Toni Bou revs-up for 20th title

Bidding to win an incredible twentieth consecutive TrialGP title, superstar Spaniard Toni Bou (Montesa). who has won five of the six points-scoring days staged in Japan since its return to the calendar in 2023, will start the weekend as favourite at the FIM Trial World Championship at the immaculate Mobility Resort Motegi, situated around one-hundred-and-fifty kilometres north of Tokyo.

The thirty-nine-year-old knows he faces a fierce battle with his main opposition likely to come from his compatriots Jaime Busto (Beta) and Gabriel Marcelli (Montesa).
 
Busto has very fond memories of the TrialGP of Japan, having claimed his debut top-flight victory there in 2019 with another win following in 2023. However, while he hasn’t dropped out of the top three in the world since 2020, the three-time silver-medallist is still chasing FIM gold. Adding to the intrigue, this weekend will be Busto’s outdoor debut for the Italian manufacturer and his form on the new machine is at present relatively unproven.

Bou’s team-mate, Marcelli has excelled in the TrialGP class since winning the Trial2 title in 2019 and has been a firm fixture in the top three for the previous three seasons with a best finish of second in 2024. Having claimed a first-ever overall day win on day two of the penultimate round of last year’s series, the twenty-six-year-old will be hungry to add more victories to his racing résumé and Japan would be the perfect place to start.
 
Of course, last year’s top three are by no means the only podium contenders this weekend and strong showings are also expected from riders including veteran Italian Matteo Grattarola (Beta) alongside the British pairing of Jack Peace (Sherco) – who was fifth last year on his debut in the class – and reigning Trial2 champion and class newcomer Harry Hemingway (Beta).
 
History will also be made in Japan when Spain’s Miquel Gelabert (Honda) debuts an electric motorcycle in the premier class, a high-pressure occasion for the twenty-eight-year-old who will be aiming to rise to the occasion at the Honda-owned facility.

The entry in TrialGP Women is led by defending champion Berta Abellan (Scorpa) who will have to contend with stiff opposition from last year’s silver medallist Andrea Sofia Rabino (Beta) and third-placed Denisa Pechackova (TRRS) from the Czech Republic.
 
Having finished second on five previous occasions, 2025 was a breakthrough season for the twenty-six-year-old Spaniard, but she was pushed all the way by Italy’s Rabino and their fierce rivalry is expected to continue in Japan.
 
Still aged just eighteen, Pechackova – Trial2 Women champion in 2022 – secured a string of podiums last season as she emerged as the main challenger to the dominance of the leading pair, although her worst result came in Japan where she finished tenth on day two.
 
In an entry packed with riders with podium potential, other names to watch out for include, but are not limited to, British competitors Kaytlyn Adshead (Vertigo) – who has changed teams this season – and Alice Minta (Beta) who finished fourth and fifth last season, along with Italian Alessia Bacchetta (GASGAS) and Alycia Soyer (TRRS) from France.

With Harry Hemingway and Gelabert – last year’s top two Trial2 riders – moving up to TrialGP the class has been thrown wide open and the contenders are lining up, led by last season’s bronze medallist Arnau Farré (Sherco) who claimed a double win at the final round of 2025.
 
Ending last season just two points behind the talented Spaniard, Britain’s Billy Green (Scorpa) is back for another attempt at regaining the title he won in 2023 while George Hemingway (Beta), the younger of the British brothers and a double Trial3 champion, is a hot tip to improve on his sixth-placed finish in 2025 in his debut year in the class.
 
Although not expected to launch a strong challenge at the beginning of his first year in the class, American teenager Ryon Land (Sherco) – Trial3 champion last season – will be hoping to build momentum throughout the early rounds as he gains vital experience at this level.