Bou dominates Day 1 in Japan with double victory
MotegiThe Repsol Honda rider wins both races on a day affected by heavy rain, mud, and extreme conditions. Marcelli takes two third places
The first day of the Japanese TrialGP, held at the iconic Mobility Resort Motegi circuit, was hit by heavy rain. The constant rainfall led to accumulated mud and extremely slippery terrain, but the Repsol Honda riders nevertheless put in a strong performance.
The difficulty of both races meant riders accrued many penalty points, but Toni Bou once again rose to the challenge. The Repsol Honda rider led the first race of the day from the very first section and managed to handle the situation to ultimately prevail over his rivals. He was 20 points ahead of nearest rival Jaime Busto, taking the victory.
In the second race, the fight was closer. Gabriel Marcelli started strongly and led for much of the race, putting pressure on Bou until the final sections. However, the 37-time champion once again came through in the decisive moments, claiming his second win of the day. With the combination of both results, he was crowned the day’s winner, and currently leads the standings with 200 points.
Marcelli put in two solid performances at the Mobility Resort Motegi. In the first race, despite some mistakes, he managed to stay in the fight for the top positions. With a total of 40 points, the Montesa Cota 4RT rider took third place, adding 15 points to his overall tally.
In the second race he challenged Bou and Busto, but in the final sections of the course he racked up two fiascos in the closing stages, which cost him the lead. He ultimately finished third again, completing the podium at Honda’s home round. Marcelli remains in the Top 3 in the series, with 144 points.
Due to the weather conditions and the state of the terrain, the organisers decided to cancel the Power Section scheduled to close the day. The second day of the Japanese TrialGP will be held on Sunday from 9am local time.
I'm very happy with today and with the team's work. On the first day at Motegi, there's always a lot of pressure and nerves because we're at Honda's 'home', so getting a double win today is incredible. We know tomorrow will be a very difficult day, so today's points are very important for the championship. Tomorrow we'll have to be smart and not make any mistakes. It will be important to get as many points as possible and fight for the win again.
I'm very happy with today and with the team's work. On the first day at Motegi, there's always a lot of pressure and nerves because we're at Honda's 'home', so getting a double win today is incredible. We know tomorrow will be a very difficult day, so today's points are very important for the championship. Tomorrow we'll have to be smart and not make any mistakes. It will be important to get as many points as possible and fight for the win again.
I'm not particularly happy, despite having achieved two third places today. I felt especially good in the second race, where I led almost until the end, but some rookie mistakes resulted in me scoring two fives that I couldn't recover from. Third place feels like too little after that, but I'm happy with the overall result because they are important points in the championship. Today's sections were very tricky due to the rain and mud, but tomorrow they could be even worse because the terrain could be very slippery. We'll try to correct today's mistakes and see if we can take a step forward.
I'm not particularly happy, despite having achieved two third places today. I felt especially good in the second race, where I led almost until the end, but some rookie mistakes resulted in me scoring two fives that I couldn't recover from. Third place feels like too little after that, but I'm happy with the overall result because they are important points in the championship. Today's sections were very tricky due to the rain and mud, but tomorrow they could be even worse because the terrain could be very slippery. We'll try to correct today's mistakes and see if we can take a step forward.
It's always great to win, but doing it here at Honda's 'home' is even more special. The conditions today were challenging, but Toni was able to make the most of his potential to secure another victory. During the second race, Gabri was leading the standings and we saw that he had a chance to win the heat. But he picked up two crucial fives that cost him the lead. He ended up with a third place, which is positive for the championship, but we need to learn from these mistakes and improve if we want to have a chance at fighting for a win. I want to thank Honda and HRC for the support they've given us throughout the weekend. Tomorrow, we’ll fight to be as high up as possible with both riders.
It's always great to win, but doing it here at Honda's 'home' is even more special. The conditions today were challenging, but Toni was able to make the most of his potential to secure another victory. During the second race, Gabri was leading the standings and we saw that he had a chance to win the heat. But he picked up two crucial fives that cost him the lead. He ended up with a third place, which is positive for the championship, but we need to learn from these mistakes and improve if we want to have a chance at fighting for a win. I want to thank Honda and HRC for the support they've given us throughout the weekend. Tomorrow, we’ll fight to be as high up as possible with both riders.
Race 1 Results
Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Points | Team | Constructor | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Toni Bou | 1 | SPA | 20 | Repsol Honda HRC | Montesa | 20 |
2 | Jaime Busto | 69 | SPA | 17 | Gas Gas Factory Team | Gas Gas | 36 |
3 | Gabriel Marcelli | 38 | SPA | 15 | Repsol Honda HRC | Montesa | 40 |
4 | Matteo Grattarola | 88 | ITA | 13 | Beta Factory Racing | Beta | 46 |
5 | Alex Canales | 24 | SPA | 11 | Montesa Talent School | Montesa | 51 |
6 | Jack Peace | 76 | GBR | 10 | Sherco Factory Team | Sherco | 52 |
7 | Aniol Gelabert | 28 | SPA | 9 | TRRS Factory Team | TRRS | 53 |
8 | Hugo Dufrese | 17 | FRA | 8 | Beta | Beta | 60 |
9 | Pablo Suarez | 33 | SPA | 7 | Montesa Talent School | Montesa | 60 |
Race 2 Results
Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Points | Team | Constructor | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Toni Bou | 1 | SPA | 20 | Repsol Honda HRC | Montesa | 28 |
2 | Jaime Busto | 69 | SPA | 17 | Gas Gas Factory Team | Gas Gas | 33 |
3 | Gabriel Marcelli | 38 | SPA | 15 | Repsol Honda HRC | Montesa | 35 |
4 | Aniol Gelabert | 28 | SPA | 13 | TRRS Factory Team | TRRS | 44 |
5 | Jack Peace | 76 | GBR | 11 | Sherco Factory Team | Sherco | 44 |
6 | Alex Canales | 24 | SPA | 10 | Montesa Talent School | Montesa | 52 |
7 | Matteo Grattarola | 88 | ITA | 9 | Beta Factory Racing | Beta | 55 |
8 | Hugo Dufrese | 17 | FRA | 8 | Beta | Beta | 58 |
9 | Pablo Suarez | 33 | SPA | 7 | Montesa Talent School | Montesa | 58 |
Championship Standings
Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Team | Constructor | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Toni Bou | 1 | SPA | Repsol Honda HRC | Montesa | 200 |
2 | Jaime Busto | 69 | SPA | Gas Gas Factory Team | Gas Gas | 172 |
3 | Gabriel Marcelli | 38 | SPA | Repsol Honda HRC | Montesa | 144 |
4 | Matteo Grattarola | 88 | ITA | Beta Factory Racing | Beta | 130 |
5 | Aniol Gelabert | 28 | SPA | TRRS Factory Team | TRRS | 116 |
6 | Jack Peace | 76 | GBR | Sherco Factory Team | Sherco | 98 |
7 | Alex Canales | 24 | SPA | Montesa Talent School | Montesa | 93 |
8 | Hugo Dufrese | 17 | FRA | Beta | Beta | 89 |
9 | Pablo Suarez | 33 | SPA | Montesa Talent School | Montesa | 14 |
