With three titles on the line and just two days of points-scoring competition remaining, tensions were understandably running high on day one of the TrialGP of Spain – the final round of the 2024 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship – at Ripoll.
- Toni Bou takes tenth win of the season on day one of TrialGP of Spain
- Martina Brandani lifts FIM Women’s Trial2 World Cup
- TrialGP Women and Trial2 titles to be decided on final day
Following a warm, dry day in the foothills of the Pyrenees, the destination of the FIM Women’s Trial2 World Cup was decided in favour of seventeen-year-old Martina Brandani (Sherco) from Italy. The fight, however, will go down to the wire on the final day of the season in TrialGP Women after home favourite Berta Abellan (Scorpa) beat reigning champion Emma Bristow (Sherco) on a tie-break and in Trial2 where Britain’s Jack Peace (Sherco) had the crown within his grasp, only to let it slip in the very last section of the Trial.
With the premier TrialGP category already decided at the previous round in favour of now eighteen-time champion Toni Bou (Montesa), it was business as usual for the superstar Spaniard who took his tenth win of the season as behind him a fierce battle raged for this year’s remaining medals.
The Spanish trio of Gabriel Marcelli (Montesa), Jaime Busto (GASGAS) and Adam Raga (Sherco) were all in contention at the start of the day for silver and bronze and at the halfway stage Busto’s score of twelve put him just one behind Bou with Raga on sixteen and Marcelli back in fifth on twenty-eight including a time penalty.
With the opening sections plotted on extremely steep, wooded bankings studded with rocks, the action then headed to a series of technical dry stream beds and imposing steps with the natural hazards superseded by the huge rock slabs that comprised the spectacular man-made final section.
“Today had a different feel after I won the title in Cahors,” said Bou. “It was a fight to the end with Jaime, but finally I won which was very important for the team.”
Having started the day with a seven-point cushion over Busto in the contest for second in the championship, at the end of the opening lap Marcelli’s ‘virtual’ advantage was down to just one, but the all-action Galician fought back fiercely on lap two to claw his way back to third another sixteen marks further back to maintain a five-point lead from Busto heading into tomorrow’s final day of competition.
Marcelli’s climb up the leaderboard came at the expense of Raga whose total of forty-three was good enough for fourth, five clear of Spain’s Miquel Gelabert (Vertigo), which effectively puts an end to his hopes of ending the year in the top three.
Heading to Ripoll ten points clear of Abellan in TrialGP Women, it was always unlikely that Bristow would secure her tenth crown in eleven years on the opening day, but any hopes she had of extending her lead ended on the first lap.
The British rider’s score of seven at the hallway stage placed her three behind Abellan as the leading pair began to open up a gap at the front with Alice Minta (Scorpa) best of the rest on eleven that put her two clear of Italy’s Andrea Sofia Rabino (Beta) who in turn was one ahead of Naomi Monnier (Montesa) from France.
An unblemished second lap from Bristow heaped the pressure on Abellan, but the twenty-four-year-old kept her cool and added just three more marks to her score to end the day tied at the top before getting the decision on a tie-break.
“I’m very, very happy,” said Abellan. “I enjoyed the sections a lot and, of course, I am very happy with my victory.”
A further thirteen points behind, Minta matched her best finish of the season in third with Monnier fourth on twenty-three after winning a tie-break with Rabino. The result keeps Abellan’s dream of a first FIM World Championship alive, but Bristow still holds a seven-point advantage that looks unlikely to be overturned.
Having set the pace in Trial2 for much of the season, Peace knew he could wrap up his first FIM World Championship a day early and after a close and competitive opening lap it remained a very real possibility.
Britain’s Harry Hemingway (Beta) led on four, one ahead of Peace’s main title rival Arnau Farré (Sherco) from Spain who was three clear of defending champion Billy Green (Scorpa), who incurred a time penalty, Peace and former champion Sondre Haga (GASGAS) from Norway on the electric motorcycle who were locked together on eight.
After finishing second on five occasions this year, Green finally put in a champion’s performance when he added just two further marks to his score on the second lap to take his first win of the season on a total of ten with Hemingway next on thirteen.
“As always in Trial2 it was very tight,” said Green. “Unfortunately, it’s taken me until now to get a win, but it makes all the effort worthwhile.”
Farré’s score of sixteen earned him the final step of the podium on a tie-break with Haga and the top five was completed by Trial3 champion George Hemingway who parted with just seventeen on a very impressive Trial2 debut.
Peace arrived at the last section of the Trial leading Farré by three marks which was good enough to sew up the championship, but a technical infringement earned him a maximum and as a result he dropped to sixth on eighteen. Despite this setback, the twenty-four-year-old still leads by sixteen points and knows only a disaster can keep him from striking gold tomorrow.
A double victory at the opening round of the FIM Women’s Trial2 World Cup in Germany handed Brandani an early advantage and after finishing second in Belgium she travelled to Spain with a twelve-point advantage over her closest rival Laia Pi (Beta).
With the title in her sight, Brandani ended the first lap one mark behind Norway’s Seline Meling (Beta) on nine before a final lap of four gave her the win and the title.
“Today has gone really well,” said Brandani. “I really liked the sections and I’m very happy.”
Meling, who won last time out in Belgium, was second on seventeen with Italy’s Sara Trentini (TRRS) two marks further adrift in third and with Pi only managing sixth on home soil there is now a three-way fight for the remaining podium positions with a single point separating Meling, Trentini and Pi.
A maximum on his second visit to section two dropped Bou to second behind Busto, but the pendulum swung back in the reigning champion’s favour when Busto lost his balance on section six and with his advantage restored the thirty-seven-year-old needed no second invitation and claimed victory on nineteen, three clear of his younger rival.
