Miquel Gelabert and Honda Montesa complete encouraging debut weekend together
BenahavisThe RTL Electric rider finishes fifth in race two, tied on points with the third and fourth placed riders. He closes the second day seventh in the combined standings
The third and fourth races of the Trial2 World Championship season took place in Benahavís, Málaga on Sunday. Miquel Gelabert secured a Top 10 and a Top 5 finish, respectively. The RTL Electric rider fought for victory and the podium until the final section of Race 2 on Sunday. With seventeen points earned between the two Sunday races in Spain, Gelabert placed seventh in the combined standings and remains ninth in the overall standings for the season.
Just as he started both races on Saturday, Gelabert accrued a single penalty point in the first section and was among the contenders for the top positions. However, the difficulty of some of the sections led him to incur extra points throughout the morning race. The Honda Montesa rider was able to finish Race 1 in tenth place, achieving his second consecutive Top 10 finish and six more points in the Trial2 standings.
For the second race, he managed to clear the first five sections, allowing him to lead a Trial2 event for the first time with the RTL Electric. From then on, the circuit gradually increased in difficulty. Nevertheless, Gelabert remained consistent and was in the podium positions for virtually the entire race, which was ultimately decided on Section 12: A penalty point in that final section dropped him to fifth, tied with the third and fourth-place finishers, and three points away from the win.
Miquel Gelabert has 30 points in the overall standings, putting him joint eighth. His next event takes place next weekend in Viana do Castelo, Portugal, on April 11-13th.
Our first race today wasn't a great one. We made some mistakes during the race and I didn't feel completely comfortable, but we were able to turn it around in the afternoon. I went out there with confidence, taking it step by step and without taking too many risks, and it went quite well, although on the last section I made a small mistake that left me unable to fight for second and third place. We're adapting, so we have to trust the process and continue to evolve next week in Portugal, where the goal will be to score as many points as possible and be even more competitive.
Our first race today wasn't a great one. We made some mistakes during the race and I didn't feel completely comfortable, but we were able to turn it around in the afternoon. I went out there with confidence, taking it step by step and without taking too many risks, and it went quite well, although on the last section I made a small mistake that left me unable to fight for second and third place. We're adapting, so we have to trust the process and continue to evolve next week in Portugal, where the goal will be to score as many points as possible and be even more competitive.
We have completed our first weekend with the team with a bittersweet feeling. It's a shame that the podium slipped away from us in the final round, but arriving still in contention for victory on our second day of competition is a good sign. Now it's time to fine-tune the details and work harder than ever to find the most competitive form for both Miquel and the RTL Electric, which is surely still to come. The feelings have to improve and we will have to work more to get better results in the next races. We scored good points for the overall standings and learnt a lot to continue growing in Portugal.
We have completed our first weekend with the team with a bittersweet feeling. It's a shame that the podium slipped away from us in the final round, but arriving still in contention for victory on our second day of competition is a good sign. Now it's time to fine-tune the details and work harder than ever to find the most competitive form for both Miquel and the RTL Electric, which is surely still to come. The feelings have to improve and we will have to work more to get better results in the next races. We scored good points for the overall standings and learnt a lot to continue growing in Portugal.
Race 1 Results
Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Team | Constructor | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Benoit Bincaz | 273 | FRA | EM Factory Team | Electric Motion | 14 |
2 | George Hemingway | 252 | GBR | Beta Factory Trial Team | Beta | 14 |
3 | Billy Green | 214 | GBR | Scorpa | Scorpa | 15 |
4 | Harry Hemingway | 217 | GBR | Beta Factory Trial Team | Beta | 16 |
5 | Arnau Farre | 219 | SPA | Sherco | Sherco | 18 |
6 | Marco Mempor | 271 | AUT | TRRS | TRRS | 18 |
7 | Shinya Hirohata | 238 | JPN | Montesa Talent Team | Montesa | 21 |
8 | Harry Turner | 211 | GBR | Sherco | Sherco | 21 |
9 | Jack Dance | 236 | GBR | Gas Gas Factory Racing | Gas Gas | 22 |
10 | Miquel Gelabert | 256 | SPA | Honda Montesa | Honda | 25 |
11 | Mattia Spreafico | 247 | ITA | Gas Gas Factory Racing | Gas Gas | 28 |
12 | Milosz Zyznowski | 237 | POL | Gas Gas Factory Racing | Gas Gas | 29 |
13 | Arnau Escarra | 216 | SPA | TRRS | TRRS | 29 |
14 | Jonathan Heidel | 275 | GER | Beta Factory Racing | Beta | 30 |
15 | Sondre Haga | 217 | NOR | Gas Gas Factory Racing | Gas Gas | 31 |
Race 2 Results
Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Team | Constructor | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | David Fabian | 221 | ITA | Beta Fabian | Beta | 12 |
2 | Harry Hemingway | 217 | GBR | Beta Factory Trial Team | Beta | 13 |
3 | George Hemingway | 252 | GBR | Beta Factory Trial Team | Beta | 15 |
4 | Billy Green | 214 | GBR | Scorpa | Scorpa | 15 |
5 | Miquel Gelabert | 256 | SPA | Honda Montesa | Honda | 15 |
6 | Mattia Spreafico | 247 | ITA | Gas Gas Factory Racing | Gas Gas | 16 |
7 | Sondre Haga | 217 | NOR | Gas Gas Factory Racing | Gas Gas | 16 |
8 | Arnau Farre | 219 | SPA | Sherco | Sherco | 17 |
9 | Benoit Bincaz | 273 | FRA | EM Factory Team | Electric Motion | 17 |
10 | Carloalberto Rabino | 268 | ITA | Team Hippelracing | Beta | 18 |
11 | Jack Dance | 236 | GBR | Gas Gas Factory Racing | Gas Gas | 19 |
12 | Jarand Gunvaldse | 225 | NOR | TRRS | TRRS | 24 |
13 | Pau Dinares | 231 | SPA | RFME SPEA 1 | TRRS | 24 |
14 | Harry Turner | 211 | GBR | Sherco | Sherco | 24 |
15 | Marco Mempor | 271 | AUT | TRRS | TRRS | 26 |
Championship Standings
Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Team | Constructor | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Billy Green | 214 | GBR | Scorpa | Scorpa | 68 |
2 | Harry Hemingway | 217 | GBR | Beta Factory Trial Team | Beta | 55 |
3 | Benoit Bincaz | 273 | FRA | EM Factory Team | Electric Motion | 55 |
4 | George Hemingway | 252 | GBR | Beta Factory Trial Team | Beta | 50 |
5 | Arnau Farre | 219 | SPA | Sherco | Sherco | 40 |
6 | Sondre Haga | 217 | NOR | Gas Gas Factory Racing | Gas Gas | 33 |
7 | Harry Turner | 211 | GBR | Sherco | Sherco | 33 |
8 | Jack Dance | 236 | GBR | Gas Gas Factory Racing | Gas Gas | 30 |
9 | Miquel Gelabert | 256 | SPA | Honda Montesa | Honda | 30 |
10 | Mattia Spreafico | 247 | ITA | Gas Gas Factory Racing | Gas Gas | 27 |
11 | David Fabian | 221 | ITA | Beta Fabian | Beta | 22 |
12 | Marco Mempor | 271 | AUT | TRRS | TRRS | 17 |
13 | Jarand Gunvaldse | 225 | NOR | TRRS | TRRS | 16 |
14 | Shinya Hirohata | 238 | JPN | Montesa Talent Team | Montesa | 12 |
15 | Marc Piquer | 265 | SPA | RFME SPEA 1 | Montesa | 8 |
