Bou maintains lead in X-Trial World Championship after second place finish

The Repsol Honda HRC rider places second on Reunion Island after a demanding final, with Gabriel Marcelli completing the podium.

The 2016 X-Trial World Championship travelled to Reunion Island for the third round of the season, as the venue returned to the calendar for the first time since 2019. Repsol Honda HRC once again delivered a strong performance, with Toni Bou finishing second and Gabriel Marcelli third. These results consolidate the lead in the Teams standings.

From the first lap, it was clear that this would not be an easy event for any of the participants, given the challenging sections. Toni Bou had to overcome a difficult start in Q1, experiencing some physical discomfort. The Montesa Cota 4RT rider accumulated 14 penalty points in Q1, which allowed him to qualify second, and take him directly into the final alongside Marcelli and Jaime Busto, who finished the lap as leader. In the Super Pole, Bou was the fastest with a time of 0:40.3, securing the strategic advantage of starting last in the final.

In the final Bou showed great determination, especially in the early sections, where he remained in contention for the win alongside Busto, tied with two penalty points each. However, two errors in Zones 5 and 6 proved decisive, preventing him from victory. With 12 penalty points overall, the Repsol Honda HRC rider finished second, but continues to lead the overall standings with 55 points. It was his third consecutive podium finish at the start of the 2026 season.

Gabriel Marcelli struggled to find his rhythm in a race made challenging by the difficulty of the sections. On the first lap, the Repsol Honda rider made two mistakes in Zones 1 and 5, and ended up with 15 penalty points. Despite this, the Montesa Cota 4RT rider’s result allowed him to qualify directly for the final, beating fourth-placed Jack Peace by two points. In Super Pole, he qualified second with a time of 0:51.5.

In the final, Marcelli maintained a high level, but three consecutive fives in Zones 2, 3, and 4 took him out of contention for the win. He improved in the final sections and secured third place, with 16 points. With this result, Marcelli remains second in the overall standings with 42 points.

The Repsol Honda HRC team leave Reunion Island in the lead in the X-Trial World Championship, with Bou and Marcelli occupying the top two positions. The team’s next challenge will be a double-header in Italy on December 12th and 13th.