Brilliant Bou maintains TrialGP stranglehold with second win in Andorra
The sublime Toni Bou (Montesa) extended his win-streak in the elite TrialGP class to four victories from four starts with a dominant display on day two of the TrialGP of Andorra – round two of the 2024 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship – as Alex Canales (Sherco) became this year’s fourth winner in Trial2 and George Hemingway (Beta) made it two in a row in Trial3.
- Brilliant Bou maintains his 2024 win-streak on day two in Andorra
- Canales becomes the fourth winner in super-competitive Trial2 class
- Hemingway maintains Trial3 advantage with second victory of the weekend
Early rain made conditions treacherous on the opening lap, but as the sections started to dry out Bou shifted up a gear and demonstrated exactly why he has won the title for an astonishing seventeen consecutive seasons as he staged a Trial masterclass on the virtually sheer mountain slopes studded with towering rocks.
Although a number of sections were modified to take into account the rain that began to fall just as the TrialGP competitors set off from Sant Julià de Lòria in the morning, Bou’s first lap total of eighteen – six more than his opening lap score on Saturday – was a clear indication that the going was still tough.
When wet the rocks in the Pyrenean principality become notoriously slippery, a problem that is amplified when mud is dragged onto them. However, Bou took the challenging conditions in his stride and incurred just one maximum on his first lap on the severe rocky climbs of section eleven to open up a clear twelve-mark lead over Jaime Busto (GASGAS) at the halfway stage.
Best of the rest was French rider Benoit Bincaz (Sherco) on forty, but competition for the final podium position was close with just seven marks separating third from seventh with Spanish stars Gabriel Marcelli (Montesa), Adam Raga (Sherco) and Miquel Gelabert (Vertigo) all in contention along with Italy’s Matteo Grattarola (Beta).
With the sections rapidly drying, conditions eased in the afternoon – although Bou’s faultless second lap was nothing short of remarkable and the thirty-seven-year-old Spaniard, who now calls Andorra home, punched the air with delight as he rolled out of the final section of the day with an impressive twenty-mark winning margin.
“It’s been the perfect weekend,” said Bou, “and to make it four wins in four races is a great start to the championship. I was very happy to lose zero points on the second lap today which was amazing.”
Just like yesterday, Marcelli was again forced into a game of catch-up following his high-scoring opening lap and the twenty-four-year-old once again did not disappoint as he dropped his score to eight at his second attempt. However, unlike yesterday the gap to Busto was too great to close and when his compatriot also posted a second lap total of eight Marcelli had to settle for third, matching his finishes at last month’s opening round in Japan.
Adding twelve more marks to his total on lap two, veteran Raga ended the day two positions higher than on Saturday in fourth with Grattarola climbing to fifth as Bincaz slipped to eighth.
The close and competitive Trial2 class saw the fourth different winner from the four scoring days staged so far with Spain’s Canales claiming a career-first victory at this level after recording the two best laps of the event. Parting with just eight on his opening lap including a single time penalty, the nineteen-year-old from Barcelona then dropped his score to five on lap two which saw him emerge as a clear winner by a healthy margin of eleven marks.
“I’m really happy with this victory, the first of my career,” said Canales. “Now I have the lead in the championship and feel very confident.”
Following his below-par results in Japan, defending champion Billy Green (Scorpa) from Britain continued to drag himself back into contention with another second-placed finish, just one mark ahead of twenty-two-year-old Spaniard Gerard Trueba (Beta) who was a career-best third in front of yesterday’s winner Arnau Farré (Sherco).
Championship pace-setter at the start of the day, Britain’s Jack Peace (Sherco) could not match his third-placed finish on Saturday and he slipped to seventh, a result that allowed Canales to take over as the new class leader.
Consistency is key when it comes to winning titles and reigning Trial3 champion George Hemingway (Beta) from Britain matched his success yesterday with his two laps of ten marks bringing him home twenty-one clear of his compatriot and series newcomer Euan Sim (Sherco) with French rider Romeo Piquet (Beta) – who was second yesterday – a further mark adrift.
“Coming into this weekend I was hoping to score good points so I am absolutely buzzing to come away with two wins,” said Hemingway. “I can’t ask for much more. Today was tricky with the rain, but it was a good day for me.”
The action from the 2024 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship continues next weekend (14-16 June) with the TrialGP of Italy at Valsassina where TrialGP, Trial2 and Trial3 competitors will continue their campaigns.
