16/09/24 - BRISTOW, PEACE AND BRANDANI THE REMAINING CHAMPIONS AT RIPOLL

TrialGP of Spain marks end of FIM Trial World Championship’s Golden Jubilee year at Ripoll , Spanish Pyrenees. Emma Bristow(Sherco) and Jack Peace(Sherco) secure TrialGP Women and Trial2 titles in the second day, while Martina Brandani(Sherco) clinched FIM Women’s Trial2 World Cup the day before. Toni Bou (Montesa) won in both days.

SATURDAY DAY 1

Following a warm, dry day in the foothills of the Pyrenees, the destination of the FIM Women’s Trial2 World Cup was decided in favour of seventeen-year-old Martina Brandani (Sherco) from Italy. The fight, however, will go down to the wire on the final day of the season in TrialGP Women after home favourite Berta Abellan (Scorpa) beat reigning champion Emma Bristow (Sherco) on a tie-break and in Trial2 where Britain’s Jack Peace (Sherco) had the crown within his grasp, only to let it slip in the very last section of the Trial.

With the premier TrialGP category already decided at the previous round in favour of now eighteen-time champion Toni Bou (Montesa), it was business as usual for the superstar Spaniard who took his tenth win of the season as behind him a fierce battle raged for this year’s remaining medals.

The Spanish trio of Gabriel Marcelli (Montesa), Jaime Busto (GASGAS) and Adam Raga (Sherco) were all in contention at the start of the day for silver and bronze and at the halfway stage Busto’s score of twelve put him just one behind Bou with Raga on sixteen and Marcelli back in fifth on twenty-eight including a time penalty.

With the opening sections plotted on extremely steep, wooded bankings studded with rocks, the action then headed to a series of technical dry stream beds and imposing steps with the natural hazards superseded by the huge rock slabs that comprised the spectacular man-made final section.

A maximum on his second visit to section two dropped Bou to second behind Busto, but the pendulum swung back in the reigning champion’s favour when Busto lost his balance on section six and with his advantage restored the thirty-seven-year-old needed no second invitation and claimed victory on nineteen, three clear of his younger rival.

“Today had a different feel after I won the title in Cahors,” said Bou. “It was a fight to the end with Jaime, but finally I won which was very important for the team.”

Having started the day with a seven-point cushion over Busto in the contest for second in the championship, at the end of the opening lap Marcelli’s ‘virtual’ advantage was down to just one, but the all-action Galician fought back fiercely on lap two to claw his way back to third another sixteen marks further back to maintain a five-point lead from Busto heading into tomorrow’s final day of competition.

Marcelli’s climb up the leaderboard came at the expense of Raga whose total of forty-three was good enough for fourth, five clear of Spain’s Miquel Gelabert (Vertigo), which effectively puts an end to his hopes of ending the year in the top three.

Heading to Ripoll ten points clear of Berta Abellan(Scorpa) in TrialGP Women, it was always unlikely that Bristow would secure her tenth crown in eleven years on the opening day, but any hopes she had of extending her lead ended on the first lap.

The British rider’s score of seven at the hallway stage placed her three behind Abellan as the leading pair began to open up a gap at the front with Alice Minta (Scorpa) best of the rest on eleven that put her two clear of Italy’s Andrea Sofia Rabino (Beta) who in turn was one ahead of Naomi Monnier (Montesa) from France.

An unblemished second lap from Bristow heaped the pressure on Abellan, but the twenty-four-year-old kept her cool and added just three more marks to her score to end the day tied at the top before getting the decision on a tie-break.

“I’m very, very happy,” said Abellan. “I enjoyed the sections a lot and, of course, I am very happy with my victory.”

A further thirteen points behind, Minta matched her best finish of the season in third with Monnier fourth on twenty-three after winning a tie-break with Rabino. The result keeps Abellan’s dream of a first FIM World Championship alive, but Bristow still holds a seven-point advantage that looks unlikely to be overturned.

Having set the pace in Trial2 for much of the season, Peace knew he could wrap up his first FIM World Championship a day early and after a close and competitive opening lap it remained a very real possibility.

Britain’s Harry Hemingway (Beta) led on four, one ahead of Peace’s main title rival Arnau Farré (Sherco) from Spain who was three clear of defending champion Billy Green (Scorpa), who incurred a time penalty, Peace and former champion Sondre Haga (GASGAS) from Norway on the electric motorcycle who were locked together on eight.

After finishing second on five occasions this year, Green finally put in a champion’s performance when he added just two further marks to his score on the second lap to take his first win of the season on a total of ten with Hemingway next on thirteen.

“As always in Trial2 it was very tight,” said Green. “Unfortunately, it’s taken me until now to get a win, but it makes all the effort worthwhile.”

Farré’s score of sixteen earned him the final step of the podium on a tie-break with Haga and the top five was completed by Trial3 champion George Hemingway who parted with just seventeen on a very impressive Trial2 debut.

Peace arrived at the last section of the Trial leading Farré by three marks which was good enough to sew up the championship, but a technical infringement earned him a maximum and as a result he dropped to sixth on eighteen. Despite this setback, the twenty-four-year-old still leads by sixteen points and knows only a disaster can keep him from striking gold tomorrow.

A double victory at the opening round of the FIM Women’s Trial2 World Cup in Germany handed Brandani an early advantage and after finishing second in Belgium she travelled to Spain with a twelve-point advantage over her closest rival Laia Pi (Beta).

With the title in her sight, Brandani ended the first lap one mark behind Norway’s Seline Meling (Beta) on nine before a final lap of four gave her the win and the title.

