Bou begins title defence with double victory at Motegi
MotegiThe Repsol Honda HRC rider triumphs on the first day in Japan, while Gabriel Marcelli finishes fourth overall.
Repsol Honda HRC kicked off the 2026 TrialGP World Championship season with a solid performance at Motegi, Japan, amidst a new format introduced this year for the competition.
Toni Bou started Race 1 last after the results of Friday's Super Test. The Repsol Honda HRC rider had two consecutive cleans at the start of the lap, and remained very consistent in the early sections. As the lap progressed, the difficulty of the course increased, and the first mistakes began to appear, although Bou managed his lead over his rivals throughout. After completing the twelve sections, the Montesa Cota 4RT rider had accumulated 23 points, plus one additional point for time, beating out Jaime Busto, who finished second with 27 points. It earned him the first 20 championship points of the season with the win.
In Race 2, the seven riders in the class competed in the 'Super Pole', which determined the starting order, and Bou was the fastest. In the 'Final', he encountered some difficulties over the five sections, and was involved in an intense battle that saw him tied on points with his teammate. Bou managed to qualify for the ‘Super Final’ in third position.
In the last run, Bou made two significant errors on Zones 2 and 10, finishing tied on 10 points with Jaime Busto. However, the Montesa Cota 3RT rider secured the victory once again thanks to his time advantage, capping off a perfect Saturday at Motegi. He was the winner of both Race 2 and the day overall.
Gabriel Marcelli never quite found his rhythm during the two races held on Saturday. In Race 1, he accumulated three consecutive penalty points in the first three sections, for failing to complete them within the allotted time. These mistakes hindered him for the rest of the lap, leaving him with no room for recovery. Ultimately, the Repsol Honda rider finished in fifth position, adding 11 points to his tally.
In Race 2, he gradually regained his form. After finishing third in the Super Pole, Marcelli started the Final from a favourable position, then managed to qualify for the Super Final in fourth position, tied on 10 points with his teammate.
In the Super Final, Marcelli recovered to finish third, adding 15 important points to his championship total. In the overall standings for the day, he placed fourth, just missing out on the podium.
The action continues at Motegi on Sunday for the Repsol Honda HRC riders.
"I'm very happy with the first day; you can't start better than with a win. The new regulations are very complicated, and we hope some changes will be made. But I'm happy with today's victory and the important points gained at Honda's home track."
"I'm very happy with the first day; you can't start better than with a win. The new regulations are very complicated, and we hope some changes will be made. But I'm happy with today's victory and the important points gained at Honda's home track."
"I'm not happy with today. We had a bad start on Zone 1, although some of the fives later on were due to time. But we learn from our mistakes, and tomorrow we'll try to avoid them and go out focused and motivated from the start. The new regulations are complicated, and I'm not very happy with them, so I hope they make corrections for the upcoming races."
"I'm not happy with today. We had a bad start on Zone 1, although some of the fives later on were due to time. But we learn from our mistakes, and tomorrow we'll try to avoid them and go out focused and motivated from the start. The new regulations are complicated, and I'm not very happy with them, so I hope they make corrections for the upcoming races."
“Starting the TrialGP World Championship with a double victory at Honda’s ‘home’ is something very positive and special. In the first race, Toni did a very good job controlling the whole race and took the first victory of the day. For the ‘Race 2’, he also managed to keep the level high and control the race time very well together with the team, which allowed him to take the win in the ‘Super Final’. I’m very happy with how the day went for Toni. As for Gabri, it was a very tough day for him. He made three consecutive mistakes in the first lap that conditioned the rest of his day. In the ‘Final’ and the ‘Super Final’ he was able to recover a little, but he still needed one more step forward. We know he has the level to fight for the top positions, so we are going to review the mistakes made in order to achieve a great result tomorrow.”
“Starting the TrialGP World Championship with a double victory at Honda’s ‘home’ is something very positive and special. In the first race, Toni did a very good job controlling the whole race and took the first victory of the day. For the ‘Race 2’, he also managed to keep the level high and control the race time very well together with the team, which allowed him to take the win in the ‘Super Final’. I’m very happy with how the day went for Toni. As for Gabri, it was a very tough day for him. He made three consecutive mistakes in the first lap that conditioned the rest of his day. In the ‘Final’ and the ‘Super Final’ he was able to recover a little, but he still needed one more step forward. We know he has the level to fight for the top positions, so we are going to review the mistakes made in order to achieve a great result tomorrow.”
