The last couple of seasons haven’t exactly gone to plan for Toby Martyn (TRRS) in the Hertz FIM Trial World Championship but the 20-year-old – one of Britain’s brightest rising stars – is back on track and fully focussed on hitting his marks next year.

“My dream is and always has been to be world champion,” he said. “I got very close in 2018 which for me was definitely one of my best years. Not because of the result but because of how I surprised people and also myself. I went from fourth in 2017 to leading the championship going into the last round.”

The championship he missed out on two years ago was the Trial2 title after he ended the season tied on points with Italy’s Matteo Grattarola.

“What went on in 2018 did affect me a lot mentally. The year after I put way too much pressure on myself and I over-thought everything. I dislocated my shoulder at the start of the season and it went downhill from there so this year has been about trying to bring my confidence back up.”

After dropping two places in the Trial2 rankings in 2019, this year Toby climbed back to third but didn’t show his true level until the final round where he signed off with a win at the Italian TrialGP.

“I think I just wound myself up. I started the season slow and lost a lot of confidence in the first few rounds – I was sixth or seventh going into the last four rounds but I pulled it around. Andorra was the second-to-last round and I finished that off with a podium and moved up to fourth.

“In Italy I tried not to put too much pressure on myself. The first day I didn’t ride amazing and was fourth but on the second day I was unstoppable really. It was good to prove to people that I could still win because I hadn’t for two years. Everyone knew I could do it but I needed that win to get my confidence going.

“It’s given me a huge amount of momentum going into the winter because it did get to the stage where I was asking myself ‘am I a fourth-placed rider – is that my level?’. To have that win behind me is awesome and you can’t beat that motivation.”

Following three changes of machinery in the last three years, for 2021 Toby’s staying with TRRS with factory support and has set himself a clear goal.

“My aim is to get the [Trial2] title next year and then to move up. I don’t want to rush up into the top class. I’m better off getting my riding up to a level where I can go into TrialGP and get decent results instead of finishing at the bottom every weekend.

“I’ve always proved to be better in harder competitions where the guys I’m up against are better than me. Look at Sheffield [Indoor Trial] – I went into that just aiming to get through a few sections. I have got the level but I wasn’t thinking about the result so to beat James Dabill and Jeroni [Fajardo] was great.

“TrialGP is so hard you can just focus all day on every single section. You don’t have to worry about other people’s results – you can just ride – but for now I’ve got unfinished business in Trial2.”

For TrialGP updates go to www.trialgp.com or check out our social media platforms on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – just search for TrialGP.

Every year on 5 December, the United Nations with its Volunteers programme is celebrating the International Volunteers Day (IVD) with a specific theme. This year the official theme is “Together We can Through Volunteering”.

This year, the FIM will join this campaign and take this opportunity to thank all the volunteers who, across the World, have made it possible for motorcycling activities and championships to continue despite the extremely complicated situation the World is going through. It has been a really demanding year and thanks to the dedication, hard work and passion of the volunteers it was possible to maintain some motorcycling activities.

“The volunteers are the backbone of the FIM activities and without them we wouldn’t have motorcycling races. I want to express my appreciation and warm gratitude for these passionate people who make motorcycling events possible Worldwide with their incredible commitment. Thank you FIM Volunteers!” –  said Jorge Viegas, FIM President.

The FIM together with its National Federations expresses its gratitude towards the volunteers with a special video and social media posts launched today.

More information about the International Volunteers Day HERE.

James Dabill (Beta), the most successful British trial rider of his generation, has announced his retirement from the FIM Trial World Championship after 15 years in the sport’s top-flight class.

The 34-year-old – a multi-time British champion – made his TrialGP debut in 2005, the same year he won the world Junior title. The following season he won the European championship and broke into the world top-10 and he’s stayed there ever since, achieving his highest ranking of #6 on six occasions – most recently in 2019.

‘Fans, friends and family,’ he announced on social media. ‘The time has come for me to inform you guys that I will retire from riding the Trial World Championship and at the professional level. This was a decision that didn’t come easy to make but I made it with a smile on my face as I know it’s the correct time to walk away.

‘From such a young age I have been able to live my dream of becoming a professional trials rider and that was all thanks to my amazing parents for sacrificing everything to help me on this crazy journey.

