Sherco delight as Bristow and Peace secure Trial World Championship titles
By Team TMX on 16th Sep 24
News Trials Trial World Championship
British celebrations went long into the night after Sherco pairing Emma Bristow and Jack Peace clinched the TrialGP Women and Trial2 crowns at the final round of the 2024 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship – the TrialGP of Spain – at Ripoll as Toni Bou (Montesa), with the TrialGP title already decided in his favour, signed off on top.
A cold morning gave way to a bright, warm day as the FIM Trial World Championship’s 50th anniversary season – which also marks the 25th year of female involvement in the series – concluded in the Catalan region of north-east Spain. Competitors again faced the challenge posed by near-vertical bankings studded with imposing rocks along with a series of hazards in dry stream beds where grip was in short supply and pinpoint throttle control a necessity.
Starting the day with a seven-point lead over Spain’s Berta Abellan (Scorpa), Bristow – who is retiring from top-flight Trial after this season – knew only a disaster could keep her from a 10th title and the 33-year-old ended the opening lap in third on 10 marks, four behind Abellan and two adrift of Italy’s Andrea Sofia Rabino (Beta).
Even if Abellan won, third or better would be good enough for Bristow – who last dropped out of the top three at an FIM World Championship round all the way back in 2012 – and just a few marks separated the leaders when Rabino lost three marks in section nine, allowing the British rider to move into second, one behind Abellan.
A stray dab by Abellan on Section 11 where Bristow went clean tied the class and when both produced faultless rides through the man-made final section it was Bristow who, with a miserly second lap total of just two, got the verdict on a tie-break to ensure a fitting end to her incredibly successful FIM Trial World Championship career.
“It’s been a tough weekend,” said Bristow. “Mentally it’s been hard because the results have been so close and I didn’t get much sleep last night, but I got a great result today and I’m really proud to go out with a win.”
Rabino maintained the pressure on the leading pair, but ended the day two behind on 14 with Britain’s Kaytlyn Adshead (TRRS) winning a tie-break for fourth with Naomi Monnier (Montesa) from France on a total of 34.
In Trial2, Peace led his title rival Arnau Farré (Sherco) by 16 points and he spent much of a very low-scoring day just a mark or two behind the Spaniard.
The 24-year-old former British national champion actually posted the lowest observation score of three on the opening lap, but two time penalties meant at the halfway stage Peace was in a three-way tie for fourth with Farré and his compatriot Francesc Moret (Montesa) as Gaël Chatagno (Electric Motion), Harry Hemingway (Beta) and Alex Canales (Sherco) shared the lead on four.
Losing just a single dab on lap two, Chatagno ensured a sensational second victory for electric-powered machines this season with Farré matching his solitary loss to climb to second following a tie-break with Hemingway as Canales took fourth on seven, but just one mark further back in fifth it was Peace who stole the limelight as he sewed up the title.
“What a crazy, crazy day and an unexpected result,” said Chatagno. “I have been struggling a little bit to make thepodium this year since Japan, but today I just tried to enjoy the bike and finally I got the win so I’m very happy.”
For much of the day it was too close to call at the front of the TrialGP field where, with the title already decided in favour of defending champion Bou, Jaime Busto (GASGAS) was trying to claw back a five-point deficit in the championship to snatch second place from fellow Spaniard Gabriel Marcelli (Montesa).
With the leading five riders all incurring a single time penalty on the opening lap, Busto led at the halfway stage on 10 with Bou on 12 and Marcelli on 17 as the top three began to distance themselves from the pack.
Any hopes Busto had of taking a second win this season disappeared when halfway around the lap he suffered back-to-back maximums and although Bou picked up a five on Section 9, the 18-time TrialGP champion did enough to claim victory on 18, four ahead of Busto.
“It has been so close to a perfect season – just second once – and I think it has been one of the best seasons of my career,” said Bou. “I have felt amazing and all year I have been super-happy.”
Marcelli brought it home another ten points behind in third to secure the first championship one-two for the team since Takahisa Fujinami and Dougie Lampkin dominated the 2004 season and Jorge Casales (TRRS) took fourth on 38, two ahead of Adam Raga (Sherco).
With the 2024 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship now consigned to the history books, global focus shifts to the FIM Trial des Nations that takes place at Pobladura de las Regueras in Spain this coming weekend (21-22 September).
