Defending champion Toni Bou (Montesa) got his quest for a nineteenth consecutive TrialGP crown off to a commanding start at the TrialGP of Spain – round one of the 2025 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship – as Andrea Sofia Rabino (Beta) seized an early points lead in TrialGP Women, Billy Green (Scorpa) dominated Trial2, Matilda Arbon (Sherco) narrowly topped Trial2 Women and Jonas Jorgensen (Beta) claimed victory in Trial3.
- Brilliant Bou unbeatable as 2025 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship gets off to a positive start in Spain
- Rabino fires an early warning shot to take clear lead in TrialGP Women division
- Green doubles up in Trial2 as young stars shine in Trial2 Women and Trial3
The start of any new season always brings added excitement, but with a reworked event format – including a crowd-pleasing ‘Power Section’ contested against the clock to end the day’s competition in the elite TrialGP and TrialGP Women classes – adrenalin levels were running extra high in the Spanish town of Benahavis.
Also new for 2025, each ‘lap’ has been relabelled as a ‘race’ with championship points scored at the end of both races and with a dramatically reduced time limit in each section – down from ninety to sixty seconds – ensuring no let-up in intensity, competitors faced a series of tough new challenges.
As we have seen so many times before, Bou relishes a new challenge and the thirty-eight-year-old Spanish superstar rose to the occasion, winning Race One on a score of just eight, half that of his second-placed team-mate Gabriel Marcelli and thirteen clear of Aniol Gelabert (TRRS) with Jaime Busto (GASGAS) a further mark adrift to complete the all-Spanish top-four after winning a tie-break with Italian veteran Matteo Grattarola (Beta).
The world’s best riders faced a stiff challenge from the get-go. The first section – on a precariously steep, rock-studded hillside – took maximums from all aside from Bou and Gelabert in the opening race. It was every bit as challenging at the second attempt when only Bou and Busto made it to the end and section two was even harder with a huge step from a minimal run-up proving to be impossible for all TrialGP competitors in both races.
After Bou cruised clear to win Race One, it looked like a case of more of the same in Race Two with the reigning champion holding a comfortable advantage. However, a surprise maximum on section ten that snaked its way up, down and around a rock-strewn open hillside slashed his lead and brought both Marcelli and Busto back to within striking distance.
With the final section the decider, first Busto kept his hopes of winning alive with a cool clean, then Marcelli produced a faultless ride to move to the top before both saw their chances of victory dashed by Bou’s precise clean that gave him a final score of ten, two clear of Marcelli and three ahead of Busto.
“It’s been an amazing day to start the championship,” said Bou. “I’m super-happy to win both races. There was a lot of pressure, but for me it’s been a perfect day.”
Grattarola improved a place to fourth on eighteen with Gelabert completing the top five on a total of twenty-nine.
With defending TrialGP Women champion Emma Bristow retired, home favourite Berta Abellan (Scorpa) started the day as the rider to beat, but Italy’s Rabino clearly had not read the script and the eighteen-year-old produced a commanding performance to win Race One with a loss of fourteen, four ahead of Britain’s Kaytlyn Adshead (Sherco) who has clearly gelled quickly with her new machine.
Czech rider Denisa Pecháčková (TRRS) – the Trial2 Women champion in 2022 – was a solid third on nineteen after winning a tie-break with Italian Alessia Bacchetta (GASGAS) with Abellan a surprise fifth on twenty.
Abellan struck back in Race Two, but it was a tight and nervous performance and the twenty-five-year-old from Barcelona was only assured of victory by three marks when Rabino incurred a maximum on her second visit to section eleven where Abellan went clean.
“My feeling today was very good,” said series leader Rabino, “especially in the first race. Tomorrow we have two more races and I’m hoping for two more good results.”
Britain’s Alice Minta (Beta) put in a great performance to end the Race in third, just three marks behind Rabino, with Pecháčková fourth on twenty after winning a tie-break with Alycia Soyer (TRRS) from France.
At the close of competition the TrialGP and TrialGP Women riders then faced the new ‘Power Section’, plotted across a reworked section twelve with eased routes for both classes putting the emphasis on speed.
With an additional three championship points on the line for the winner, two for second and one for third, what was excellent entertainment for the big turn-out of spectators was deadly serious for competitors and Bou won from Marcelli and Busto while Abellan edged out Rabino and Pecháčková. However, due to technical issues it was agreed between all interested parties that points would not be awarded on this occasion.
Billy Green at 2025 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship in Benhavis, Spain © Future7Media
With reigning Trial2 champion Jack Peace (Sherco) moving up to TrialGP this season, British rider Green – champion in 2023 – got his bid to regain the title off to a winning start with victory in both Races.
The twenty-three-year-old won the first race on a total of nine after defeating electric motorcycle-mounted 2022 champion Sondre Haga (GASGAS) from Norway on a tie-break. Britain’s Harry Turner (Sherco) was a fantastic third on twelve, one clear of French former TrialGP competitor Benoit Bincaz (Electric Motion) with Spain’s Arnau Farré (Sherco) fifth on fourteen.
With the sections fully dialled in, Green dropped his score to a solitary dab to win Race Two with his compatriot Harry Hemingway (Beta) improving to second on two marks lost after ending Race One a disappointing eighth, one position behind his younger brother George Hemingway (Beta) who was making his class debut after taking back-to-back Trial3 crowns in 2023 and 2024.
“The Trial was maybe a little easier than we expected,” said Green. “The second race was very close and to win both races today has made me very happy.”
Bincaz improved to third on four with Spain’s Miquel Gelabert (Honda), who was giving the new RTL Electric its FIM Trial World Championship debut after dropping down from TrialGP, climbing the leaderboard to fourth on seven, one ahead of Britain’s Jack Dance (GASGAS).
Matilda Arbon at 2025 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship in Benhavis, Spain © Future7Media
The highest-placed finisher in last season’s Trial2 Women class in action today, Italy’s Sara Trentini (TRRS) kept to the form book to win Race One on twenty-eight with Swiss series newcomer Aylen Scalvedi (Montesa) taking second on thirty-one after coming out on top of a three-way tie-break with the British pairing of Arbon and Sophie Bailey (GASGAS).
In another incredibly close contest, Race Two saw Arbon win a tie-break with French rider Margaux Pena (Electric Motion) on twenty-five, one clear of Trentini, to take the series lead tied on points with Trentini.
“It was a tough day, but good,” said Arbon. “I wasn’t sure what to expect so I’m very happy to have the series lead.”
Jonas Jorgensen 2025 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship in Benhavis, Spain © Future7Media
Trial3 saw Norwegian Jonas Jorgensen (Beta) win Race One on ten, five ahead of a tie-break for second between Jin Kuroyama (Sherco) from Japan and Britain’s Harison Skelton (Scorpa) before America’s Ryon Land (Sherco) picked up the pace in Race Two, parting with just four marks to win by seven from Jorgensen and eight from Skelton.
“Today has been unbelievable,” said series leader Jorgensen. “It has been my dream from being very young and now finally I’m on top.”
The focus now shifts to day two’s action from Benahavis that is scheduled to get under way tomorrow at 09:00 local time.
Taking the 2025 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship to a global audience, FIM-MOTO.TV will stream all rounds LIVE including behind-the-scenes footage, interviews and expert analysis with a season pass covering all seven rounds and the FIM Trial des Nations priced at €34.90.
In addition, for all 2025 rounds the opening race in Trial2 on all scoring days will be streamed free on FIM-MOTO.TV and TrialGP and TrialGP Women action from race two on all scoring days will be available via a pay-per-view pass.
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