‘When I look back it fills me with pride to have achieved what I have and to have met and worked with some of the most amazing people in our sport. I am sure I will see everyone in the paddock again soon but for now it’s a fond farewell.’

For TrialGP updates go to www.trialgp.com or check out our social media platforms on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – just search for TrialGP.

The eight-date provisional calendar for the 2021 FIM Trial World Championship has been released and, following this season’s abbreviated programme due to COVID-19, it would represent a welcome return to normality depending on the evolution of the pandemic.

With one event still to be confirmed, at present the best Trial riders in the world will compete across two continents and at least seven different countries in a schedule that runs from May until September.

The championship gets under way with two points-paying days at the world-famous Twin Ring Motegi circuit on May 14-16 where, apart from in 2020, the Japanese TrialGP has been staged every year since 2000.

Last visited in 2017, the next stop is Sokolov for the Czech Republic TrialGP on June 5-6 before competitors return to Tolmezzo for the first time since the 2011 Trial des Nations for the Italian TrialGP on June 12-13.

With details still to be confirmed for round four on July 3-4, the action then shifts to the established Tong venue where two scoring days make up the Great Britain TrialGP on July 9-11. Riders then get a break before locking horns at altitude in the Pyrenees at Sant Julià for the Andorran TrialGP on August 21-22.

The penultimate round is the French TrialGP which visits the new venue of Cahors on August 28-29 before the series signs off at Baiona, scene of the 2017 Trial des Nations, for the Spanish TrialGP on September 11-12.

Competitors in the TrialGP and Trial2 class will contest all eight rounds while the TrialGP Women and Trial2 Women riders will get their championship up and running in the Czech Republic, then travel to Italy and the still to be confirmed venue before the deciding round in Spain.

The Trial125 class will be fought out in the Czech Republic, Italy, Great Britain, Andorra and France and the FIM Trial-E Cup for electric motorcycles will be decided in Italy, Andorra and France.

The Trial des Nations will be held on September 17-19 at Gouveia in Portugal.

For TrialGP updates go to www.trialgp.com or check out our social media platforms on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – just search for TrialGP.

Matteo Grattarola (Beta) started the 2020 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship with a simple mission – to regain the Trial2 title he lost last year – and the dashing Italian came through with flying colours to claim the crown with one day of competition still to go.

The 32-year-old from Bellano, just a stone’s throw from the Swiss border, was an established top-10 runner in the premier TrialGP class before dropping down to contest the all-new Trial2 category when it was launched in 2018.

Victory on the final day of competition gave him the inaugural title on a tie-break and he was looking good for the double in 2019 until a disastrous performance at the last round gifted the championship to Gabriel Marcelli.

At the end of the year he switched from the four-stroke Montesa to a two-stroke Beta and hasn’t looked back, streaking to a commanding 52-point winning margin in 2020 with five wins from eight starts backed up by two seconds and a third-placed finish.

Here’s what he had to say about his super-successful season…

TrialGP: Congratulations on regaining the Trial2 title – how does it feel to be twice World Champion in this class?
Matteo Grattarola: “Thank you! It is a great satisfaction for me that my continuous training sessions, sacrifices and efforts were rewarded with an important recognition! Being a World Champion is an honour! I am happy to share this title with those who have supported me, from my minder Angelo Colombo to Team Beta.”

TrialGP: An Italian rider on an Italian bike winning a world title in Italy – it couldn’t get any better than that…
Matteo Grattarola: “Absolutely! In spite of the obvious difficulties due to the pandemic, all the World Championship rounds were held and the season ended in Lazzate with the titles awarded! This all-Italian combination can only make an already important title even more prestigious!”

TrialGP: It must have been very disappointing to lose the title in 2019 at the final round – does this victory make up for it?
Matteo Grattarola: “It wasn’t pleasant to lose the title last year – especially by such a small margin – but you don’t always win and things don’t always go as planned. This year’s victory doesn’t make up for the 2019 loss but it confirms that I can still win.”

TrialGP: You switched from Honda to Beta for 2020 – do you prefer two-stroke to four-stroke?
Matteo Grattarola: “With this bike I got on very well from the start! The differences are obvious but I have to say that the feeling with Beta has been very good since the first tests and the results are proof!”

