Bou wins in Japan and Marcelli closes podium
The Repsol Honda Trial Team rider takes the overall lead in Japan. His teammate, Marcelli, is still on the podium.
The first round of the TrialGP World Championship in Motegi, saw the Repsol Honda Team riders in great form. Toni Bou won the second race to remain series leader, whilst Gabriel Marcelli was on the podium at the Japanese round once again.
The 34-time World Champion Bou dominated from the first lap. He proved to be unstoppable, taking just 10 penalty points and leading the way with a clear advantage over his nearest rivals. The Repsol Honda rider made some mistakes on the second lap, but thanks to his large advantage from the first, he took another victory at Motegi.
It was also a great weekend for Marcelli, who after the second position achieved the previous day, put in another great performance on Sunday. From the first lap the Montesa Cota 4RT rider was fighting for the top positions with Bou and Adam Raga. After accruing 15 points he placed third, just one point off second place. On the second lap, he improved in the zones where he had previously had penalty points and closed out the podium.
After the first round of the TrialGP World Championship season, the Repsol Honda Team riders occupy the Top 3 in the standings. Bou leads with 40 points, with Marcelli in joint second with 32 alongside Raga. The next event of the outdoor series will be held from June 7th to 9th in Andorra.
Toni Bou 1
CHAMPIONSHIP: 1ST
“Things are going very well for us, both in the outdoor and indoor series. The two victories are very special because they were at Honda’s home round. The first lap was very good and on the second I made a small mistake at Zone 3 when looking for a clean. I feel very good and confident in my riding. I’m being very constant, which is the goal. I want to thank the team for their work because without them this would not be possible. We have to continue this run of good results.”
Gabriel Marcelli 38
CHAMPIONSHIP: 3RD
“The day went quite well. I had a small mechanical problem at Zone 10 that hurt us, but we still took third position and another podium. The weekend has been very positive and I felt good on the bike. I want to thank the team for their work leading up to and over the weekend. For the next race we will have to have that bit extra and go for the victory, but we are on the right track.”
Takahisa Fujinami
Team Manager
“I’m very happy with the weekend because we have achieved great results at Honda’s home round. Today a lot of people came out to support our team, which has given us extra motivation. Toni achieved his goal of winning both races and had a perfect weekend. Gabri was fighting for second position, but finally he was third -although it is a great result for the championship because he is now joint second. Once again, I want to thank Honda, HRC and the sponsors for their support, as well as the team for their work.”