“Today has gone really well,” said Brandani. “I really liked the sections and I’m very happy.”

Meling, who won last time out in Belgium, was second on seventeen with Italy’s Sara Trentini (TRRS) two marks further adrift in third and with Pi only managing sixth on home soil there is now a three-way fight for the remaining podium positions with a single point separating Meling, Trentini and Pi.

SUNDAY DAY 2

Another cold morning gave way to a bright, warm day as the FIM Trial World Championship’s fiftieth anniversary season – which also marks the twenty-fifth year of female involvement in the series – concluded in the Catalan region of north-east Spain.

With only a few minor overnight alterations to yesterday’s sections, 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) who won yesterday’s TrialGP Women contest, Bristow – who is retiring from top-flight Trial after this season – knew only a disaster could keep her from a tenth title and the thirty-three-year-old ended the opening lap in third on ten 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 eleven 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 fourteen with Britain’s Kaytlyn Adshead (TRRS) winning a tie-break for fourth with Naomi Monnier (Montesa) from France on a total of thirty-four.

Having come within one section of sewing up the Trial2 championship yesterday, Peace still led his title rival Arnau Farré (Sherco) by sixteen points and he spent much of a very low-scoring day just a mark or two behind the Spaniard.

The twenty-four-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 ten with Bou on twelve and Marcelli on seventeen as the top three began to distance themselves from the chasing 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 nine, the eighteen-time TrialGP champion did enough to claim victory on eighteen, 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 thirty-eight, two ahead of Adam Raga (Sherco).

With the FIM Women’s Trial2 World Cup assured after her victory yesterday, the pressure was off Brandani and the seventeen-year-old Italian posted lap scores of seven and eight to run out winner by five ahead of Laia Pi (Beta) from Spain.

“I liked the sections today and I feel I rode very well,” said Brandani. “I’m the champion and I’m very, very happy.”

Daniela Hernando Martinez (Beta) was a career-best third on twenty-three after winning a tie-break with Sara Trentini (TRRS) who secured third in the championship from Norway’s Seline Meling (Beta) by two points.

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).

photos by FUTURE7MEDIA

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BRISTOW, PEACE E BRANDANI I RESTANTI CAMPIONI A REPOLL

Il TrialGP di Spagna ha segnato la fine dell’anno del Giubileo d’Oro del Campionato Mondiale FIM Trial a Ripoll, nei Pirenei spagnoli. Emma Bristow(Sherco) e Jack Peace(Sherco) si sono assicurati i titoli TrialGP Women e Trial2 nel secondo giorno, mentre Martina Brandani(Sherco) ha conquistato la Coppa del Mondo FIM Trial2 femminile il giorno prima. Toni Bou (Montesa) ha vinto in entrambe le giornate.

Per i colori azzurri le maggiori soddisfazioni sono arrivate dal mondo femminile, quasi un assurdo osservando che nel Campionato Italiano massima categoria corrono solo in quattro!

Andrea Sofia Rabino (Beta) pur brillando meno del solito al sabato (quinto posto), alla domenica ha combattuto alla pari per una clamorosa vittoria, sfuggita per soli due punti e confermandosi al terzo posto finale, mai messo in dubbio.

Nella sua stessa categoria, la top femminile, buoni progressi da parte di Alessia Bacchetta (Gas Gas) che ha concluso con due promettenti sesti posti per un onorevole ottavo posto finale. In gran forma la veterana (come si definisce lei) Martina Gallieni (Scorpa) la cui convocazione al Trial della Nazioni l'ha fatta ringiovanire in un attimo: un settimo e un nono posto a Repoll, i suoi migliori risultati della stagione. Dodicesimo posto finale.

Dominio italiano nella Women2, con la Brandani che ha concluso con due convincenti vittorie, una stagione in cui è salita sul gradino più alto ben 4 volte su 5. Ed in quell'occasione che è finita seconda, davanti a lei si è piazzata Sara Trentini (TRRS), giunta terza in campionato a tre punti dal secondo posto.

In campo maschile Matteo Grattarola (Beta) ha terminato al quinto posto finale, regalandoci due podi nella prova italiana e dimostrando che se motivato, può tranquillamente lottare con i primi della classe. Qui a Ripoll nel secondo giorno era quarto fino all'ultima zona. Un cinque gli ha fatto perdere due posizioni!

Un'occasione per fare esperienza la presenza a tutte le prove di Luca Petrella (Gas Gas) e Lorenzo Gandola (Beta), fanalini di coda del gruppo della TrialGP.

L'affollatissima Trial2 - ancora una volta monopolio britannico - è stata onorata dalla costante partecipazione di Mattia Speafico (Vertigo) e di Carloalberto Rabino (Beta) cha hanno concluso rispettivamente al decimo e tredicesimo posto finale.

Da notare che a Ripoll ha esordito in questa classe il campione della Trial3 per il secondo anno consecutivo George Hemingway (Beta), ed è stato subito degno di menzione: quinto al sabato e dodicesimo alla domenica.

Il passaggio attraverso la piccola cilindrata di 125cc si è dunque rivelato una tattica vincente, al contrario di quanto spesso si sente commentare nell'ambiente!

Piccola cilindrata che ahimè è stata snobbata quest'anno dalle possibili speranza azzurre, fatta eccezione ovviamente il gran premio di casa. Un vero peccato!

Ora occhi puntati sul Trial delle Nazioni in programma a Pobladura de las Regueras in Spagna nel prossimo week-end. Abbiamo ottime speranze di podio in tutte le classi, un in bocca la lupo da parte della redazione di phototrial a tutti i piloti uomini e donne.

foto di FUTURE7MEDIA