The French city of Vertolaye has put an end to the 2023 Trial World Championship this weekend with two scoring races. In no category did you mathematically arrive with a world champion, so everything was to be decided, especially in the Trial2 category. In both TrialGP (men’s and women’s) and Trial3, the main favourites had significant advantages and it was very unlikely that there would be any surprises in qualifying, and in the end they did.
TONI BOU ADDS HIS 17TH TRIALGP WORLD TITLE
In the top category, Toni Bou fulfilled his goal of achieving his seventeenth crown with flying colors. He went into Saturday’s race with a 29-point lead over Jaime Busto, so mathematically it was enough for him to place in the top five if Busto won. Finally, Bou pulled out all the stops and scored a spectacular victory that allowed him to celebrate this new title from the top of the podium, with a total of 25 points, to Jaime Busto’s 42 and Gabriel Marcelli’s 48. Behind, Grattarola with 53 points and Adam Raga with 54 points.
The second day of competition, with the three overall podium positions already decided, passed with a similar tone, with the first four positions identical and a fifth place for Miquel Gelabert. In this last race, Adam Raga dropped to eighth position.
In the overall championship calculation, Toni Bou has a total advantage of 35 points over Jaime Busto, and Gabriel Marcelli finished the season 45 points behind. Matteo Grattarola, in a season from less to more, has managed to overtake Raga and achieves fourth place overall. For his part, the TRRS rider was forced to miss the Andorran GP due to a meniscus operation, a fact that has conditioned him in the fight for this fourth final place.
GREEN WINS THRILLING TITLE FIGHT IN TRIAL2
The end of the Trial2 category was heart-stopping. Before arriving in France, everything was still to be decided and there were three great candidates for the title separated by just seven points: Pablo Suárez, Billy Green and Jack Peace. All the favourites failed, either on Saturday or Sunday; Thus, the end of the season has been as exciting as it has been unpredictable.
On Saturday Billy Green sank in the standings after a disastrous first lap, with a time penalty included, invalidating the comeback effort on the second lap, as he finished seventeenth and was out of the points. Pablo Suarez won the race and was up to himself to clinch the title on Sunday, while Jack Peace was sixth. On Sunday, the tables were turned and it was both Jack Peace and Pablo Suárez who punctured in qualifying, closing this second final day in positions 9 and 14, respectively. Green took advantage of this situation and put in a positive performance, finishing second and accumulating a final lead of five points in the overall calculation of the championship, where Pablo Suárez is the new runner-up in the world championship and Jack Peace completed the places of honor.
As for the race, we highlight the second position of Carloalberto Rabino and the third place, which he also repeated on Sunday, of Harry Heminway. On this last day of the race, the victory went to Arnau Farré, followed by Green and Hemingway himself.
GEORGE HEMINWAY CHAMPION IN TRIAL3
The Trial3 category was resolved as expected, with George Hemingway crowned and picking up the baton from his older brother, who was champion of the category in 2022. On Saturday, the victory went to George, who added his sixth victory of the current campaign and achieved an almost definitive advantage at the top of the standings, followed on this first day of racing by Jamie Galloway and Jone Sandvik. On Sunday the victory went to Galloway, followed by a Hemingway who made too many mistakes on the second lap, and Pawel Ryncarz.
EMMA BRISTOW AND ALYCIA SOYER WIN IN THE WOMEN’S CATEGORY
At the French GP, the two women’s categories were also called, with their winners also to be decided. As for TrialGP Women, Emma Bristow achieved two more victories, ahead of her main rival, Berta Abellán. On both days the differences between the two were relatively small in the context of a race with very little margin for error, but the truth is that Emma has added her ninth world title demonstrating consistency, success and determination. Berta, on the other hand, has shown that her level has increased this year and proof of this are the two victories of the Spanish GP and her ability to close the gap in terms of race records with respect to Emma. The third final position of the championship went to Andrea Rabino.
In the Trial2 Women category, the title went to Alycia Soyer, winner on Saturday, followed by Alessia Bacchetta, winner on Sunday and Laia Pi, who, although she did not have a great performance in France, was able to hold on to the podium positions over Seline Meling.
READY FOR THE TRIAL OF NATIONS
Once the 2023 individual world championship has concluded, all that remains is the Trial of Nations, which will be held this coming weekend, between September 8 and 10, in Auron, France.
TRIAL-GP CLASSIFICATION france
TRIAL GP france · D1 · 2023
- TONI BOU (MONTESA)
- JAIME BUSTO (GASGAS)
- GABRIEL MARCELLI (MONTESA)
- MATTEO GRATTAROLA (BETA)
- ADAM RAGA (TRRS)
- ANIOL GELABERT (BETA)
- MIQUEL GELABERT (VERTIGO)
- JERONI FAJARDO (SHERCO)
- TOBY MARTYN (MONTESA)
- BENOIT BINCAZ (SHERCO)
- LUCA PETRELLA (GASGAS)
- JORGE CASALES (SCORPA)
TRIAL GP france · D2 · 2023
- TONI BOU (MONTESA)
- JAIME BUSTO (GASGAS)
- GABRIEL MARCELLI (MONTESA)
- MATTEO GRATTAROLA (BETA)
- MIQUEL GELABERT (VERTIGO)
- ANIOL GELABERT (BETA)
- TOBY MARTYN (MONTESA)
- ADAM RAGA (TRRS)
- BENOIT BINCAZ (SHERCO)
- LUCA PETRELLA (GASGAS)
- JERONI FAJARDO (SHERCO)
- JORGE CASALES (SCORPA)