TrialGP: Gabriel Marcelli has had an incredible debut season in TrialGP after beating you to the Trial2 title last year. Does this make you want to try TrialGP again or is it a chapter of your life that is now closed?
Matteo Grattarola: “Gabriel did very well and I don’t deny that I’d like to test myself to see where I can get in the top category. Of course, competing with my friend Toni Bou is a great challenge – stimulating certainly and incredibly hard but not impossible! For now, I’m just thinking about finishing in the best possible way with the last two Italian championship rounds and then, together with the team, we’ll think about next season!”

For TrialGP updates go to www.trialgp.com or check out our social media platforms on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – just search for TrialGP.

At the grand old age of 40, Albert Cabestany is one of the Hertz FIM Trial World Championship’s most respected elder statesmen with a glittering career at the highest level that stretches all the way back to 1997.

To put this into perspective, 1997 was the same year that Dougie Lampkin won the first of his seven consecutive titles. It was hardly a dazzling debut season – the teenaged Albert nicked a couple of points for 14th on the opening day of the championship in his native Spain and then didn’t score again all year with his next-best result a solitary 16th on day two in the Czech Republic.

However, the man from Tarragona on the Mediterranean coast refused to give up on his dream. Just three years on from his debut he claimed his first TrialGP round win and went on to add a further eight victories to his total – not a bad record for someone whose whole career was spent competing against the likes of such Trial legends as Jordi Tarres, Lampkin, Adam Raga and Toni Bou.

In 2002 Albert ended Lampkin’s six-year reign as FIM X-Trial World Champion and from 2004 to 2016 he never finished outside the top-five in the TrialGP rankings.

In 2019 Albert went electric, winning the FIM TrialE Cup for Gas Gas and he made it two in a row this time around after a fierce, closely-fought fight with Gael Chatagno that was only decided on a tie-break at the final round.

We tracked Albert down to get his take on what has surely been an intense, nerve-jangling 2020 for him…

TrialGP: First off, congratulations on retaining the FIM TrialE Cup – how does it feel to be a back-to-back champion?
Albert Cabestany: “Thank you very much! For sure the feeling is fantastic and for many reasons. For one, I’m the first rider in TrialE that has repeated the championship so that feels nice. Also, to become the champion in that way – with so much pressure at the last couple of events where only two victories were valid to became world champion – makes it taste fantastic. It’s been really tough with a big contender fighting for the title as well.”

TrialGP: For many people you started the season as a clear favourite – how much of a shock was it to be beaten by Gael on both days in France?
Albert Cabestany: “Well, we knew that this could happen. The contenders are so strong. Gael is a rider who not long ago won a round in Trial2 so it’s clear he has more than enough skill to ride TrialE sections. The important thing is that after France, instead of going down the team pushed harder than ever and all the members gave 100 per cent to reach the goal, win both days in Italy and become World Champions one more year.”

TrialGP: You had to hold your nerve in Italy and emerged as a worthy winner. Did you feel any pressure heading into the last round?
Albert Cabestany: “Of course I felt it. I’m human! But I knew what I should do – stay focussed the whole time and avoid stupid mistakes. We all knew that the winner would have a low score so there was no room for error. I’m happy because I handled very well the situation and rode really nice and smooth the whole time.”

TrialGP: You mentioned in an interview that you worked hard with Gas Gas after the French TrialGP to improve the bike – is it a constant process of development with the E-bike?
Albert Cabestany: “The team did a fantastic job in less than a month. Jose and Chema really worked nice and precise – it was not easy because things needed to be tested enough so we knew the bike would work fine the whole weekend. I think they should be proud of what they have done – I am! So 50 per cent of this championship is thanks to the teamwork!”

TrialGP: Is it too early to be talking about 2021 or are you already focussed on winning a third TrialE crown?
Albert Cabestany: “I think it’s too early and I’m not sure what’s going to happen. I have new goals on my mind and I’m not sure they will be compatible with defending the TrialE crown. We will see what happens in the following weeks and months.”

TrialGP: Does the E-bike require a new technique to a petrol-powered machine and are they very different to ride?
Albert Cabestany: “We work hard to make it as similar to ride as the petrol bike and that’s part of the magic and the nice thing of riding and competing in TrialE – to see how this project grows. Every time there’s a more natural, petrol-like feeling and that means we are going in the right direction. Once we achieve this goal, the next one will be going even further!”

