Following a five-week break in the schedule, the world’s best riders will converge on the famous Alpine ski resort of Sestriere for round six of the 2023 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship – the TrialGP of Italy – this coming weekend (21-23 July).

• Alpine appointment for world’s best riders
• Toni Bou and Jaime Busto continue their TrialGP duel
• Emma Bristow and Berta Abellan resume fight for supremacy in TrialGP Women

For the first time this season all five classes will be in action with the elite riders of TrialGP and TrialGP Women joined by competitors in the Trial2, Trial2 Women and Trial3 classes for the penultimate round of the series.

Staged at altitude, much higher than even the previous round in Andorra, this will be the first time Sestriere has featured on the Hertz FIM Trial World Championship calendar since Dougie Lampkin and Takahisa Fujinami shared the wins there in 2003, although it was the venue for the 2005 FIM Trial Des Nations.

Bidding for an incredible seventeenth consecutive TrialGP title, Spain’s Toni Bou (Montesa) heads into round six on the back of four straight victories in San Marino and Andorra which have helped him move into a fourteen-point lead over his compatriot Jaime Busto (GASGAS).

The pair had been evenly matched during the opening three rounds with three wins and three second-placed finishes each before thirty-five-year-old Bou pulled clear of his much younger rival who, with two rounds and four scoring days to go this season, knows he must be inch perfect to keep his title dreams alive.

While Bou and Busto will start as favourites for victory, three other riders – home hero Matteo Grattarola (Beta) and the Spanish pairing of Gabriel Marcelli (Montesa) and Adam Raga (TRRS) – have all finished on the podium this season and all have the skills to push for a win.

Marcelli is still looking for his debut victory in the blue-ribbon class, but Grattarola claimed a day win in Italy last season while Raga – who missed the previous round after undergoing knee surgery – is a two-time TrialGP champion and no stranger to the top step of the podium.

TrialGP Women has seen a game of chess between Britain’s reigning champion Emma Bristow (Sherco) and Berta Abellan (Scorpa) at the opening three rounds in Spain, Portugal and Japan.

Abellan struck first with a double win on home soil in Spain before Bristow – who has her sights set on a ninth title in ten years – put together four straight victories, but with Abellan following her home in second each time the gap at the top of the table is just four points.

The pair have dominated top-flight women’s Trial for the past two seasons, but third-placed Andrea Sofia Rabino (Beta) from Italy did beat Bristow on day one in Spain and will be hoping strong home support could give her an advantage.

Britain’s Alice Minta (Scorpa) and Naomi Monnier (GASGAS) from France have also been on the podium this season and both could still catch Rabino for third in the championship.

In Trial2 it is Billy Green (Scorpa) who leads by seven points from fellow British rider Jack Peace (Sherco) with Spain’s Pablo Suarez (Montesa) a further five off the pace.

While this leading trio are looking good to claim the top three positions at the end of the season, this weekend’s results are very hard to predict in a class where everyone has at times struggled with consistency.

Spain’s Arnau Garcia (Sherco), defending champion Sondre Haga (GASGAS) from Norway and Britain’s Jack Dance (GASGAS) have all won this year and will be determined to pick up podium finishes at the very least.

With their championship getting under way last time out in Andorra, the competitors in the Trial2 Women class have just two points-scoring days to their names so far this season with France’s Alycia Soyer (TRRS) setting the pace with a pair of victories in the Pyrenees.

However, both her wins – over Alessia Bacchetta (GASGAS) from Italy and Spain’s Laia Pi Ramirez (Beta) – have been by just a single mark so this class is wide open.

After four rounds and eight days of competition the Trial3 title is now down to a two-rider battle between Britain’s George Hemingway (Beta) and Jone Sandvik (Sherco) from Norway with the pair separated by seven points before a big gap back to Britain’s Alfie Lampkin (Vertigo) in third.

On day two in Andorra another British rider, Jamie Galloway (TRRS), became just the third rider to take a day win in this class this season so he will be aiming to carry his momentum into Italy while Poland’s Pawel Ryncarz (GASGAS), Italy’s Mirko Pedretti (Beta) and Romeo Piquet (Beta) from France will all be looking to add to their 2023 podium count.

The action gets under way at at 09:00 CET on Saturday and will be streamed LIVE on FIM-MOTO.TV.

