The Trial World Championship landed in Japan after this classic event had not been held since 2019 due to cancellations caused by Covid19.
The Japanese Grand Prix is always a special event for several reasons. The first, for the visit to a new continent and its corresponding impact on the trial hobby; also the influx of new Japanese drivers on the entry lists, as most do not travel to Europe to complete the rest of the calendar. For Honda and Montesa, since the Motegi circuit, where all the weekend activity takes place, is owned by the Japanese brand.
For Honda rider Toni Bou in particular, it was a crucial GP. For the first time since 2008 he arrived in Japan without leading the provisional standings, although with the same points as Jaime Busto, and needed to do a good job in front of HRC, as well as take a step forward in the championship.
In the top category, three absences were those of Jeroni Fajardo, Toby Martyn and Luca Petrella, leaving a grid of only eight riders.
GP JAPAN DAY 1
In Friday’s practice sessions the rain was already present and it seemed obvious that Saturday was going to be a complicated race. The areas, mostly located on earthen slopes with natural and artificial stone blocks, had little grip and several of them would be very “zero or five”.
The best in the first pass through the zones was Jaime Busto, with 36 points, followed by Toni Bou with 39 points and Adam Raga with the same record. Marcelli was a little further behind with 46 points.
In the second round Toni Bou was unstoppable, with a partial of only 7 points that gave him a comfortable victory over Jaime Busto, who even adding 4 extra points for time was second with a margin over Adam Raga, leaving Marcelli off the podium. After finishing the race, Bou said: “It was a complicated race. The sections were difficult and we almost didn’t pass many on the first lap. On the second lap the sections dried out a bit and the level dropped quite a bit.”
After Marcelli, but far behind in terms of records, we find Grattarola, Gelabert, Bincaz and Casales closing the classification.
GP JAPAN DAY 2
With the terrain drier and the areas with more traction, Sunday’s race left us with a more even race with more points than expected.
Jaime Busto led the first lap with 22 points, followed by Toni Bou with 25 points, including a couple of fiascos in zone five and eleven for stopping excessively in the zone and being penalized according to the non-stop regulations: “It was a difficult day for us with a lot of problems on the first lap. We had two fives to stop, we made a lot of mistakes and I actually thought we would have to fight for second place.”
Adam Raga had an irregular start to the race, but improved in the second half of the course and completed the lap with 30 points, ahead of Casales and Gelabert with 36 points.
In the second round Toni Bou was the best and signed a card of 8 points, with a fiasco included in zone seven, which he was able to overcome without problems on the first lap. A result that was not enough to stop Jaime Busto, who with 11 points in this partial added a total of 33 points, the same as Toni Bou.
The tiebreaker was made by time invested in the race in favor of Jaime Busto by only 29 seconds. A very important result that allowed the GASGAS rider to put the general classification back on the table: “Today I started with a clear mind, focused from the first zone and leading throughout the day. I had Toni behind me and it’s a shame that in the last two sections I had two fives that almost cost me the race, but in the end I took the win so I couldn’t be happier.”
NEXT RACE: SAN MARINO GP
The next race, corresponding to the fourth GP of the year, seventh and eighth scoring races, will be held from 9 to 11 June in San Marino (Italy)
TRIAL-GP CLASSIFICATION japan DAY 1
TRIAL GP japan · D1 · 2023
- TONI BOU (MONTESA)
- JAIME BUSTO (GASGAS)
- ADAM RAGA (TRRS)
- GABRIEL MARCELLI (MONTESA)
- MATTEO GRATTAROLA (VERTIGO)
- ANIOL GELABERT (BETA)
- BENOIT BINCAZ (SHERCO)
- JORGE CASALES (SCORPA)
TRIAL GP japan · D2 · 2023
- JAIME BUSTO (GASGAS)
- TONI BOU (MONTESA)
- ADAM RAGA (TRRS)
- GABRIEL MARCELLI (MONTESA)
- JORGE CASALES (SCORPA)
- ANIOL GELABERT (BETA)
- MATTEO GRATTAROLA (VERTIGO)
- BENOIT BINCAZ (SHERCO)
CAREER STATEMENTS
toni bou (P1 & P2)"It was a difficult day for us with a lot of problems on the first lap. We had two fives to stop, we made a lot of mistakes and in fact I thought we would have to fight for second place. At the end of the second lap we had the opportunity to fight for the victory and we were tied, but because of the time we finished second. Jaime was at a great level today and when you fail so much you can't win. In the next race we have to be very focused because the championship is very tight, not make mistakes and bring out our best version."
Jaime Busto (P2 & P1)"The Japanese TrialGP was amazing for me. I rode very well both days. Yesterday I was fighting with Toni all day but in the end I made some silly mistakes that cost me the race. Today I started with a clear mind, focused from the first zone and led all day. I had Toni behind me and it's a shame that in the last two sections I had two fives that almost cost me the race, but in the end I took the victory so I couldn't be happier. I've scored some really good points for the championship, and we hope to continue like that for the rest of the season."
GABRIEL MARCELLI (P4 & P4)"Today things didn't go the way we would have liked. We got a fourth place that has a bit of a bittersweet taste. I had a very bad first lap, I made a lot of mistakes, but luckily I was able to recover quite a bit in, what I consider, a good second lap. We took home two fourth places from the weekend which wasn't what we were looking for. The positive thing is that we are still in the battle for the podium in the championship and we have learned a lot from this weekend. Everyone has treated us very well and the Japanese public has made me feel very supported."
Videos TRIAL Japanese GP 2023
2023 X-Trial World Championship Calendar
- X-TRIAL BARCELONA - SPAIN - 5 February
- x-trial WIENER NEUSTADT - austria - 11 MARCH
- X-Trial Pamplona - Spain - 25 March
- X-trial Bordeaux - FRANCE - 7 April
- x-trial ANDORRA LA VELLA - 7 October
- x-trial MADRID - SPAIN - 4 November
- x-trial tba FRANCE - 11 November
- X-Trial Nations - Reunion Island - FRANCE - 17 November