For TrialGP updates go to www.trialgp.com or check out our social media platforms on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – just search for TrialGP.

It’s safe to say that Spain’s Pau Martinez (Vertigo) bossed the Trial125 class of the 2020 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship from the word go.

Unbeaten after the opening two rounds in France and Spain, the 17-year-old momentarily stumbled with a pair of runner-up finishes at the Andorran TrialGP but he was back on top on day one of the final round in Italy to put the title out of reach.

Hailing from Sabadell – scene of a string of ’70s Motocross Grands Prix – just north of Barcelona, Pau is proof positive of the success of Trial125 as a nurturing ground for future talent. In his first year in the class he was 20th, improving to 10th in 2018 and sixth in 2019 before booking his ticket for Trial2 next season with the 2020 crown.

We caught up with TrialGP’s youngest champion to find out a little bit more about him…

TrialGP: Congratulations on winning the Trial125 class – how does it feel to be the champion?
Pau Martinez: “I have no words to describe this feeling – it’s incredible! All the hard work done over a long period of time has rewarded us this season.”

TrialGP: You dominated the opening two rounds in France and Spain but were beaten on both days in Andorra – did that make you nervous heading into day one in Italy? If so, how did you keep calm enough to win and take the title?
Pau Martinez: “In all the Trials I am nervous – as is normal – but I had a lot of advantage over second place and that calmed me down a bit more. Also, I like to compete with pressure.”

TrialGP: You are Vertigo’s first-ever World Champion – do you realise what a big deal that is?
Pau Martinez: “I still can’t believe it! I am very happy to be part of this great family and to be able to contribute with things like this!”

TrialGP: You will move up to Trial2 next season – what are your thoughts on the harder sections and tougher competitors?
Pau Martinez: “Next year will be my first year and I will give my best but as it is my first one I will also take it as a year of learning.”

TrialGP: How did you get into riding Trial?
Pau Martinez: “My father was already riding a motorbike before I was born and he introduced me to Trial, buying me a motorbike when I was two years old.”

TrialGP: Who is your all-time Trial hero?
Pau Martinez: “My main references are Toni Bou and Dougie Lampkin, both as people and riders. I am very happy to have Dougie as my team manager and to be able to share moments with him inside the tent.”

TrialGP: How far do you think you can go in Trial – could you be TrialGP champion one day?
Pau Martinez: “My big dream is to be able to get to TrialGP and to be able to dedicate myself to Trial. To be World Champion was also my dream and this year we have been, so nothing is impossible.”

For TrialGP updates go to www.trialgp.com or check out our social media platforms on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – just search for TrialGP.

“We did it!”

In just three words Thierry Michaud, Director of the FIM Trial Commission, perfectly sums up the euphoric mood sweeping the TrialGP family following the successful completion of the most challenging season in the history of the Hertz FIM Trial World Championship.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced a radical reworking of the 2020 calendar but strategic forward-thinking saved the series, resulting in a completely credible four-round championship spread over eight points-paying days.

“It’s a real satisfaction,” said Michaud, himself a three-time TrialGP World Champion. “We had dreamed so much of this 2020 championship but it’s taken so much effort from everyone to face these unprecedented constraints and uncertainties with which we have lived throughout the season.

“Bravo to the riders – not only to the champions but to all those who participated despite such unique conditions. It is first and foremost for them that the FIM does its utmost to ensure that its championships exist, making it possible to give meaning to the life of the riders as well as to the actions of all those who invest in FIM disciplines.

“Thanks also for the energy and passion of the manufacturers, private teams and partners plus the amazing support of parents and we mustn’t forget not only the national federations and organising clubs – well supported by local authorities – but also all the volunteers who redoubled their efforts and put forward their unwavering passion. Without them the 2020 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship would not have taken place.

“Finally, thank you to the TrialGP staff and the FIM administration who were called upon as never before. Well done to everyone but, above all, thank you!”

The blue ribbon TrialGP class followed a familiar path in 2020 with defending champion Toni Bou (Repsol Honda) emerging on top for the 14th consecutive time and in the process pushing his triumphant total of day victories up to an astounding 118!