The cost is for €7.99 for full weekend coverage or €24.99 for the new mid-season pass, including the FIM Trial des Nations.

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In a dramatic finish to day two of the Taisei Rotec TrialGP of Japan – round three of the 2023 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship – Jaime Busto (GASGAS) struck back at the Mobility Resort Motegi to tie the lead in the TrialGP points standings while reigning champion Emma Bristow (Sherco) extended her advantage in TrialGP Women.

Jaime Busto takes TrialGP win on a tie-break Defending TrialGP Women champion Emma Bristow pulls clear Arnau Farre completes his Japanese double victory in Trial2 In scenes straight out of a Hollywood blockbuster, the win went down to the very last section of the Trial after Busto – who had led all day – almost threw it away with maximums in the final two hazards. Toni Bou (Montesa) was handed a lifeline, but a single mark in section twelve left the Spaniards tied at the top and the victory went to Busto who completed the course just thirty seconds faster than the defending champion. “The TrialGP of Japan was just incredible for me,” said Busto. “Yesterday I was fighting with Toni all day, but in the end I made some silly mistakes which cost me the race. Today I started with a clear mind and I led the whole day.” With conditions much better than on Saturday, the sections were stiffened up for all three classes, but with the ground much drier scores were lower across the board. Busto, who the previous day could only watch as Bou put on a masterclass to open up a three-point championship advantage, looked like a rider at one with his machine on the steep bankings and imposing boulders. He still parted with twenty-two on his opening lap – collecting four maximums in the process – but that was good enough to give him a three-mark advantage over Bou at the halfway stage after the sixteen-time champion picked up a five on section eleven for stopping. Lap two was a different story and the twenty-six-year-old completed the first ten sections for the loss of just a single mark as Bou slipped six further behind. In the final two sections nerves appeared to get the better of the younger man and he added another ten marks to his score. Bou made no mistakes in section eleven this time around which meant a clean on section twelve would give him the win by a single mark, but a stray dab left the pair all square on thirty-three and Busto got the decision on a tie-break due to his faster time over the two laps.

Former champion Adam Raga (TRRS) continued his return to form with third for the second consecutive day and he could not disguise the joy on his face which was livestreamed across the world on FIM-MOTO-TV. His total of forty-seven was two ahead of Gabriel Marcelli (Montesa) and as a result the pair are now tied on points for third in the championship. Jorge Casales (Scorpa) made it four different manufacturers in the top-five with his total of sixty-four ensuring he matched his best finish of the season. Bristow is looking for her ninth TrialGP Women title in ten years and she completed her sweep of the top step of the Japanese podium, but it was a tense day for the British rider. Spain’s Berta Abellan (Scorpa) had struggled on Saturday to match Bristow’s form, but she was much closer today and after lap one the leading ladies were locked together of nine marks each. With nerves jangling on lap two, Bristow showed the cool confidence that has seen her dominate for much of the last decade and a clean on the final section gave her a score of three for a two-mark victory ahead of Abellan. “We knew when it was drying out that the sections would ride a lot easier,” said Bristow. “So it was tight, but I’m really happy to win today and two wins here in Japan feels amazing.”

Italy’s Andrea Sofia Rabino (Beta) had her worst day of the season so far yesterday in sixth, but she was back on the podium today with her total of twenty-eight earning her third on a tie-break with Naomi Monnier (GASGAS) of France to make it four marques filling the top four positions. Britain’s Alice Minta (Scorpa) was clearly disappointed to slip two places from Saturday to fifth on thirty-six. In Trial2 it was Spain’s Arnau Farre (Sherco) who emerged as winner for the second day in a row. The twenty-four-year-old led on four at the halfway stage and fought off strong challenges on lap two from British riders Billy Green (Scorpa) and Jack Peace (Sherco) to take victory on a tie-break from Green. “I’m so, so happy,” said Farre. “The first lap was very good. I made some mistakes on the second lap, but finally I took another win. The team have been behind me and the bike was so powerful.” Having moved into the series lead after yesterday’s trial, Peace had the win in his sights until the final section of lap two when a maximum dropped him from first to third on a total of nineteen and handed the championship advantage back to Green as Farre climbed to third in the standings. Home hero Kenichi Kuroyama piloted the new electric Yamaha TY-E2.1 to a sensational fourth, just three marks away from the podium and one ahead of France’s Hugo Dufrese (GASGAS) who made it four different manufacturers in the top-five. The action now returns to Europe for the TrialGP of San Marino on 9-11 June when it will be streamed LIVE on FIM-MOTO.TV. The cost is for €7.99 for full weekend coverage or €34.99 for the entire season, including the FIM Trial des Nations.

