Bou secures double victory in Zelhem and moves closer to 40th world title
ZelhemThe Repsol Honda HRC rider maintains his perfect record, while Gabriel Marcelli finishes fourth.
The first day of TrialGP competition in Zelhem (Netherlands) began with unpredictable conditions following the previous day's rain. Toni Bou came into the day with a mathematical chance of clinching the title, although the large number of points still up for grabs made it very difficult to achieve this on Saturday. He responded with two more victories, leaving him one step away from the title, while Gabriel Marcelli finished fourth in the combined standings.
Bou was once again unstoppable from the start. On the first lap, the reigning champion made hardly any mistakes, accruing just 9 penalty points compared to the 17 for the second-placed rider. That secured another victory and extended his lead in the championship. In the Super Pole session, the Montesa Cota 4RT rider was once again fastest, taking pole position for the second race.
With the knowledge of the course gained from the first run, his rivals increased their pace and closed the gap in the second race, but Bou responded once again, demonstrating overwhelming superiority. The Repsol Honda HRC rider remained unbeatable until the end, claiming his second victory of the day and extending his exceptional record: since the start of the 2026 season, every race has ended in victory for him.
Marcelli also started the day positively. He cleaned a number of sections during the first part of the course and remained in contention for a podium finish, until two significant errors in sections 9 and 10 caused him to lose ground, and he finished the first race in fourth position.
In Race 2, the Repsol Honda HRC rider briefly led the standings after the first six sections. Despite the positive feeling he showed during the first half of the course, however, Marcelli never quite found his rhythm in the later sections, and a series of mistakes caused him to drop positions. He ultimately finished fourth, tied on points with Jaime Busto in third. With this result, he also secured fourth place in the combined standings, just missing out on a podium finish.
After the first day in Zelhem, Bou continues to lead the TrialGP World Championship with 400 points and a 111-point advantage over Gabriel Marcelli, who remains in second place with 289 points -two more than Jaime Busto. Sunday is shaping up to be a decisive day for Repsol Honda HRC: with the advantage accumulated after Saturday's double-header, Bou only needs to complete the first race to mathematically clinch the championship and win an unprecedented 40th world title.
"Things are going really well this season. On the first lap, we were very consistent, with very few mistakes, so we got a great win. The second race was harder work because I started with a few errors, but things still went our way. We knew that it would be difficult to make a difference once it dried out, so I'm super happy with the double victory. Tomorrow we'll try to take it one step at a time, but right now the most important thing is not to get hurt and not make mistakes so we can win the title. Nerves will play a big role, but we'll try to pull it off and make it a special day."
"Things are going really well this season. On the first lap, we were very consistent, with very few mistakes, so we got a great win. The second race was harder work because I started with a few errors, but things still went our way. We knew that it would be difficult to make a difference once it dried out, so I'm super happy with the double victory. Tomorrow we'll try to take it one step at a time, but right now the most important thing is not to get hurt and not make mistakes so we can win the title. Nerves will play a big role, but we'll try to pull it off and make it a special day."
"The feeling on the bike was good; I felt strong and thought I could have a good race. Things just didn't go well. I had a bit of bad luck. There were some cleans, but in others, things didn't quite work out, so I'm disappointed. I think I rode well, but it wasn't reflected in the final result. Tomorrow we'll have to push a bit harder, learn from our mistakes, and improve."
"The feeling on the bike was good; I felt strong and thought I could have a good race. Things just didn't go well. I had a bit of bad luck. There were some cleans, but in others, things didn't quite work out, so I'm disappointed. I think I rode well, but it wasn't reflected in the final result. Tomorrow we'll have to push a bit harder, learn from our mistakes, and improve."
“It’s been a very positive day, especially for Toni, who once again demonstrated an incredible level by securing both victories. He’s having an exceptional season, and tomorrow he’ll have the opportunity to clinch the championship and reach 40 world titles, which is an historic achievement. Gabri started both races well, but some mistakes in the final sections prevented him from fighting for a podium finish. Even so, he maintains second place in the championship, and tomorrow we’ll have another opportunity to achieve a good result. The goal will be to stay focused and finish the weekend in the best possible way for both riders.”
“It’s been a very positive day, especially for Toni, who once again demonstrated an incredible level by securing both victories. He’s having an exceptional season, and tomorrow he’ll have the opportunity to clinch the championship and reach 40 world titles, which is an historic achievement. Gabri started both races well, but some mistakes in the final sections prevented him from fighting for a podium finish. Even so, he maintains second place in the championship, and tomorrow we’ll have another opportunity to achieve a good result. The goal will be to stay focused and finish the weekend in the best possible way for both riders.”