It wasn’t, however, all plain sailing for the sublime Spaniard and his compatriot Adam Raga (TRRS) pressed him hard throughout the championship and inflicted defeats on Bou – his first since June 2018 – on day two of the French TrialGP and the opening day of the Andorran TrialGP.

With his job made harder by the reoccurrence of a shoulder injury, Bou was forced to dig deep but ultimately he was victorious with a comfortable 31-point winning margin over Raga and six more wins added to his record.

The all-Spanish top-six was completed by Jaime Busto (Vertigo), Jorge Casales (Gas Gas), Jeroni Fajardo (Sherco) and sensational class rookie Gabriel Marcelli (Montesa) who scored a podium finish on day two of the Spanish TrialGP in just his fourth event at the highest level.

It was also a case of business as usual in the TrialGP Women class where Britain’s Emma Bristow (Sherco) recorded six wins from six starts to whitewash the opposition and claim her seventh title in a row.

The 29-year-old hasn’t been beaten since the final round of 2017 and not even series-long pressure from the Spanish pairing of Berta Abellan (Vertigo) and Sandra Gomez (TRRS) could break her stride.

So evenly matched were Abellan and Gomez that second and third positions in the championship were only decided on the final day of competition in Andorra where Abellan’s runner-up finish earned her silver on a tie-break.

The most dominant performance this year came in Trial2 where Italy’s Matteo Grattarola (Beta) ran out a clear winner by 52 points following an incredibly consistent campaign that netted him five wins and two second-placed finishes along with a third on the final day of competition when the championship was already in the bag.

Champion in 2018, Grattarola lost out on the title last year at the final round but kept his focus this time around as Alexandre Ferrer (TRRS) – who was tied for the series lead after the opening round in his native France – went off the boil and slipped to a distant second.

Britain’s Toby Martyn (TRRS) by his own admission didn’t have the best of seasons but victory on the final day of the Italian TrialGP was good enough to earn him third overall ahead of Spain’s Aniol Gelabert (TRRS) – who took a day win in Spain – and Jack Peace (Sherco) from Britain.

After testing the water in 2019 with just one appearance, French sensation Naomi Monnier (Beta) embarked on her first full season in the Trial2 Women class and the 15-year-old set the pace from the get-go with victory on the opening day of her home event.

Andrea Rabino (Beta) from Italy matched her in France and then moved ahead at the Spanish TrialGP but Monnier sealed the deal with a decisive double win in Andorra that gave her a 10-point advantage.

Rabino’s title challenge was derailed on the opening day of the final round when she slipped to fifth which allowed Britain’s Alicia Robinson (Beta) – winner on day two in Spain – to steal second from her in the final standings by a single point as France’s Lenna Volpe (TRRS) and Martina Gallieni (TRRS) completed the top-five.

Trial125 is the place to look for the stars of the future and Spain’s Pau Martinez (Vertigo) underlined his enormous potential with a clear 32-point victory from series newcomer Leo Guiraud (Beta) from France.

The 17-year-old won the opening four days of competition and then backed this up with a pair of second-placed finishes in Andorra before putting the title out of reach with a win on the opening day in Italy.

Britain’s Ben Dignan (Vertigo) and Jack Dance (Gas Gas) both claimed a day win apiece as they came home third and fourth and their compatriot Harry Hemingway (Beta) took a debut podium in Spain on his way to fifth.

The FIM TrialE Cup was fought out over two rounds and four days with 2019 winner Albert Cabestany (Gas Gas) expected to dominate but on home turf at the French TrialGP Gael Chatagno (Electric Motion) came out swinging and beat the veteran Spaniard into second place on both days.

With a six-point lead heading into the Italian TrialGP, Chatagno held the advantage but Cabestany – drawing on all his years of experience of top-flight Trial – put matters beyond doubt with a pair of wins good enough for him to take the title on a tie-break by virtue of his better result on the final day of competition.

France’s Julien Perret (Electric Motion) ended the season in third with a full-house of third-placed finishes behind the dominant leading pair.

For TrialGP updates go to www.trialgp.com or check out our social media platforms on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – just search for TrialGP.

Spanish veteran Albert Cabestany (Gas Gas) completed a sensational comeback to retain the FIM TrialE Cup on a tie-break on the last day of competition at the Italian TrialGP, the fourth and final round of the 2020 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship, at Lazzate.

