6 manufacturers and 4 nationalities represented by the 8 riders at the spectacular opening of the World Championship
The 19-time X-Trial World Champion Toni Bou (Repsol Honda Trial Team) will start, on October 4th at 18:00 (local time) at the Poliesportiu d’Andorra (Pavelló Toni Martí), the defense of the number 1 plate in this spectacular discipline dominated by him, as well as his pursuit of a historic twentieth world title. However, as we have seen over the past two seasons, securing the 2026 crown or even claiming the first win of the season—just a few kilometers from his home—will not be easy.
Alongside Bou, the two riders that have made things more difficult for him in recent years will compete on the six demanding and spectacular sections: Jaime Busto (GasGas) and Bou’s teammate Gabriel Marcelli (Repsol Honda Trial Team). Last season, Busto collected 7 podiums out of 8 possible, including 2 wins. Meanwhile, Marcelli joined Bou in the Top 3 on 6 times and, for the third consecutive year, battled with Busto for the runner-up spot until the very end of the championship.
Joining the Spanish trio will be the experienced French rider Benoit Bincaz, fourth in the last world ranking, who will also showcase the competitiveness of electric power riding the Electric Motion.
The other four participants in this first round of the 10-event new season represent two nations determined to regain their former prominence in the X-Trial World Championship: Italy and Great Britain.
For Italy, the line-up features the veteran Matteo Grattarola (Beta), sixth in last year’s world ranking behind the now-retired Adam Raga, and 18-year-old Francesco Titli (TRRS), making his debut in the individual world competition after climbing onto the third step of the podium at the last X-Trial of Nations alongside Grattarola. The British representation includes 25-year-old Jack Peace (Sherco), a young veteran who showed his potential last season by narrowly missing the podium in Tallinn, and 19-year-old Harry Hemingway (Beta), who already contested two rounds last season.
All of them are set to deliver a top-level sporting spectacle in the Andorran capital.
It's important to note that the rider selection system has evolved this year with the aim of continuing to improve the level of the events and opening them up even further to emerging riders and those from unusual nationalities, in order to grow X-Trial worldwide. Thus, the top three entrants in each event are the Top 3 from the previous season. They are joined by a rider from the Top 5 from the previous edition of the Championship, another from the Top 5 from either X-Trial or TrialGP, and the Trial2 World Champion.
The last two entrants in each event are a rider from one of the two Championships, who does not necessarily have to be in the Top 5, and a wildcard rider who may not have that affiliation. In all cases except those of the Top 3 and the Trial2 World Champion, the Promoter proposes the riders, and they must be approved by the FIM.
Don’t miss the chance to experience the thrill of XTRIALAND at the “bombonera” arena and get your tickets at: https://tickets.x-trial.com .