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At the tender age of just twenty-two, Gabriel Marcelli (Honda) is preparing to get his fourth full season in the premier class of the Hertz FIM Trial World Championship under way this coming weekend at the TrialGP of Spain.

Gabriel Marcelli begins his second season with Honda factory team Following his 2019 Trial2 title, the young Spaniard continues to climb the ranking New off-season training programme targets physical strength Marcelli is very much at the vanguard of the new wave of exciting young riders fighting to make their presence felt among the sport’s established stars and it is safe to say his move to the TrialGP class following his Trial2 title in 2019 has not gone unnoticed. A sensational third-placed finish on day two in Spain in his debut TrialGP season was a clear signal of his intent and although he is still waiting to make a second visit to the podium he is very direct when asked about his ambitions. “The goal now is to win – you have to aim high,” he said. “I consider that I have a good level and that I’m in good enough shape to fight for races, so that has to be the goal. Being on the podium is a very positive result that we have to be happy with but you have to aim for the win.” Marcelli ended his debut TrialGP season in sixth and despite dropping a position the following year his late run of three fourth-placed finishes were good enough to convince the HRC factory team of his promise and he was signed up for 2022. “To be able to be in the best Trial team in the world is an honour and the fact that they trust me and that I can prove it with results is very gratifying. It’s a dream come true. Just like winning in Trial2 or in the European Championship, it’s one of those things you dream about when you’re little. Year by year you get closer and closer and since it‘s not something that happens overnight, you assimilate it slowly.” A former youth Motocross rider who took up Trial to help his bike handling skills following a switch to Enduro, Marcelli’s move to the factory team was undoubtedly helped by his familiarity with four-stroke machinery. “I’ve been riding a four-stroke bike since 2016 and I don’t really remember how to ride a two-stroke anymore. Of the main differences of the four-stroke engine, what I like the most is the power punch that the bottom-end of the engine has. It’s a more comfortable bike both because of the centre of weight which is located on a lower height and because of the rear suspension which, coupled with the low centre of weight, gives you a lot of stability.” After finishing a career-best fifth last season and finishing one position away from the podium on three occasions, Marcelli decided to change his winter preparation programme. “This year’s pre-season has been different from the previous two years. I have focused more on the work in the gym to get more strength and physical volume, which I think can benefit me in my riding style. I’m a rider who relies a lot on body and strength, rather than gas or technique, so being physically strong is a strength I can exploit more.” This coming weekend’s TrialGP of Spain at Arteixo is very much a local event for Marcelli with the venue close to the Atlantic coast just two-hundred-kilometres north of his hometown. Whether he can use this home advantage to good effect remains to be seen, but that elusive second podium is a definite possibility.

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Italian crash helmet manufacturer Airoh has joined forces with the Hertz FIM Trial World Championship to become a TrialGP Official Supplier for 2023.

With almost one-hundred-and-thirty world champions across both off-road and road disciplines since the brand was launched in 1997, Airoh’s heritage and sporting pedigree is unquestionable and this new agreement promises to further increase the profile of its products including its flagship Trial model, the TRR S.

Airoh is committed to the constant development of its products with an ongoing programme of innovation utilising ultra-high-tech materials and cutting-edge processes as it continues to set new standards of safety and usability.

Airoh’s impressive record of TrialGP success stretches back to 2005 when British rider James Dabill won the Trial2 title and since then riders of the calibre of Adam Raga, Toni Bou, Jack Challoner, Marco Fioletti and Andrea Sofia Rabino have all claimed honours at the highest level both indoors and outside for the company.

Last year Norway’s Sondre Haga won the Trial2 title for Airoh and British rider Emma Bristow secured an amazing eighth Hertz FIM TrialGP Women World Championship for the innovative, forward-thinking company based one-hundred-and-forty kilometres south-east of Rome.