In the premier TrialGP class, the now 14-time champion Toni Bou (Repsol Honda) signed off on top with a clear-cut win. However, there were shocks in store in Trial2 and Trial125 where Matteo Grattarola (Beta) and Pau Martinez (Vertigo) – who both sewed up titles yesterday – lost out as the British pairing of Toby Martyn (TRRS) and Jack Dance (Gas Gas) ended the series on a high.

Trailing Gael Chatagno (Electric Motion) by six points heading into Italy after twice finishing second behind him at the opening round in France at the start of September, 40-year-old Cabestany backed up his win yesterday with another victory today. The result left the pair tied on 74 points with Cabestany retaining the title by virtue of his better result on the final day of competition.

It was always going to be a two-horse race between Cabestany and Chatagno and the Spaniard took control on an opening lap made difficult by a brief spell of overnight rain that left the sections super-slick.

His total of five marks lost on lap one was half that incurred by the 24-year-old Frenchman and a clean second lap helped him to extend his advantage to 10. Both riders went clean on their third laps but the damage had already been done and the FIM TrialE Cup was heading home with Cabestany.

“It is fantastic,” said Cabestany. “It is an amazing end to quite a strange season. We didn’t start out the way we wanted to and Gael has been a very, very tough competitor but the team has made improvements to the bike, we’ve practised hard and we are all so, so happy.”

Fresh from securing a record-breaking 14th consecutive crown yesterday, Bou clearly meant business from the get-go. With conditions treacherous on lap one as mud was dragged onto the imposing rocks, he completed his first circuit for the loss of 11 to open up a nine-mark advantage ahead of Adam Raga (TRRS).

Parting with seven marks on lap two and just two on lap three, Bou’s final score of 20 put him a commanding 35 marks clear of second-placed Jeroni Fajardo (Sherco) with Jorge Casales (Gas Gas) taking third a further six off the pace after coming out on top of a three-way tie-break.

“It’s been a solid weekend and I’ve enjoyed today a lot,” said Bou. “On the second and third laps I rode my best. I’m very happy to have won both days and the title and I will enjoy this moment.”

Class rookie Gabriel Marcelli (Montesa) narrowly lost out on his second podium finish of the season on a most-cleans tie-break with Casales as Miquel Gelabert (Gas Gas) – who also ended the day on 61 marks lost but with fewer cleans than Casales and Marcelli – completed the all-Spanish top-five.

Despite starting strongly, Raga again faded and ended the day in sixth on 63.

With the Trial2 title safely secured, home hero Grattarola started today with no pressure on his broad shoulders but while he eased back, Martyn and Italy’s Gianluca Tournour (TRRS) scrapped it out at the front of the field.

Matching each other almost blow-for-blow, the pair completed the first lap locked together on nine and then posted identical scores of 10 apiece on the second lap before Martyn eventually broke free with his final lap score of four giving him a three-mark winning margin.

“It’s been a hard year but today has topped it off and I’m really happy to get a win,” said Martyn. “I haven’t had the best of seasons and I wouldn’t say I am massively happy with how I’ve ridden but today I’ve pulled it together.”

After picking up 27 marks on the opening two laps, Grattarola’s final lap total of just one penalty gave him third on a most-cleans tie-break with Spain’s Aniol Gelabert (TRRS) as class rookie Hugo Dufrese (Vertigo) from France claimed a season-best finish of fifth on 35.

It was super-close in the Trial125 class with just three marks separating the top-four finishers.

On the day Dance continued his great late-season run of form with his first win of the year on 40, one mark ahead of compatriot Ben Dignan (Vertigo) who took second from Spain’s Alex Canales (TRRS) on a tie-break with Martinez another two behind on 43.

“On the first lap my score was quite high,” said Dance, “so I had to work hard on the second lap. On the third lap I came out of the last section and everyone cheered because I’d won but I didn’t know at the time. It’s a brilliant feeling and a brilliant day.”

The 2020 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship has now concluded. For regular updates go to the new-look www.trialgp.com website or check out our social media platforms on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – just search for TrialGP.

Toni Bou (Repsol Honda) put the 2020 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship premier TrialGP crown beyond reach of his rivals to make it 14 consecutive titles following a dramatic opening day of the Italian TrialGP at Lazzate.

