Trial

TrialGP 2023 Review: Bou Wins 17th Consecutive Title

The 2023 TrialGP consisted of seven events / 14 rounds. Honda’s factory team, Repsol Honda Team, took on the season under the leadership of Takahisa Fujinami, with undisputed champion Toni Bou aiming for his 17th consecutive title, and Gabriele Marcelli in his second year with the team.

TrialGP 2023 Review: Bou Wins 17th Consecutive Title

Bou and Busto Fight for the Lead

On April 14, the season opened in Arteixo, Spain, and on the first day, Bou and Marcelli finished on the podium in second and third places respectively. On the second day, Bou outperformed Busto by three points to take his first win of the season. Marcelli missed a podium by just two points, finishing fourth in a close battle.


Toni Bou at season-opener in Spain
Toni Bou at season-opener in Spain

The second TrialGP was held in Gouveia, Portugal, and while Bou dominated day 1 by 13 points, his rival Busto performed better on day 2, taking the victory by a single point. At this stage Bou is second in the rankings, while Marcelli, who was third for both days, is third overall.

The third TrialGP was staged in Japan for the first time in four years, at Mobility Resort Motegi, Repsol Honda Team's home turf. Day 1 was a tough battle due to rain the previous day. Bou completed the first lap in third, and attempting to turn the tables, took some risks, which in the end paid off and gave him the victory.

On Day 2 conditions were dry. Bou was neck and neck with Busto, and ended the day tied for the lead. With a 29-second time difference, Bou finished in second place, and after three events, Bou and Busto were tied for the top with 111 points each. Marcelli finished fourth for both days, tying him with Adam Raga (TRRS) for fourth overall.


Toni Bou at Japanese TrialGP
Toni Bou at Japanese TrialGP

Bou Takes Outright Lead
Marcelli Battles for Third

The fourth TrialGP was held in San Marino. On day 1, Bou and Marcelli achieved their first 1-2 finish of the year. Bou was consistent and sure-footed to take the win, while Marcelli was in a tight battle with Busto and Raga on lap 1, but pulled ahead on the following lap to secure his first runner-up place on the podium.

On the second day, every rider struggled with the muddy conditions caused by the previous night's rain. Even Bou made a mistake and finished the first lap in third, but on the second lap he halved his points deduction and won by two points over rival Busto. For the first time in Round 4, Bou achieved a perfect win on both days, extending his lead in the overall standings to eight points. Marcelli finished sixth, but maintained his third place overall.


Gabriel Marcelli at San Marino TrialGP
Gabriel Marcelli at San Marino TrialGP

On the first day in the Andorra event, Bou started the first lap with six consecutive clean sections to take the lead, then improved on the second lap with 12 sections and only four points, nearly doubling his lead over his closest rival. The second day of the event was difficult due to rain, but that did not stop Bou from continuing his strong performance. He won by a huge margin over his title rival Busto and solidified his position at the top of the championship standings.

The sixth TrialGP was held in Sestriere, Italy, revived as a TrialGP venue for the first time in two decades. On day one, Bou took the lead with a four point deduction on lap 1, and despite a mistake in the second half of the lap, was able to get stay ahead. Marcelli followed in second place for the team’s second 1-2 finish of the season.


Gabriel Marcelli and Toni Bou at the Italian TrialGP
Gabriel Marcelli and Toni Bou at the Italian TrialGP

17 in a Row
Double Podium Tops Off Another Successful Season

The final event was held in Vertolaye, France. On the first lap of Day 1, Bou put on an impressive performance, coming through section 7 clean after all other riders had scored 5 points, and continued his strong performance on the second lap to win by 17 points over Buste in second place, clinching his 17th title in a row before the second day began.

Bou continued his winning on Day 2, closing out the season with seven consecutive victories and a dominating 11 out of 14 wins. Marcelli joined Bou on the podium with back-to-back third place finishes on days 1 and 2, and with seven podium finishes in 14 races, he claimed his best result, third place in the championship.


Repsol Honda Team at French TrialGP
Repsol Honda Team at French TrialGP


Standings

Pos. Rider Num. Team Constr. Pts
1 Toni BOU 1 Repsol Honda Team Honda 271
2 Jaime BUSTO 69 Gas Gas Factory Racing GasGas 236
3 Gabriel MARCELLI 38 Repsol Honda Team Honda 191
4 Matteo GRATTAROLA 88 Beta Factory Trial Team Beta 169
5 Adam RAGA 68 TRRS TRRS 155
6 Aniol GELABERT 28 Beta Factory Trial Team Beta 137
7 Jorge CASALES 16 Scorpa SCORPA 115
8 Benoit BINCAZ 73 Sherco Sherco 87
9 Miquel GELABERT 56 Vertigo Team Vertigo 79
10 Jeroni FAJARDO 47 Sherco Sherco 75
11 Luca PETRELLA 64 Gas Gas Gas Gas 60
12 Toby MARTYN 21 Honda Honda 38