TrialGP of San Marino - Day Two
By Team TMX on 9th Jun 25
Toni Bou (Montesa) extended his points advantage on day two of the TrialGP of San Marino – round five of the 2025 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship – although it was the turn of his team-mate Gabriel Marcelli to share centre stage in TrialGP as Miquel Gelabert (Honda) closed in on the Trial2 series lead and Ryon Land (Sherco) took another step towards the Trial3 title.
Competitors faced another hot, clear day in the hills surrounding the town of Baldasserona, but the heat did little to increase the grip available on the huge, polished limestone boulders that punished the smallest of mistakes.
Without a victory in the premier TrialGP class since he moved up in 2020 after winning the Trial2 title, 25-year-old Marcelli ticked another item off his career bucket list when he clinched the win in today’s opening race on a total of nine marks lost. Bou had taken an early lead when he was the only rider to make it to the end of section two and at the half way stage the defending champion led comfortably, but a maximum on section eleven increased his score to 12 and handed the win to a delighted Marcelli.
With his chance to reduce the points deficit to Bou disappearing with his second maximum in the first half of the race, Jaime Busto (GASGAS) filled the final step on the podium on 15, three ahead of Italian veteran Matteo Grattarola (Beta) with class newcomer Jack Peace (Sherco) completing the top-five on 23.
No-one made it through section two at their second attempt, but Bou established a clear lead when he produced a sensational clean on section five that took maximums from all other competitors. A single dab on section seven raised his score to seven and he completed the race for no further loss of marks to take his 18th win from 20 starts by eight from Marcelli.
“I’m happy for the team and Gabriel has been riding amazing,” said Bou. “Today has been very good for me with many points for the championship so overall I am super-happy with the weekend.”
Busto had to settle for third for the second time today, one mark adrift of Marcelli with Aniol Gelabert (TRRS) taking fourth on 30, two clear of Grattarola.
Marcelli then put the seal on a great day when he again took charge of the Power Section, setting the fastest time to earn a valuable extra championship point.
With two rounds remaining Bou now leads Busto by 70 points and he could clinch his 19th straight TrialGP crown at next month’s TrialGP of USA.
Having been forced to watch as Gelabert reeled off five consecutive race wins on the new RTL Electric model, Trial2 series leader Harry Hemingway (Beta) struck back in a very close, low-scoring opening race where the slightest lapse in concentration could have had a huge knock-on effect.
Just a single mark on section nine was all it took for the 19-year-old British rider to complete race one, but Gelabert was able to minimise the damage when he secured second on a tie-break from 2023 champion Billy Green (Scorpa) after the pair both lost three marks.
Continuing his run of good form in San Marino, George Hemingway (Beta) – Harry’s younger brother and the reigning Trial3 champion – was fourth on seven, four ahead of his fellow British rider Jack Dance (GASGAS).
With his position at the front of the class re-established, Harry Hemingway’s second race quickly turned into a nightmare when he picked up a maximum on section four and submerged his bike in a pool of water in the process.
Winner of both races at the opening TrialGP of Spain in early April, Green’s form this season has been inconsistent, but he was back to his best in race two with a final score of seven giving him his fourth race win of the campaign by one mark from George Hemingway with Gelabert third on 11.
“I’m over the moon,” said Green. “After last weekend and even yesterday when I didn’t get the best results, to stick in on top of the box today is fantastic.”
Spain’s Arnau Farré (Sherco) was fourth after winning a tie-break with Italian rider Francesco Titli (TRRS) on 12, but Harry Hemingway’s race went from bad to worse. With his bike clearly suffering from water ingress, he struggled through the remaining hazards with the final blow coming, pushing his total to 20 and dropping him to 13th.
The result means that with two rounds remaining Harry Hemingway’s lead over Gelabert is now down to just five points.
Holding the Trial3 series lead at the start of the day, championship newcomer Land carried his momentum over from yesterday when he won Sunday’s opening race on a total of thirteen, although it was tight at the top with Italy’s Fabio Mazzola (TRRS) just a single mark behind and third-placed Harison Skelton (Scorpa) finishing on 16 after winning a tie-break with Jonas Jorgensen (Beta) from Norway.
Land then learned an important lesson in consistency in race two when he found himself on the back foot after collecting an early maximum on section two. On a low-scoring day, the American was unable to fight his way back into contention and he could only look on as Skelton kept his cool to claim a debut win at this level on 10 following a tie-break with Japan’s Jin Kuroyama (Sherco).
“Yesterday didn’t go too well for me,” said Skelton, “so to bring it back today is such a great feeling, especially with it being my first Trial3 race win. It’s just been a really good day.”
Jorgensen was third on 14, five clear of Italian rider Alessandro Ame (Beta) with Land taking fifth on 20.
With Trial3 not making the trip to America next month, just one round remains for the championship’s youngest riders with Land leading by 34 points ahead of the deciding TrialGP of Great Britain at the start of September.
Riders in the TrialGP and Trial2 classes will now join up with TrialGP Women competitors at the TrialGP of USA at Exeter, Rhode Island, on July 11-13.
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