Fabio Muner, FIM Marketing and Digital Director, said: “We are very happy to have a helmet manufacturer back on board as a TrialGP Official Supplier for the first time in a number of years – especially a company as well-regarded and well-respected as Airoh.

“We are constantly striving to improve the Hertz FIM Trial World Championship and such an innovative, forward-thinking company is a perfect fit for the series and what we are aiming to achieve. We are looking forward to building a strong working relationship with Airoh as we continue to develop the sport we all share so much passion for.”

Antonio Locatelli, Airoh CEO, stated: “Our passion for two wheels is really boundless, encompassing any discipline, every category, literally everything! Being Official Supplier of such an amazing championship is a source of pride and we are so happy and honoured to be part of the 2023 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship. It is the first time we have had this role – we are so excited and we can’t wait to fully enjoy this incredible opportunity.”

This season Airoh will supply helmets to eighteen supported riders from five factory teams including top-flight competitors Adam Raga, Matteo Grattarola, Jeroni Fajardo, Benoit Bincaz, Jorge Casales and Aniol Gelabert along with TrialGP Women reigning champion Emma Bristow.

WATCH TRIALGP LIVE HERE!

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The best Trial riders on the planet are putting the final touches to their pre-season preparations in readiness for the opening round of the 2023 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship which fires into action on 14-16 April.

• All systems go for the best Trial riders on the planet
• Season comprises seven rounds and fourteen points-scoring days
• Super-intense series provides the ultimate test

With seven rounds and fourteen points-paying days of action scheduled this year – an increase of one round and four scoring days over 2022 – competitors face a super-intense season that will test minds, muscles and machinery.

The blue ribbon TrialGP category along with Trial2 will compete at all seven rounds with the TrialGP Women, Trial2 Women and Trial3 classes joining the series at selected events.

The opening round takes place at Arteixo on the north-western tip of Spain which is the first of two new venues competitors will face this year. TrialGP Women and Trial3 riders will get their seasons under way here.

Just one week later on 21-23 April the focus switches to the big, grippy boulders of Gouveia on the edge of Portugal’s scenic Serra da Estrela Natural Park where TrialGP Women and Trial3 will once again feature.

Following a pandemic-enforced absence of three years, the Hertz FIM Trial World Championship makes a long-awaited and very welcome return to Japan’s legendary Mobility Resort Motegi on 19-21 May.

Prior to Covid, Japan had enjoyed an unbroken twenty-year run on the calendar so there is a strong sense of anticipation surrounding the event.

TrialGP Women competitors will also make the eleven-thousand-kilometre journey to the Land of the Rising Sun where they can expect huge granite rocks set into a steep, wooded hillside.

Following a three-week break, the action resumes on 9-11 June at Baldasserrona in San Marino as the series makes its first visit to the republic since 2010. Trial3 riders will continue their championship chase in the land-locked microstate.

Round five on 16-18 June sees the series returns to more familiar surroundings at Sant Julià de Lòria in Andorra where the Trial2 Women riders will kick off their campaign and Trial3 will also feature.

Notorious for its towering rocks and super-steep climbs, the Pyrenean principality has been the venue for eight Hertz FIM Trial World Championship rounds since 2013.

Round six on 21-23 July will give fans the opportunity to see all five classes in action when the series makes its first visit to Sestriere in Italy since 2003.

Competing high in the Italian Alps at the famous ski resort, the altitude will call for supreme fitness as the series nears its conclusion.

After the traditional summer break, there’s another full-house of classes at the seventh and deciding round at the new venue of Vertolaye in France on 1-3 September where more big boulders and wooded hillsides await competitors.

The season will sign off the following weekend at Auron in France on September 8-10 with the FIM Trial Vintage Trophy and Trial Des Nations.

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Jaime Busto, the rising Spanish star who finished the 2022 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship in a career-best runner-up position, will ride for GASGAS next season.

The 24-year-old is no stranger to the marque and last rode for GASGAS back in 2018.

While his main rivals Toni Bou and Adam Raga come from the Catalan region of Spain on the shores of the Mediterranean, Busto’s hometown is in the Basque area on the Atlantic coast.

Viewed by many as heir apparent to the throne of Bou, with the weight of such expectation comes a lot of pressure and – as the experience to deal with this is a commodity that must be earned – Busto has had to put in the hard yards.

