Bou and Marcelli dominate the opening day in Benahavís, Málaga, with first and second place in both races.
The start to the TrialGP World Championship was incredible for the Repsol Honda HRC riders, who dominated the first day of competition. Toni Bou took two consecutive victories and the lead in the overall standings. Gabriel Marcelli, meanwhile, took two consecutive second-place finishes.
Adjusting to new regulations, Toni Bou set out on the first lap ready to defend his crown in the outdoor discipline. The newly crowned 37-time champion finished the first race with just 8 penalty points, giving him his first victory of the season.
For the second race, separated into a different event with individual points awarded, the Montesa Cota 4RT rider maintained the same pace. Despite making two mistakes on Sections 2 and 10, he completed all twelve with just 10 points, giving him his second win of the day. He now has 40 points in the overall standings.
Gabriel Marcelli also had an incredible first day. In the first race, he didn’t get off to the best start, stringing together two consecutive fives, but he managed to turn things around and ultimately completed all the sections with 11 points, giving him second place.
In Race 2, the scores were closer, with the sections more familiar for the TR1 competitors. Despite this, Marcelli managed to maintain the good feeling he had from the first race and, drawing on his experience, he once again achieved second place. With these results, last year’s TrialGP World Championship runner-up took second place for the day.
The Repsol Honda riders will look to repeat their results from the first day on Sunday.
Toni Bou
"I'm very happy with how this first day in Malaga went. Two wins in two laps isn't easy due to the new regulations, which put a lot of pressure on you to avoid mistakes. Everything happens very quickly, so tomorrow will also require close attention. I expect changes to the sections on Sunday, as if it doesn't rain tomorrow, the sections will be even easier for everyone. I'm happy with the start, but we remain fully focused to be able to repeat the results on the second day."
Gabriel Marcelli
"I'm very happy with today's result. We took second place overall, riding very well in both races. I made some small mistakes, but we were able to overcome them without any problems. Ultimately, I think we had a very strong performance today and that tomorrow we'll need a little more to be able to fight for the win. We're mentally prepared for that, so I expect difficult sections and a more demanding level."
Takahisa Fujinami
"We got off to the best start possible in the TrialGP World Championship, so I'm very happy for both riders. Toni was very consistent throughout the day and made it clear why he's the rider to beat in this competition. Gabri, meanwhile, reacted very well at the start of the first race and made things very difficult for Toni with two second places. Tomorrow it won't be easy to repeat the one-two, so we'll have to be very focused to achieve it."
RACE 1
| Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Team | Constructor | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bou Toni | 1 | SPA | Repsol Honda HRC | Montesa | 8 |
| 2 | Marcelli Gabriel | 38 | SPA | Repsol Honda HRC | Montesa | 16 |
| 3 | Busto Jaime | 1 | SPA | Gas Gas Factory Team | Gas Gas | 22 |
| 4 | Grattarola Matteo | 88 | ITA | Beta Factory Racing | Beta | 22 |
| 5 | Gelabert Aniol | 28 | SPA | TRRS Factory Team | TRRS | 26 |
| 6 | Dufrese Hugo | 17 | FRA | Beta | Beta | 42 |
| 7 | Peace Jack | 11 | GBR | Sherco | Sherco | 44 |
| 8 | Canales Alex | 24 | SPA | Montesa Talent School | Montesa | 46 |
RACE 2
| Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Team | Constructor | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bou Toni | 1 | SPA | Repsol Honda HRC | Montesa | 10 |
| 2 | Marcelli Gabriel | 38 | SPA | Repsol Honda HRC | Montesa | 12 |
| 3 | Busto Jaime | 1 | SPA | Gas Gas Factory Team | Gas Gas | 13 |
| 4 | Grattarola Matteo | 88 | ITA | Beta Factory Racing | Beta | 18 |
| 5 | Gelabert Aniol | 28 | SPA | TRRS Factory Team | TRRS | 29 |
| 6 | Canales Alex | 24 | SPA | Montesa Talent School | Montesa | 32 |
| 7 | Dufrese Hugo | 17 | FRA | Beta | Beta | 33 |
| 8 | Peace Jack | 11 | GBR | Sherco | Sherco | 42 |
Provisional Standings after Round 1
| Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Team | Constructor | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bou Toni | 1 | SPA | Repsol Honda HRC | Montesa | 40 |
| 2 | Marcelli Gabriel | 38 | SPA | Repsol Honda HRC | Montesa | 34 |
| 3 | Busto Jaime | 1 | SPA | Gas Gas Factory Team | Gas Gas | 30 |
| 4 | Grattarola Matteo | 88 | ITA | Beta Factory Racing | Beta | 26 |
| 5 | Gelabert Aniol | 28 | SPA | TRRS Factory Team | TRRS | 22 |
| 6 | Dufrese Hugo | 17 | FRA | Beta | Beta | 19 |
| 7 | Canales Alex | 24 | SPA | Montesa Talent School | Montesa | 18 |
| 8 | Peace Jack | 11 | GBR | Sherco | Sherco | 17 |
