Harry Hemingway takes third at TrialGP of France
By Team TMX on 31st Aug 26
Toni Bou remains unbeaten in 2026 after extending his remarkable winning streak to 18 races at the TrialGP of France in Cahors, where the reigning champion took another double victory to move within one round of an unprecedented 20th consecutive TrialGP world title.
The 39-year-old Spaniard had to work for it on a brutally technical Cahors course, but eventually came through two closely fought races ahead of compatriot and Montesa team-mate Gabriel Marcelli.
Bou’s latest double means he can wrap up the championship at next weekend’s penultimate round in Zelhem, Netherlands, although he will need to maintain his incredible form against a chasing pack that showed little interest in making life easy for him in France.
The single day of points-scoring competition began with Bou taking an uncharacteristic two marks on the opening hazard before settling into his usual rhythm. He remained feet-up through the next 10 sections before a final dab on the 12th and last hazard, plus a time penalty, left him with a score of four.
Marcelli provided the strongest challenge, with Jaime Busto (Beta) also in contention until a maximum on the man-made eighth section dropped him back.
A five on section 11 then opened the door for Busto to close in on Marcelli, but the Montesa rider held his nerve to clean the final hazard and finish on 12 marks, two clear of Busto.
Britain’s Harry Hemingway (Beta) put together another impressive performance to finish fourth on 15, just one mark behind Busto, with Matteo Grattarola (Beta) fifth and Miquel Gelabert (Honda) sixth.
Busto did get his moment of glory by winning the Super Pole section used to determine starting order for the Final, and he matched Bou through the first five hazards.
Then Bou did what Bou does.
The multiple world champion cleaned the brutally difficult sixth section, where a triple step requiring a minimal run-up claimed maximums from much of the field. Busto could only manage a three, surrendering his share of the lead as Marcelli joined Bou at the top after losing just a single mark.
Bou then survived a dab on the steep climb and rock step of section seven before taking a maximum on section ten. Despite those errors, he recovered to finish on seven marks, including a time penalty, for another victory.
Marcelli took second on 15, with Gelabert producing an excellent ride for third on 19. Hemingway was fourth on 21 and Grattarola fifth on 28.
“It has not been easy because all the riders were pushing super-hard and the weather has been so hot,” said Bou. “It was difficult to fight to the end of both races, but I’m super-happy with the result.”
Hemingway) produced the ride of his young TrialGP career to claim third overall and, in doing so, stand on a World Championship podium for the first time in the premier class. The 19-year-old was right in the mix throughout the opening race, finishing a fighting fourth just one mark behind Busto, before backing that up with fourth again in the Super Final. His consistency under intense pressure earned him the final step of the podium and capped a hugely impressive weekend for the TrialGP rookie.
Busto endured a miserable Super Final, dropping 17 marks across the opening five sections before a rear-wheel puncture forced him to miss the final hazard. Six time penalties added to his problems and left him sixth on 31.
The result allowed Marcelli to move into second in the championship, although both Busto and Grattarola remain firmly in the fight for the final podium positions.
There was a new name at the top of the Trial2 championship standings as Arnau Farre (Sherco) finally converted his consistent form into victory, becoming the sixth different overall winner from the nine days of competition held so far.
Farré twice came out on top against French home favourite Benoit Bincaz (Electric Motion), with both races decided on tie-breaks.
The opening race was a particularly tense affair, with Farré and Bincaz exchanging maximums and single dabs throughout. Farré looked to have thrown victory away with a five on section 11 and a time penalty, but both riders finished on 18 and the Spaniard held his nerve to take the vital tie-break.
Gerard Trueba (Beta) completed the podium on 19, while championship leader Alex Canales (Montesa) was fourth.
Britain’s George Hemingway (Beta) won the Super Test and then finished fifth in the race after beating fellow Brit Jack Dance on a tie-break, both riders ending on 25.
Race two produced lower scores but another nail-biting battle between Farre and Bincaz. Both started with a dab before Bincaz added another on section three and Farre lost one on section five. From there, both remained clean to the finish, with Farre once again taking the verdict on the tie-break.
Francesco Titli (Montesa) was third on five, with Canales fourth and Hemingway fifth.
“I’m very happy,” said Farre. “It’s been a hard day, but it feels great to be leading the championship for the first time.”
The Trial3 Junior championship is now perfectly poised after Italy’s Fabio Mazzola and Britain’s Harison Skelton finished the weekend tied at the top of the standings.
Skelton arrived in France with a two-point advantage and extended it by winning the opening race after finishing second to compatriot Max Dance (Scorpa) in Saturday’s Super Test.
In a relatively high-scoring opening race, Skelton’s 15 marks were enough for victory by a single mark from Mazzola, with Norway’s Patrick Bjørnland Larsen (Sherco) third on 18.
Mazzola hit back in race two with an impressive ride, losing just two marks to take the win. Skelton finished third on 11, behind Dutchman Fenno Goertz (Sherco), leaving the pair level on points heading into the deciding round.
“It feels great to share the championship lead,” said Mazzola. “Now we have one round left to decide things. Now I need to do it all again in the Netherlands.”
And that is exactly where the championship heads next, with Zelhem hosting the penultimate round for the TrialGP and Trial2 riders from September 4-6, while for the Trial3 Junior riders it will be the final showdown of the season.
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