The World Champion secures a hard-fought victory, beating Marcelli, while an injured Busto finishes third after a tiebreak
Toni Bou (Repsol Honda Trial Team) has opened the 2026 X-Trial World Championship season with a well-earned win that wasn’t confirmed until the final section. The World Champion entered that last zone just three points ahead of his teammate Gabriel Marcelli. In this demanding final section, Marcelli scored a five, which meant Bou already had the victory in his pocket.
This win, his fifth in Andorra la Vella, holds special significance for Bou since the shoulder injury he has been carrying — which could eventually require surgery — forced him to ride differently.
The third step of the podium went to Jaime Busto (GasGas), who had to prevail on time in a tiebreak against Harry Hemingway (Beta), as both had finished the six sections of the Final tied at 25 points. The Spaniard competed the Final suffering from severe back and hand pain after a heavy crash in section three of Q1. Meanwhile, the 19-year-old British rider missed out on the podium due to being slower in the tiebreak, in what was his third participation in the World Championship.
Hemingway had been the fastest in Q2, where the young Italian Francesco Titli (TRRS), Jack Peace (Sherco), Matteo Grattarola (Beta), and Benoit Bincaz (Electric Motion) were eliminated, finishing in that order in the last four places of this opening round of the 2026 season.
Toni Bou (1st): “Starting the season with a win at home, in such a demanding event as today’s, and doing it under the conditions I faced, is great news. The shoulder injury I’ve been carrying forced me to ride differently and look for new lines. The physical work done with my team over the last month and a half has paid off, and along with today’s strategy, it has allowed me to take this victory.”
Gabriel Marcelli (2nd): “This second place, and especially having the chance to win until the very last section, are very important because the event was extremely tough. I think I rode slightly better in Q1 than in the Final, where I made a few small mistakes, but both the result and my performance are excellent — a great way to start the season.”
Jaime Busto (3rd): “It was really tough to achieve this podium; I’d say it was one of the hardest of my career because of the crash in section 3 of Q1 where I hit my back and right hand very hard. I suffered a lot in the Final, and adrenaline probably helped me get through it. This podium is a great reward.”
The second round of the World Championship will take place in Madrid on October 25.
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