Sublime Spaniard Toni Bou (Montesa) began his bid to claim an incredible twentieth consecutive TrialGP title with a double victory and maximum points on day one of the opening round of the 2026 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship – the TrialGP of Japan – at Mobility Resort Motegi today.
Matching her compatriot’s performance, defending TrialGP Women champion Berta Abellan (Scorpa) also emerged from day one with a perfect two wins from two races while in Trial2 Alex Canales (Montesa) – who is taking a step back from the TrialGP class this season – maintained the Spanish stranglehold on all three classes in action in Japan to move into an early series lead with super-consistent two-two finishes.
A major revision of the event format for 2026 added even more excitement to the hotly-anticipated opening round and the changes helped to increase the flow of adrenaline, especially in the elite TrialGP class where new Super Pole, Final and Super Final elements heaped the pressure on the world’s best riders.
The action got under way on Friday afternoon with the new timed Super Test to determine race one starting order for TrialGP and TrialGP Women, with Bou emerging on top ahead of Jaime Busto (Beta) and Gabriel Marcelli (Montesa) as Britain’s Alice Minta (Beta) led home the world’s best female riders chased by Abellan and Andrea Sofia Rabino (Beta) from Italy.
With clear skies on Saturday and warm sun providing a welcome contrast to last season’s rain-lashed event, the sections – mostly laid out on steep, rock-studded bankings under trees – provided much more grip than they offered twelve months ago, allowing riders to showcase their skills to the large and appreciative audience.
The champion every year since 2007, thirty-nine-year-old Bou moved into an early lead in race one, despite picking up a five on the imposing rocks and slabs of section three that also claimed maximums from his compatriot Busto and Italy’s Matteo Grattarola (Beta) along with Marcelli.
Pulling clear of the chasing pack led by British class newcomer Harry Hemingway (Beta) at the halfway point, Bou extended his advantage and even two maximums late in the race could not prevent him from taking victory by four marks.
Busto, making his debut for the Italian manufacturer, also picked up the pace in the second half of the race to overhaul Grattarola and Hemingway for second with the veteran Italian – the only rider to escape without a maximum from section eleven – ending the race third, one mark behind Busto and two clear of the twenty-year-old British rider.
Never fully recovering from a run of three maximums in the opening three sections, Marcelli found his form in the second half of the race, but could only climb to fifth as he finished three marks adrift of Hemingway.
With race two for TrialGP getting under way with the Super Pole section run against the clock to determine starting order, the Final – to decide the five riders qualifying for the Super Final stage – was held over five sections and saw Busto on top from Grattarola and Bou with Hemingway eliminated along with his compatriot Jack Peace (Sherco).
Scores were then reset to zero and Bou, Busto and Marcelli shared the lead following the opening two sections with all three running clean-five before Marcelli slipped off the pace when he took a maximum on section three where his two rivals produced faultless performances.
Completing the race locked together on ten following the final two sections, Bou took the decision from Busto on a tie-break with Marcelli another five adrift in third ahead of Grattarola and Spain’s Miquel Gelabert (Honda) who made his own entry into the Trial history books as the first rider to compete in TrialGP on an electric machine.
“I’m super-happy to win here as it’s very important for the team,” said Bou. “To be honest, I have been under pressure all the first race and in the Final and Super Final so it has been very difficult for me, but I was fighting to the end and a start like this is amazing.”
Beginning the day as pre-event favourite in TrialGP Women, Abellan started race one well and after moving ahead of early leader Alycia Soyer (TRRS) from France the twenty-six-year-old was never headed again – despite a five on section six that claimed maximums from every competitor apart from Italy’s Alessia Bacchetta (GASGAS) – to run out winner on a total of fourteen.
Bacchetta got her campaign off to a rock-solid start in second on sixteen with Rabino, last season’s silver medallist, third on twenty-one after taking three maximums during the course of the race with Minta another five adrift in fourth, two marks ahead of the Czech Republic’s Denisa Pechackova (TRRS).
Heading into race two fully dialled in, Abellan showed her class with a total of nine giving her a comfortable seven-mark win from Pechackova as Rabino made her second visit to the podium on seventeen, two clear of Bacchetta who in turn was four ahead of Soyer.
“The first race was difficult for me because there was a lot of pressure, but I felt good,” said Abellan. “In the second race I felt confident and I’m so happy to start the season like this.”
Alex Canales at TrialGP of Japan, Motegi © Future7Media
Trial2 is traditionally an incredibly closely-contested class and it lived up to its reputation with Spain’s Arnau Farré (Sherco) – a double winner at last season’s final round – taking victory in the opening race before George Hemingway (Beta), the younger brother of TrialGP’s newest competitor, recovered from a disappointing start to lead home race two.
With Hemingway a lowly thirteenth in race one and Farré only able to manage sixth at his second attempt, the top performing rider on the day was Canales by virtue of his two second-placed finishes.
“For me today has been super-special,” said Canales. “Last year I was riding TrialGP, but I’ve taken a step down to Trial2 and my results here today have been amazing.”
Farré will start Sunday’s event sitting second in the standings, four points behind Canales, with Italy’s Francesco Titli (Montesa) a fine third thanks to his consistent four-three finishes that saw him tied on points with Britain’s Jack Dance (GASGAS) who ran three-four.
With his second race result lifting him to fifth in the points table, Hemingway remains in contention, although the eighteen-year-old is already playing catch-up as he attempts to replicate his elder brother’s 2025 title-winning campaign.
The action from Mobility Resort Motegi continues tomorrow at 09:00 (local time).