Toni Bou and Gabriel Marcelli will be present at the opening round of the outdoor series on May 17 in Motegi, Japan of the TrialGP World Championship, which starts on May 17 in Motegi, Japan. The Repsol Honda Trial Team will try to fight for the title with the two riders this year.
The current world champion, Toni Bou, who has more than 140 victories in the sport, will defend his title. The Repsol Honda Team rider ended last season with eight consecutive victories and in 2024 has a total of 4 victories in the X-Trial World Championship. The goal at Honda’s home will be to continue the trend of good results.
Gabriel Marcelli is in his third TrialGP season with the Repsol Honda Trial Team. The young Montesa Cota 4RT rider finished third in last year’s standings, achieving his best result in the TR1 class. So far in 2024, he has eight consecutive podiums between the X-Trial World Championship and the Spanish Championship, and aims for his first victory in the outdoor series.
There will be changes in the TrialGP World Championship regulations, with the ‘Non-Stop’ rule removed after a decade of use. The new regulation allows riders to stop in the sections for a certain period of time. The ‘Non-Stop’ mode is left behind after more than a decade in force, and the old stopping regulation, which allows the rider to stop in the section with a maximum time inside it, is reintroduced. Additionally, the closed park, created last season, will no longer exist.
Repsol Honda Team ready for 2024
Toni Bou and Gabriel Marcelli, as part of the preparations with the motto ‘We are ready for 2024’, were recently in a mining area, where they performed incredible jumps. Both riders wanted to show in this way that they are in shape to give their all this year in the outdoor series.
The TrialGP World Championship calendar will have seven events. After Japan, the riders will compete in Sant Julià de Lòria (Andorra), Valsassina (Italy), Neunkirchen (Germany), Comblain-au-Pont (Belgium), Cahors (France) and the season finale in Ripoll (Spain).
Toni Bou: ‘We had a great start to the year, with four wins in four rounds of the indoor World Championship, which gives us a lot of confidence. It is always a special race for us because it is Honda’s home round, so we also have additional pressure, but we will try to approach it as just another race. Going back to the Stop rule is positive for our sport; there will be closer races and small mistakes will make a difference. The goal for this season is to retain the title, try to be competitive, and be in the championship fight at the end of the year’.
Gabriel Marcelli: ‘The feeling before the TrialGP of Japan is very good. I feel good physically and the results so far in both X-Trial and the Spanish Championship have been very good, so we are motivated. I face the race with a lot of enthusiasm: last season was very good and I think this year I can take another step forward. I am eager to start at Honda’s home and demonstrate my high level. I believe that the change in the Stop regulation will be positive for the sport and the races will be more competitive. The goal for 2024 will be to win races, always be on the podium and at the end of the season fight for the top two positions in the World Championship’.
Source: Honda Racing Corporation
