximum on section five, the twenty-year-old Italian pulled clear to win the race on eleven – eight ahead of Abellan – and clinch the day’s overall decision.
“I’m very happy for today,” said Rabino. “The first race was not so good, but I’m much happier with my performance in race two and the points are very important for the championship.”
Soyer ended the race in third on twenty-five, five clear of Britain’s Alice Minta (Beta), with Pechackova fifth on thirty-two, one position and two marks ahead of Bacchetta.
The overall winner of Trial2 on day two in Japan, Green – the 2023 champion – maintained his momentum when he took victory in the opening race on a score of five that put him two clear of his fellow British title contender George Hemingway (Beta) and three ahead of Spain’s Gerard Trueba (Beta). Leading the series following the opening round, Spanish rider Alex Canales (Montesa) was a solid fourth on ten, three clear of compatriot Arnau Farré (Sherco).
In a low-scoring race two it was Bincaz – who was seventh in the opener – who took the win on a score of five to claim victory by two from Italian Francesco Titli (Montesa) with Canales maintaining his series lead in third on a total of eight.
Following home Farré and Trueba in sixth was good enough for Green to secure the day’s overall and jump from fifth to second in the points.
“I’m very happy to carry on where I left off in Japan,” said Green. “I felt like I was riding really well in the first race and the second race was good enough for the overall.”
|
