Toni Bou and Gabriel Marcelli face the first round of the season on Saturday at the Palacio Vistalegre (Madrid).
The 2025 X-Trial World Championship season will kick off this weekend at the Palacio Vistalegre in Madrid. The indoor competition returns to its traditional calendar, where it will group all the events into the end of 2024 and opening months of 2025. Toni Bou will seek to defend his title for another season and Gabriel Marcelli will fight to achieve his first victory.
Bou, the current World Champion, has an incredible record of 36 world titles – 18 in X-Trial and 18 in TrialGP. He will seek to maintain his dominance in both competitions. The Montesa Cota 4RT rider achieved his 34th title in 2023 at the Madrid event with a win, and this weekend will look for another victory.
Marcelli wants to improve his feeling after an end to the 2024 season in which he was unable to get on the podium at the last round in Pamplona. The Repsol Honda Team rider is coming off his best season to date, with third place overall in the X-Trial World Championship and the runner-up spot in TrialGP, so the objectives will be to finish on the podium at the end of the season and get his first victory in both disciplines.
Regulation changes
This season brings important changes to the X-Trial World Championship regulations. A system of four finalists will be applied, instead of three as has been the case in recent years, plus a Superpole and a Sprint Race. There will be a first round in which the eight participants will face either five or six action zones (depending on the race) and in which the three best competitors will go directly to the final. From fourth to eighth place, the so-called “Last Chance” will take place, in which the fastest to complete the different zones will qualify for the final. To decide the starting order between the four best riders in the last action of the day, a Sprint Race will be held in which the quickest will be the last to start.
The 2025 X-Trial World Championship calendar will have 8 events, in addition to the Trial des Nations that will be held on April 18th in France. After Madrid, the riders will compete in Chambéry (France), Clermont-Ferrand (France), Barcelona (Spain), Stavanger (Norway), Medellín (Colombia), Wiener Neustadt (Austria) and Tallinn (Estonia).
Toni Bou
“Starting the championship so soon is not something we really like, but we are very well prepared because we had a great end to the season in Pamplona. The team have done a great job and we will try to continue in this way, since we have not been able to have a preseason. Racing in Madrid is always special because it is Repsol's 'home' so we will try to put on a good show for the fans. The goal in 2025 is to get the title; we know it is very difficult because our rivals are very strong, but we are going into it with a positive attitude and I trust my team.”
Gabriel Marcelli
“Having such a tight schedule is not easy, because if you get an injury it can affect the rest of the season, but we are prepared. Starting the World Championship at Repsol's 'home' is special, so it will be important for us to get a great result. In 2024 we were fighting for the runner-up position until the last race, and in 2025 it will be important to start the season with a good result. The goal is firstly to get my first World Championship victory and secondly to be in the fight for the title.”
Takahisa Fujinami
“This year we are starting the season earlier than usual, but the team are eager to get off to a good start. This season there will be changes in the regulations that we hope will help make the races more exciting. Toni will seek, as every year, to fight for a new title. Gabri has the challenge of achieving his first World Championship victory, so both are coming into 2025 with maximum motivation. Madrid is always special for us so the goal will be to win.”
Location Information
Madrid Arena, Avenida de Portugal, Madrid, Spain - View in Google Maps