A 13-year-old Busto made his international debut in 2011 in the European Youth Championship when he finished sixth before winning the following season. He backed this up in 2014 with the Trial2 crown and then made his TrialGP debut in 2015 at the tender age of just seventeen.

Busto has only dropped out of the World top-three once since 2017 and he hopes that his return to GASGAS will enable him to take the next – and largest – step on the ladder.

“I’m so excited to join GASGAS for next season,” he said. “It’s a brand with Spanish heritage and that’s really important but also the whole structure and dynamic of the team looks really strong. The bike itself is great and I know the plan is to keep on developing and improving all the time.
“For 2023 my goal is to improve on my results from this year. I want to be more consistent and in the fight for the win at every single race. The whole GASGAS vibe fits my style really well and I’m hoping that by working hard together we can achieve some greats results next year.”

His team boss Albert Cabestany – the FIM X-Trial World Champion in 2002 – is delighted to have Busto onboard next season.

“It means so much to sign a rider like Jaime Busto to the team,” he said. “Obviously, he is capable of securing top results and so our plan is to give him everything he needs to do that.
“Jaime also fits the GASGAS brand perfectly and together I truly believe we can achieve great things. His results in 2022 have been excellent – third overall in X-Trial and second in TrialGP – and, so looking ahead to the next two seasons, our plan is to keep on growing the team structure to be even stronger and enable Jaime to continue fighting for World Championship titles.

“Jaime joining the team is just one part of a big plan to put GASGAS right at the top of the Trial world and I can’t wait for the new season to begin.”

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With this year’s series only recently wrapped up, the provisional dates for the 2023 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship have been released and with a seventh round added to the schedule – and each round featuring two days of points-scoring competition – fans are in for a feet-up feast!

Included in the calendar are two new venues – at Arteixo in Spain and Vertolaye in France – and Japan’s legendary Motegi facility is set to return to the series after missing out for the last three years due to the pandemic.

The action will get under way on April 14-16 at Arteixo on the north western tip of Spain before shifting south to the tried and tested venue of Gouveia in Portugal the following weekend.

Set on the edge of the beautiful Serra da Estrela Natural Park in the north of the country, Gouveia has been the base for three world rounds and the 2021 Trial Des Nations in the last five years so the best riders on the planet are well-versed with its big, grippy boulders.

Competitors then head 7,000 miles east to the Land of the Rising Sun and the magical Motegi circuit just north of Tokyo on May 19-21 which, before Covid struck, had enjoyed an unbroken 20-year run on the TrialGP calendar.

With sections laid out on a wooded hillside studded with imposing granite rocks, the weather here can play a big part in proceedings but one thing is for sure and that’s the guarantee of a warm welcome for the TrialGP of Japan after an absence of four years.

On June 9-11 the action will resume in the land-locked ‘micro state’ of San Marino. The FIM Trial World Championship last stopped off at Baldasserrona in 2010 when who else but Toni Bou came out on top.

Only four of the current crop of TrialGP riders – that’s Bou and his fellow Spaniards Adam Raga and Jeroni Fajardo plus Italy’s Matteo Grattarola – competed here last time around but after a gap of 13 years any advantage they may have is negligible.

By complete contrast, everyone should be familiar with Sant Julià de Lòria in Andorra which is the venue for round five of the 2023 championship on June 16-18.

The super-sized rocks and precipitous climbs of the Pyrenean principality have become a mainstay of the championship with eight TrialGP of Andorra rounds having been staged here since 2013.

The TrialGP of Italy is another regular date in the TrialGP diary but next year’s venue at Sestriere over the weekend of July 21-23 hasn’t featured on the calendar since 2003.

The world-famous ski resort, situated in the Italian Alps in the west of the country, will present a tough challenge to competitors who will be competing at an altitude that’s much higher than even Andorra has to offer.

Following the traditional summer break, the series will reconvene at Vertolaye for the TrialGP of France – the seventh and final round – on September 1-3.

The season will then sign off at Auron in France over the weekend of September 8-10 with the FIM Trial Vintage Trophy and Trial Des Nations.

TrialGP and Trial2 riders will contest all seven rounds while TrialGP Women competitors will miss just San Marino and Andorra. Trial3 will only sit out the TrialGP of Japan while the Trial2 Women title will be decided in Andorra, Italy and France.

To view the calendar click HERE.

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