History was made on day one of the TrialGP of Japan – the opening round of the 2026 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship – earlier this month when an electric motorcycle was used for the very first time in the premier TrialGP category.
Ridden by Spain’s Miquel Gelabert to sixth overall on the first day of competition, Honda’s RTL Electric machine proved itself to be extremely capable over the huge rocks, steep climbs and giant logs that comprised much of the course at the Mobility Resort Motegi.
The following day the twenty-eight-year-old from Barcelona improved to fifth to underline the message that electric machines can compete on an equal footing against petrol-powered motorcycles over the toughest, most challenging sections.
A regular in the TrialGP class from 2016 to 2024 before he dropped down to Trial2 last season to help develop the RTL Electric, Gelabert’s performance in 2025 when he narrowly missed out on the title was good enough to prompt his return to the sport’s top-flight with the mission to continue to improve and refine the performance of the cutting-edge machine.
“After last season in Trial2, where we saw that the bike could compete for top positions in every race, we felt that the next step was to move up to TrialGP to keep developing the project,” explained Honda Montesa Team Manager Carles Barneda. “During the winter, we worked intensively to further develop the bike and the goal for the 2026 season is to be able to fight for the podium.
“HRC and Honda are completely committed to this project and are approaching this new stage with great motivation, giving us their full support to achieve the best results throughout the season.”
Gelabert was very much on home turf when he made his debut in the premier class on the RTL Electric at X-Trial Barcelona in February where, although he failed to make the Final, he demonstrated that electric motorcycles were competitive at the sport’s highest level.
Just over three months later, Gelabert made history in Japan when – with the event format undergoing a comprehensive revision for 2026 – he piloted the RTL Electric to fifth in the first-ever Super Pole competition the day before the first points-scoring action of the season and he also made the cut for the new Super Final on both days.
“That’s the first weekend of the season done,” said Gelabert. “We know that we have to keep improving little by little, race after race, so I’m happy. I’m very grateful to the team for all the hard work and in Andorra we will look to make a step forward.”
“Our debut in the top class was a positive experience,” added Barneda. “We made a few mistakes, but we learned from them and will improve. We see that Miquel and the RTL Electric have the potential to be at the front and fight for a podium.
“In the Super Final the level of the sections was more demanding and we struggled a bit more, but we’ve identified areas for improvement and will try to fight harder at the next race.”
Round two of the 2026 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship – the TrialGP of Andorra – is scheduled to run from 12-14 June at Sant Julià de Lòria.
