Bou dominates Day 1 in Japan with double victory

The Repsol Honda rider wins both races on a day affected by heavy rain, mud, and extreme conditions. Marcelli takes two third places.

The first day of the Japanese TrialGP, held at the iconic Mobility Resort Motegi circuit, was hit by heavy rain. The constant rainfall led to accumulated mud and extremely slippery terrain, but the Repsol Honda riders nevertheless put in a strong performance.

The difficulty of both races meant riders accrued many penalty points, but Toni Bou once again rose to the challenge. The Repsol Honda rider led the first race of the day from the very first section and managed to handle the situation to ultimately prevail over his rivals. He was 20 points ahead of nearest rival Jaime Busto, taking the victory.

In the second race, the fight was closer. Gabriel Marcelli started strongly and led for much of the race, putting pressure on Bou until the final sections. However, the 37-time champion once again came through in the decisive moments, claiming his second win of the day. With the combination of both results, he was crowned the day’s winner, and currently leads the standings with 200 points.

Marcelli put in two solid performances at the Mobility Resort Motegi. In the first race, despite some mistakes, he managed to stay in the fight for the top positions. With a total of 40 points, the Montesa Cota 4RT rider took third place, adding 15 points to his overall tally.

In the second race he challenged Bou and Busto, but in the final sections of the course he racked up two fiascos in the closing stages, which cost him the lead. He ultimately finished third again, completing the podium at Honda’s home round. Marcelli remains in the Top 3 in the series, with 144 points.

Due to the weather conditions and the state of the terrain, the organisers decided to cancel the Power Section scheduled to close the day. The second day of the Japanese TrialGP will be held on Sunday from 9am local time.