Bou maintains lead in X-Trial World Championship after second place finish
Saint DenisThe Repsol Honda HRC rider places second on Reunion Island after a demanding final, with Gabriel Marcelli completing the podium.
The 2016 X-Trial World Championship travelled to Reunion Island for the third round of the season, as the venue returned to the calendar for the first time since 2019. Repsol Honda HRC once again delivered a strong performance, with Toni Bou finishing second and Gabriel Marcelli third. These results consolidate the lead in the Teams standings.
From the first lap, it was clear that this would not be an easy event for any of the participants, given the challenging sections. Toni Bou had to overcome a difficult start in Q1, experiencing some physical discomfort. The Montesa Cota 4RT rider accumulated 14 penalty points in Q1, which allowed him to qualify second, and take him directly into the final alongside Marcelli and Jaime Busto, who finished the lap as leader. In the Super Pole, Bou was the fastest with a time of 0:40.3, securing the strategic advantage of starting last in the final.
In the final Bou showed great determination, especially in the early sections, where he remained in contention for the win alongside Busto, tied with two penalty points each. However, two errors in Zones 5 and 6 proved decisive, preventing him from victory. With 12 penalty points overall, the Repsol Honda HRC rider finished second, but continues to lead the overall standings with 55 points. It was his third consecutive podium finish at the start of the 2026 season.
Gabriel Marcelli struggled to find his rhythm in a race made challenging by the difficulty of the sections. On the first lap, the Repsol Honda rider made two mistakes in Zones 1 and 5, and ended up with 15 penalty points. Despite this, the Montesa Cota 4RT rider’s result allowed him to qualify directly for the final, beating fourth-placed Jack Peace by two points. In Super Pole, he qualified second with a time of 0:51.5.
In the final, Marcelli maintained a high level, but three consecutive fives in Zones 2, 3, and 4 took him out of contention for the win. He improved in the final sections and secured third place, with 16 points. With this result, Marcelli sits third in the overall standings with 42 points.
The next challenge for Repsol Honda HRC will be a double-header in Italy on December 12th and 13th.
It was a tough night for me; from the start I didn't feel completely comfortable because of my shoulder injury, but I'm happy with the result. We're leaving Reunion Island with an even bigger lead, and now we have a month to improve our fitness. The decisive mistake that cost me the victory was in Zone 5 of the final. I made a mistake when choosing my line, and then on the last section I rushed things trying to go fast. Even so, I'm satisfied with the points we've gained for the overall standings and we'll be looking for the win again in Italy.
It was a tough night for me; from the start I didn't feel completely comfortable because of my shoulder injury, but I'm happy with the result. We're leaving Reunion Island with an even bigger lead, and now we have a month to improve our fitness. The decisive mistake that cost me the victory was in Zone 5 of the final. I made a mistake when choosing my line, and then on the last section I rushed things trying to go fast. Even so, I'm satisfied with the points we've gained for the overall standings and we'll be looking for the win again in Italy.
The feeling wasn’t great throughout the race. I’m not satisfied with my performance, but we’re taking away some positive points for the championship. In the final, I wasn’t able to turn things around; I made up a bit of ground in the last few sections, but it wasn’t enough. We’re already focused on Italy, where we’ll try to get back to the good feeling we had in the previous races.
The feeling wasn’t great throughout the race. I’m not satisfied with my performance, but we’re taking away some positive points for the championship. In the final, I wasn’t able to turn things around; I made up a bit of ground in the last few sections, but it wasn’t enough. We’re already focused on Italy, where we’ll try to get back to the good feeling we had in the previous races.
Toni came close to victory, but from the first zone he wasn't feeling good, which affected him throughout the day. His mistakes in Zones 5 and 6 of the final were decisive to the result, although second place is still a positive for the overall standings. As for Gabri, he didn't quite find his rhythm today and was further behind Toni and Jaime, who battled for the win. Finishing third is still a good result considering the overall standings, and in Italy the goal will be to return to the top with both riders.
Toni came close to victory, but from the first zone he wasn't feeling good, which affected him throughout the day. His mistakes in Zones 5 and 6 of the final were decisive to the result, although second place is still a positive for the overall standings. As for Gabri, he didn't quite find his rhythm today and was further behind Toni and Jaime, who battled for the win. Finishing third is still a good result considering the overall standings, and in Italy the goal will be to return to the top with both riders.
Q1 Results
Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Team | Constructor | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Jaime Busto | 69 | SPA | Gas Gas Factory Team | Gas Gas | 9 |
2 | Toni Bou | 1 | SPA | Repsol Honda HRC | Montesa | 14 |
3 | Gabriel Marcelli | 38 | SPA | Repsol Honda HRC | Montesa | 15 |
4 | Jack Peace | 76 | GBR | Sherco Factory Team | Sherco | 17 |
5 | Hugo Dufrese | 17 | FRA | Beta | Beta | 25 |
6 | Matteo Grattarola | 88 | ITA | Beta Factory Racing | Beta | 26 |
7 | Harry Hemingway | 77 | GBR | Beta Factory Racing | Beta | 26 |
8 | Benoit Bincaz | 73 | FRA | Electric Motion | Electric Motion | 27 |
Q2 Results
Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Team | Constructor | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Hugo Dufrese | 17 | FRA | Beta | Beta | 1:06.7 |
2 | Harry Hemingway | 77 | GBR | Beta Factory Racing | Beta | 1:21.5 |
3 | Jack Peace | 76 | GBR | Sherco Factory Team | Sherco | 2:04.5 |
4 | Benoit Bincaz | 73 | FRA | Electric Motion | Electric Motion | 2:21.0 |
5 | Matteo Grattarola | 88 | ITA | Beta Factory Racing | Beta | 2:48.9 |
Final Results
Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Team | Constructor | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Jaime Busto | 69 | SPA | Gas Gas Factory Team | Gas Gas | 7 |
2 | Toni Bou | 1 | SPA | Repsol Honda HRC | Montesa | 12 |
3 | Gabriel Marcelli | 38 | SPA | Repsol Honda HRC | Montesa | 16 |
4 | Hugo Dufrese | 17 | FRA | Beta | Beta | 30 |
Championship Standings
Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Team | Constructor | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Toni Bou | 1 | SPA | Repsol Honda HRC | Montesa | 55 |
2 | Jaime Busto | 69 | SPA | Gas Gas Factory Team | Gas Gas | 44 |
3 | Gabriel Marcelli | 38 | SPA | Repsol Honda HRC | Montesa | 42 |
4 | Harry Hemingway | 77 | GBR | Beta Factory Racing | Beta | 17 |
5 | Jack Peace | 76 | GBR | Sherco Factory Team | Sherco | 10 |
6 | Hugo Dufrese | 17 | FRA | Beta | Beta | 9 |
7 | Arnau Farre | 19 | SPA | Sherco Factory Team | Sherco | 9 |
8 | Francesco Titli | 71 | ITA | TRRS Factory Team | TRRS | 8 |
9 | Matteo Grattarola | 88 | ITA | Beta Factory Racing | Beta | 7 |
10 | Benoit Bincaz | 73 | FRA | Electric Motion | Electric Motion | 6 |