In Trial2 it was season-long pace-setter Matteo Grattarola (Beta) who tied up the title on home ground with one points-paying day still to go and Spanish teenager Pau Martinez (Vertigo) followed suit in Trial125 but there’s still everything to play for in the FIM TrialE Cup.

Heading into the boulder-strewn final round of the 2020 championship, defending champion Bou carried a comfortable 10-point lead over his fellow Spaniard Adam Raga (TRRS). If Bou was to record his fifth win of the season, Raga would need to finish fifth or higher to take the title fight into the final day.

The last time Raga finished outside the top-five was in 2012 so the odds were stacked in favour of the championship going down to the wire. However, Raga looked unsettled for most of the day and eventually came home a distant seventh – his lowest-placed finish since 2003 – so despite winning twice this season it was game over for another year for him.

Bou was in control from the get-go on a challenging opening lap. Rain last week meant that the ground was initially quite soft and the imposing rocks were made even harder when mud was dragged onto them, meaning grip was hard to find.

Bou’s first-lap total of 21 gave him an early five-mark lead over compatriot Jaime Busto (Vertigo) with Raga third on 28 before, as we’ve seen so many times before, the greatest rider in the history of Trial simply moved up a gear. With conditions rapidly drying out, his second-lap total of just seven extended his advantage over Busto to 13 before he signed off with a final-lap score of nine.

“I didn’t expect to win the championship today,” said Bou. “It was a strange day because Adam made many mistakes and after the second lap I saw that it was a good opportunity to take the championship. It’s been a strange year but to win the title again makes it very special for me.”

Bou’s final winning score of 39 was 22 marks clear of Jorge Casales (Gas Gas) who overhauled Busto with a super-strong final lap of just 11. Busto ended the day a further five marks adrift in third with evergreen Japanese contender Takahisa Fujinami (Repsol Honda) matching his best finish of the season with a close-fought fourth from Jeroni Fajardo (Sherco).

The purpose-built Trial Park is new to the championship calendar but Grattarola has won there before and used this experience to great effect, running home winner on just four marks lost and carding an unblemished final lap in the process.

The victory means that the veteran has regained the title he first won in 2018.

“It was very important for me to win the championship,” said Grattarola, “and I’m very happy for me, for my team and for my family. It was a good event with great sections and organisation. Tomorrow is another day and if possible I’d like to win.”

Spain’s Aniol Gelabert (TRRS) came home in second, 27 marks behind Grattarola but 10 ahead of third-placed Sondre Haga (TRRS) from Norway. France’s Alexander Ferrer (TRRS) still holds second in the championship table, despite finishing all the way back in a disappointing 12th.

Martinez has bossed the Trial125 class since the opening round and although he took a pair of second-placed finishes last time out at the Andorran TrialGP he still led France’s Leo Guiraud (Beta) by a very healthy 23 points at the start of the day.

As it was his main challenge came from Spain’s Alex Canales (TRRS) who trailed Martinez all day before a fantastic last lap total of just two pulled him to within four marks of the new champion at close of play. Britain’s Jack Dance (Gas Gas) matched his third-placed finish on day two in Andorra but was 16 marks behind Canales as the leading pair pulled clear of the chasing pack.

“It’s been a good day,” said Martinez. “There was a lot of pressure on the last lap but I’m very happy to win the championship. We still have tomorrow but today was the important day.”

The closest battle this year has come in the FIM TrialE Cup where defending champion Albert Cabestany (Gas Gas) started the season as favourite before being beaten into second on both days at the French TrialGP by local hero Gael Chatagno (Electric Motion).

It was too close to call heading into Lazzate – Chatagno’s day-two win in France was on a tie-break – but the veteran Spaniard, who at 40 is 16 years older than his French rival, used his wealth of experience to run out a clear winner by 18 marks.

“It was a good day for me,” said Cabestany. “I rode quite consistently during the whole day with just a few small mistakes because the conditions were quite slippery on the first lap. I needed the victory today if I wanted to have a chance of winning the championship.”

If the result is repeated tomorrow then both men will be tied on 74 points with Cabestany taking the title on a tie-break determined by the best result on the final day of competition.

The 2020 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship concludes tomorrow with day two of the Italian TrialGP. For regular updates and live results go to the new-look www.trialgp.com website or check out our social media platforms on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – just search for TrialGP.