Repsol Honda HRC shine on Saturday with a win and third place for their riders.
The fifth round of the TrialGP World Championship kicked off on Saturday in San Marino, with a spectacular performance from the Repsol Honda HRC riders. On a demanding day due to both the terrain and the weather conditions, Toni Bou and Gabriel Marcelli both claimed podium positions in the two races, scoring vital points in the World Championship.
Bou didn’t get off to a great start in the first race of the day. On Zone 2, he made a mistake that kicked off a run of several fiascos, and he lost ground on his main rivals. However, the Repsol Honda rider managed to turn things around on the more technical zones, where most riders made significant mistakes. His experience and control at key moments allowed him to catch back up and finish with a win, scoring 20 points in the standings.
In the second race, the Montesa Cota 4RT rider corrected the errors made in the morning from the outset. His consistency was nevertheless challenged by rival Jaime Busto, and they reached Zone 12 tied on points. Ultimately, Bou defeated Busto by virtue of the ‘cleans countback’ rule, achieving a victory that further strengthened his lead in the series. In the final count for the day, he topped the podium.
Marcelli also had a strong start to the day. In the first outing, he ran a very competitive pace from the opening zones onwards, even leading the race at several points. In the final stretch, he engaged in an intense battle with Busto for second place, which ultimately ended in his favour, with a total of 28 points.
In the second race, Marcelli followed a very similar strategy. The fight for victory was very close, and mistakes in Zones 2, 4, and 7 ultimately dropped him to third place. He rounded out the day’s podium in San Marino, and also earned an extra point in the championship by winning the Power Section.
Sunday marks the second and final day of the San Marino TrialGP, with Bou leading the series and Marcelli consolidating his third place overall.
Toni Bou
"We had a good day, but it was also complicated by a heavy crash at Zone 2, which made it a bit difficult for me to get back into the race. We fought until the end and things went well. I'm very happy with the second race because I felt even better on the bike, although I faltered a bit in the final sections. Despite everything, we still managed to get the double win, and scoring so many points on a difficult day is very positive."
Gabriel Marcelli
"Compared to last weekend, I felt much better on the bike, despite having some zones that, at first, I didn't like much. I rode very well in both races and, in fact, was level on points with Toni in the first one. In the second race I made some mistakes that cost us, losing us second place. But second and third places and winning the Power Section gives us a good overall verdict of the day. Correcting some details, I know I can take the victory, so tomorrow we have to fine-tune things a little more."
Takahisa Fujinami
"Today was a very positive day for the team, with both of our riders on the podium. From the first race onwards, Toni gave his all to win in very tough conditions, due to the slippery zones and high temperatures. In the first race, he made a big mistake at Zone 2, but Toni never gave up and fought until the end for the win. The day's results were very positive with the double victory. We're also very happy for Gabri because, despite making some small mistakes, he came very close to victory, leading throughout the first race, and we saw an improvement compared to previous races. He also earned an extra point in the Power Section, which will be very useful for the championship. Tomorrow he'll be fighting for better results."
RACE 1
| Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Points | Team | Constructor | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bou Toni | 1 | SPA | 20 | Repsol Honda HRC | Montesa | 26 |
| 2 | Marcelli Gabriel | 38 | SPA | 17 | Repsol Honda HRC | Montesa | 28 |
| 3 | Busto Jaime | 69 | SPA | 15 | Gas Gas Factory Team | Gas Gas | 34 |
| 4 | Peace Jack | 76 | GBR | 13 | Sherco Factory Team | Sherco | 36 |
| 5 | Gelabert Aniol | 28 | SPA | 11 | TRRS Factory Team | TRRS | 41 |
| 6 | Grattarola Matteo | 88 | ITA | 10 | Beta Factory Racing | Beta | 42 |
| 7 | Canales Alex | 24 | SPA | 9 | Montesa Talent School | Montesa | 48 |
| 8 | Gandola Lorenzo | 34 | ITA | 8 | Beta | Beta | 48 |
| 9 | Suárez Pablo | 33 | SPA | 7 | Montesa Talent School | Montesa | 54 |
| 10 | Dufrese Hugo | 17 | FRA | 6 | Beta | Beta | 61 |
RACE 2
| Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Points | Team | Constructor | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bou Toni | 1 | SPA | 20 | Repsol Honda HRC | Montesa | 13 |
| 2 | Busto Jaime | 69 | SPA | 17 | Gas Gas Factory Team | Gas Gas | 13 |
| 3 | Marcelli Gabriel | 38 | SPA | 15 | Repsol Honda HRC | Montesa | 19 |
| 4 | Grattarola Matteo | 88 | ITA | 13 | Beta Factory Racing | Beta | 21 |
| 5 | Peace Jack | 76 | GBR | 11 | Sherco Factory Team | Sherco | 26 |
| 6 | Gelabert Aniol | 28 | SPA | 10 | TRRS Factory Team | TRRS | 31 |
| 7 | Suárez Pablo | 33 | SPA | 9 | Montesa Talent School | Montesa | 32 |
| 8 | Canales Alex | 24 | SPA | 8 | Montesa Talent School | Montesa | 40 |
| 9 | Gandola Lorenzo | 34 | ITA | 7 | Beta | Beta | 41 |
| 10 | Dufrese Hugo | 17 | FRA | 6 | Beta | Beta | 44 |
Provisional Standings after race 1
| Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Team | Constructor | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bou Toni | 1 | SPA | Repsol Honda HRC | Montesa | 362 |
| 2 | Busto Jaime | 69 | SPA | Gas Gas Factory Team | Gas Gas | 299 |
| 3 | Marcelli Gabriel | 38 | SPA | Repsol Honda HRC | Montesa | 263 |
| 4 | Grattarola Matteo | 88 | ITA | Beta Factory Racing | Beta | 232 |
| 5 | Gelabert Aniol | 28 | SPA | TRRS Factory Team | TRRS | 198 |
| 6 | Peace Jack | 76 | GBR | Sherco Factory Team | Sherco | 194 |
| 7 | Canales Alex | 24 | SPA | Montesa Talent School | Montesa | 155 |
| 8 | Dufrese Hugo | 17 | FRA | Beta | Beta | 151 |
| 9 | Suárez Pablo | 33 | SPA | Montesa Talent School | Montesa | 83 |
| 10 | Gandola Lorenzo | 34 | ITA | Beta | Beta | 15 |
Location Information
San Marino - View in Google Maps
