Repsol Honda HRC kick off 2026 X-Trial World Championship season with one-two finish

Toni Bou takes victory in Andorra, with Gabriel Marcelli second.

The 2026 X-Trial World Championship kicked off in Andorra, one of the most iconic and demanding venues on the calendar, this weekend. Repsol Honda HRC started the season in the best possible way, with Toni Bou taking the first victory of the campaign and earning 20 points. His teammate, Gabriel Marcelli, took second place, extending his excellent form following his Spanish title win less than two weeks ago.

Bou started the first lap with a relentless pace. In Zone 1 the Montesa Cota 4RT rider took a clean, and he then became one of the frontrunners throughout the five sections. He finished the race with nine penalty points, qualifying for the Grand Final in second place, just one point behind Jaime Busto. In the Super Pole, which determines the starting order for the Final, Bou made three errors that added 40 extra seconds, stopping the clock at 1:29.1. With this time, the Repsol Honda HRC rider secured second place.

In the Grand Final, the difficulty increased considerably, but the 38-time World Champion used his experience to take the first win of the season. With the resulting 20 points in the standings, Bou leads the way to start his title defence.

Marcelli arrived in Andorra with high motivation after being crowned Spanish champion in Entrimo. He had a great performance on the first lap, qualifying directly for the final in third place alongside Bou and Busto, with a total of 13 penalty points.

In the Super Pole, he put in a spectacular performance, completing the course in a time of 0:41.8 – the best time of the day, which allowed him to start last. In the Grand Final, Marcelli battled for victory with Bou, and both showed incredible consistency throughout the different sections. Ultimately, he accrued 23 points, securing second place.

With this one-two finish in Andorra, the Repsol Honda HRC riders begin the 2026 World Championship leading the overall standings. The next round of the series will be on November 25th in Madrid, where the team will look to maintain their lead in the X-Trial competition.