Bou moves closer to title after double win in United States
Exeter, Rhode IslandThe Repsol Honda HRC rider wins both races in Exeter on Saturday. Teammate Gabriel Marcelli rounds out the podium for the day.
TrialGP returned to the United States after an eight-year absence, and Saturday was a crucial first day for the title picture. Toni Bou made a statement with two convincing victories that put him on the brink of a new world title, and Gabriel Marcelli was able to place third.
The first race of the day was dominated by Bou, who set the pace from the start. All the competitors accrued a significant number of penalty points due to the difficulty of the various sections, but this did not stop the Repsol Honda rider from taking the win. He barely made any mistakes, and sewed up the victory with two zones remaining. The series leader finally opened up a 19-point advantage over his closest rival, Jaime Busto.
In the second race, the field was more familiar with the terrain and closed up the standings, but Bou remained the man to beat. Keeping up his consistency, he claimed another victory, in addition to an extra point for winning the Power Section. A repeat of this performance on Sunday would see him crowned outdoor World Champion for the nineteenth time.
Saturday was more complicated for Marcelli, who struggled to find his feet. In the opening sections, three consecutive fiascos left him struggling to stay in the podium positions, and a mistake on Zone 12, coupled with an extra point accrued for exceeding the allotted time, relegated him to fourth place, tied on points with third-place finisher Jack Peace.
In the second race, the Repsol Honda HRC rider managed to regain a good feeling, significantly improving his riding style and fighting for second place. However, another time penalty at Zone 12 dropped him back to fourth place once again. He ended the day in third place, a positive result considering the difficulties he had encountered throughout the day.
The second and final day of the event will be held in Exeter, where Bou will have his first mathematical chance of sealing the world title if he takes two more victories. Marcelli has an opportunity to improve and continue taking valuable points for the overall standings.
I'm very happy to be back in the United States. We haven't raced here in many years, and achieving a double victory on the first day of competition is incredible. It was a perfect day. I felt good on the bike, and although I'm not 100% physically fit, I was able to get a great result. Tomorrow we'll try to repeat a double victory and take the title, although we know it won't be easy because our rivals are at a very high level.
I'm very happy to be back in the United States. We haven't raced here in many years, and achieving a double victory on the first day of competition is incredible. It was a perfect day. I felt good on the bike, and although I'm not 100% physically fit, I was able to get a great result. Tomorrow we'll try to repeat a double victory and take the title, although we know it won't be easy because our rivals are at a very high level.
I'm not happy with today. It's true that I didn't ride badly, but I made many mistakes that hurt me over the course of the two races. The team did a great job, and looking ahead to tomorrow we'll have to learn from today's mistakes, because I'm sure we can do much better. There's room for improvement, and we remain highly motivated to achieve a good result.
I'm not happy with today. It's true that I didn't ride badly, but I made many mistakes that hurt me over the course of the two races. The team did a great job, and looking ahead to tomorrow we'll have to learn from today's mistakes, because I'm sure we can do much better. There's room for improvement, and we remain highly motivated to achieve a good result.
We had a very positive day with Toni's double victory. Once again, he brought out his best performance and won both races -as well as the Power Section. These results are very important, especially on a weekend like this when he could win another title. Gabri, on the other hand, didn't have such a good day. He rode well in the sections, but made mistakes that he couldn't recover from as it was a very close race. Despite this, he took third place overall, which is an important result. For tomorrow, we'll try to improve our feeling and fight for the one-two.
We had a very positive day with Toni's double victory. Once again, he brought out his best performance and won both races -as well as the Power Section. These results are very important, especially on a weekend like this when he could win another title. Gabri, on the other hand, didn't have such a good day. He rode well in the sections, but made mistakes that he couldn't recover from as it was a very close race. Despite this, he took third place overall, which is an important result. For tomorrow, we'll try to improve our feeling and fight for the one-two.
Race 1 Results
Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Points | Team | Constructor | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Toni Bou | 1 | SPA | 20 | Repsol Honda HRC | Montesa | 14 |
2 | Jaime Busto | 69 | SPA | 17 | Gas Gas Factory Team | Gas Gas | 33 |
3 | Jack Peace | 76 | GBR | 15 | Sherco Factory Team | Sherco | 40 |
4 | Gabriel Marcelli | 38 | SPA | 13 | Repsol Honda HRC | Montesa | 40 |
5 | Matteo Grattarola | 88 | ITA | 11 | Beta Factory Racing | Beta | 42 |
6 | Aniol Gelabert | 28 | SPA | 10 | TRRS Factory Team | TRRS | 43 |
7 | Jorge Casales | 11 | SPA | 9 | Montesa | Montesa | 47 |
8 | Alex Canales | 24 | SPA | 8 | Montesa Talent School | Montesa | 49 |
9 | Pablo Suarez | 33 | SPA | 7 | Montesa Talent School | Montesa | 51 |
Race 2 Results
Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Points | Team | Constructor | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Toni Bou | 1 | SPA | 20 | Repsol Honda HRC | Montesa | 9 |
2 | Jaime Busto | 69 | SPA | 17 | Gas Gas Factory Team | Gas Gas | 16 |
3 | Jorge Casales | 11 | SPA | 15 | Montesa | Montesa | 27 |
4 | Gabriel Marcelli | 38 | SPA | 13 | Repsol Honda HRC | Montesa | 28 |
5 | Matteo Grattarola | 88 | ITA | 11 | Beta Factory Racing | Beta | 32 |
6 | Jack Peace | 76 | GBR | 10 | Sherco Factory Team | Sherco | 35 |
7 | Aniol Gelabert | 28 | SPA | 9 | TRRS Factory Team | TRRS | 39 |
8 | Pablo Suarez | 33 | SPA | 8 | Montesa Talent School | Montesa | 42 |
9 | Alex Canales | 24 | SPA | 7 | Montesa Talent School | Montesa | 44 |
Championship Standings
Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Team | Constructor | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Toni Bou | 1 | SPA | Repsol Honda HRC | Montesa | 440 |
2 | Jaime Busto | 69 | SPA | Gas Gas Factory Team | Gas Gas | 363 |
3 | Gabriel Marcelli | 38 | SPA | Repsol Honda HRC | Montesa | 327 |
4 | Matteo Grattarola | 88 | ITA | Beta Factory Racing | Beta | 278 |
5 | Aniol Gelabert | 28 | SPA | TRRS Factory Team | TRRS | 240 |
6 | Jack Peace | 76 | GBR | Sherco Factory Team | Sherco | 238 |
7 | Alex Canales | 24 | SPA | Montesa Talent School | Montesa | 186 |
8 | Hugo Dufrese | 17 | FRA | Beta | Beta | 163 |
9 | Pablo Suarez | 33 | SPA | Montesa Talent School | Montesa | 116 |
10 | Lorenzo Gandola | 34 | ITA | Beta | Beta | 31 |
11 | Jorge Casales | 11 | SPA | Montesa | Montesa | 24 |
