Second consecutive victory for Bou in France
ClermontThe Repsol Honda Team rider tops the podium at the third round of the 2025 X-Trial World Championship. Gabriel Marcelli finishes in fifth position.
The Repsol Honda HRC riders competed in the third round of the X-Trial season at Clermont-Ferrand in a Friday night event. Toni Bou, who arrived as joint leader tied on points with Jaime Busto, left the French town as outright frontrunner. Gabriel Marcelli remains in fourth position in the overall standings.
Bou, who shone again onboard his Montesa Cota 4RT, completed a high-level first lap, despite receiving a five on the last section that temporarily relegated him to second position. This, however, still allowed him to qualify directly to compete in the final. In the final round, he repeated the triumph of the previous week in Chambéry, completing the six zones with 7 penalty points in a very tight final, managing to take his second consecutive victory of the season.
Marcelli, despite arriving in good form, did not have his best night in Clermont-Ferrand. A couple of errors on the first lap placed him in fifth position, leading him to contest the second round, AKA ‘Last Chance’. During this second lap a 10-second penalty for a foot down left him out of the final, finishing in fifth position.
Bou is the leader of the championship with 55 points, while Marcelli maintains fourth position, tied at 24 points with the fifth-placed rider. The next challenge for the Repsol Honda HRC riders will be on February 2nd at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona, where the fourth round of the 2025 season will be held.
Today was a very careful race, in which we had to be very cautious and not take too many risks from the first lap, because a mistake could leave us behind. The final was very tight from the start, with Jaime and Adam very strong, so they did not make it easy. I'm happy with the work by the team; we were able to turn the situation around after the start we had. Now we are focused on Barcelona, which will be, as always, a special race at home.
Today was a very careful race, in which we had to be very cautious and not take too many risks from the first lap, because a mistake could leave us behind. The final was very tight from the start, with Jaime and Adam very strong, so they did not make it easy. I'm happy with the work by the team; we were able to turn the situation around after the start we had. Now we are focused on Barcelona, which will be, as always, a special race at home.
Today things did not go as we expected. I made a mistake on the first section of the first lap that affected the whole race. I don't think I rode badly, but in trials like this, a small mistake leaves you out of the final. A fifth place is not our objective, and the title chase is starting to get tough. However, the next race is in Barcelona, where we hope to turn the situation around and return to the podium.
Today things did not go as we expected. I made a mistake on the first section of the first lap that affected the whole race. I don't think I rode badly, but in trials like this, a small mistake leaves you out of the final. A fifth place is not our objective, and the title chase is starting to get tough. However, the next race is in Barcelona, where we hope to turn the situation around and return to the podium.
I am happy with Toni's victory, the second in a row. From the first lap you could see the great level he had, and he did an excellent job. As for Gabri, he didn’t have a good day today. He made a mistake on the first section, right at the start, and couldn’t recover. We have to work on some points if we want to be on the podium at every race. The next race is in Barcelona, and we will try to be as high up as possible with both riders.
I am happy with Toni's victory, the second in a row. From the first lap you could see the great level he had, and he did an excellent job. As for Gabri, he didn’t have a good day today. He made a mistake on the first section, right at the start, and couldn’t recover. We have to work on some points if we want to be on the podium at every race. The next race is in Barcelona, and we will try to be as high up as possible with both riders.
X-Trial Clermont-Ferrand Results
Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | L1 | L2 | L3 | Team | Constructor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Toni Bou | 1 | SPA | 6 | - | 7 | Repsol Honda HRC | Montesa |
2 | Jaime Busto | 69 | SPA | 4 | - | 10 | Gas Gas Factory Team | Gas Gas |
3 | Adam Raga | 68 | SPA | 9 | 0:49.6 | 12 | Sherco Factory Team | Sherco |
4 | Benoit Bincaz | 73 | FRA | 8 | - | 23 | Sherco Factory Team | Sherco |
5 | Gabriel Marcelli | 38 | SPA | 12 | 1:04.6 | Repsol Honda HRC | Montesa | |
6 | Matteo Grattarola | 88 | ITA | 13 | 0:52.7 | Beta Factory Racing | Beta | |
7 | Hugo Dufrese | 17 | FRA | 13 | 1:22.7 | Beta | Beta | |
8 | Billy Green | 14 | GBR | 25 | 2:32.2 | Scorpa Factory | Scorpa |
Riders' 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 Racing | Gas Gas | 50 |
3 | Adam Raga | 68 | SPA | Sherco Factory Team | Sherco | 33 |
4 | Gabriel Marcelli | 38 | SPA | Repsol Honda HRC | Montesa | 24 |
5 | Benoit Bincaz | 73 | FRA | Sherco Factory Racing | Sherco | 24 |
6 | Matteo Grattarola | 88 | ITA | Beta Factory Racing | Beta | 4 |
7 | Lorenzo Gandola | 34 | ITA | Beta | Beta | 4 |
8 | Sondre Haga | 99 | NOR | Gas Gas Factory Team | Gas Gas | 4 |
9 | Hugo Dufrese | 17 | FRA | Beta | Beta | 4 |
10 | Jack Peace | 76 | GBR | Sherco Factory Team | Sherco | 2 |
11 | Billy Green | 14 | GBR | Scorpa Factory | Scorpa | 1 |
12 | Harry Hemingway | 77 | GBR | Beta | Beta | 1 |
13 | Miquel Gelabert | 56 | SPA | Vertigo Factory Team | Vertigo | 1 |
