2024 FIM Trial des Nations
The Spanish men’s team of Toni Bou (Montesa), Gabriel Marcelli (Montesa) and Adam Raga (Sherco) swept to a record-breaking twentieth consecutive victory at the FIM Trial des Nations (TdN) over the weekend, on home ground at Pobladura de las Regueras.
Great Britain retained the ladies’ title, Japan made it back-to-back wins in the International Trophy class and victory in the Challenge des Nations went to Italy.
Australia’s men’s and women’s teams finished 11th and ninth respectively in the slippery conditions in Spain.
The annual contest to decide the world’s leading Trial nation has gone the Spaniards’ way every year it has been staged since 2004 and with a powerhouse team featuring three of this year’s four top-ranked TrialGP riders a different outcome never looked likely.
Rain yesterday gave way to a foggy, overcast morning and grip was in short supply in the early stages on the challenging Circuito Permanente de Trial course that combined a mix of made-made sections constructed from huge rocks and massive logs with natural hazards plotted in a riverbed that made full use of the steep surrounding bankings.
With each nations’ best two scores from each section to count, after seizing an immediate lead when they stayed clean through the opening section the Spanish trio never looked seriously troubled and their first lap total of thirteen on observation, even after eight time penalties were added, put them twenty-five marks clear of their nearest challengers Italy and thirty-two up on third-placed France.
Further tightening the screw, Spain added seventeen on observation and four on time on lap two, ending the day on a total of forty-two to hammer home their dominance and say an emotional goodbye to Raga who, at forty-two years old, has just announced his retirement from top-flight Trial.
Toni Bou
“I am very happy with this new victory in the Trial of Nations, this year we had a great team with my teammate Gabri and Adam. It’s always special to compete at home and we enjoyed the day. Also, it was Adam’s last race before his retirement, so this was a pleasure to share this victory with him. I want to thank the Spanish Federation for choosing me for another year and I am very happy with this title. Now we will focus on the next challenge, which is the X-Trial World Championship.”
Bronze medallists in 2023, the unchanged Italian team of Matteo Grattarola (Beta), Luca Petrella (GASGAS) and Lorenzo Gandola (Beta) were the only nation to avoid time penalties on their second lap and after scoring an additional forty marks to take their total to eighty-six they ended the day a clear second from France.
Fielding Benoit Bincaz (Sherco), Hugo Dufrese (GASGAS) and Gaël Chatagno (Electric Motion), the French were in definite contention for silver after the opening lap, but lost ground in the closing stages to finish on one-hundred-and-six.
This initially gave them third by two marks from the British team of Toby Martyn (Montesa), Jack Peace (Sherco) and Billy Green (Scorpa) before the British were disqualified for exceeding the event time limit which moved Norway – represented by Sondre Haga (GASGAS), Mats Nilsen (TRRS) and Jarand-Matias Vold Gunvaldsen (TRRS) – up a position on a total of one-hundred-and-seventy-three.
The British team travelled to Spain as reigning women’s champions and with ten-time TrialGP Women champion Emma Bristow (Sherco) leading from the front with support from Kaytlyn Adshead (TRRS) and Alice Minta (Scorpa) they barely put a wheel wrong.
Recording two laps of seven marks and with no time penalties, Britain’s total of fourteen saw them win by thirty from the Italian trio of Andrea Sofia Rabino (Beta), Alessia Bacchetta (GASGAS) and Martina Gallieni (Scorpa) whose score included six time penalties from the first lap.
FIM Trial des Nations Results
- Spain – 42 points
- Italy – 86 points
- France – 106 points
- Norway – 173 points
- Great Britain – DSQ
Women’s
Women’s class winners of three of the previous four editions of the TdN, Spain gave their team an infusion of fresh blood this year with world number two Berta Abellan (Scorpa) joined by event debutantes Laia Pi (Beta) and Daniela Hernando (Beta). It was a bold move, but their inexperience showed and they ended the day one mark adrift of the Italians in third with five time penalties.
The Czech team of Denisa Pechackova (TRRS) and Petra Budinova (TRRS) ended the day in fourth on fifty-six with Germany’s Theresa Angst (Beta), Sophia Ter Jung (TRRS) and Vivian Wachs (TRRS) completing the top five on sixty-five with thirteen time penalties.
On the challenging circuit that combined a mix of man-made sections, massive logs and natural hazards aplenty, Australian’s women’s team of Jenna Lupo (TRRS), Kaitlyn Cummins (TRRS) and Lillie Yiatrou (Vertigo) remained in ninth for the duration of the event.
FIM Trial des Nations Women’s Results
- Great Britain – 14 points
- Italy – 44
- Spain – 45
- Czech Republic – 56
- Germany – 65
- United States – 71
- France – 91
- Norway – 182
- Australia – 202
- Canada – 268
International Trophy/Challenge des Nations
Competition is always fierce in the second-tier International Trophy class and for the second consecutive year it was Japan who ran out winners with their team of Tsuyoshi Ogawa (Beta), Shinya Hirohata (Montesa) and Jin Kuroyama (Sherco) establishing a strong advantage on the opening lap and then holding on to win on fifteen.
Represented by Josh Roper (GASGAS), Alex Myers (Scorpa) and Alex Niederer (Beta), the USA were just three behind in second with Germany’s Jonathan Heidel (Beta), Rodney Bereiter (Beta) and Hendrik Binder (Beta) completing the podium on nineteen.
The Aussie men’s team – TRRS-riding trio Jonathan Chellas, Connor Hogan and Chris Bayles – fought hard until the end in the International Trophy division. They finished the two-lap 30-section TdN on 45pts in 11th, just 10 behind fifth-placed Andorra in what was a logjammed mid-table battle.
Contested by two-rider, mixed teams, the third edition of the Challenge des Nations was won by 2022 winners Italy represented by Fabio Mazzola (TRRS) and Martina Brandani (Sherco) on fifty-one, eleven ahead of defending champions Norway who fielded Jonas Jørgensen (Beta) and Seline Meling (Beta). Germany’s Ben Reumschuessel (TRRS) and Hannah Schneider (Beta) were third on ninety-two.
International Trophy Results
- Japan – 15
- USA – 18
- Germany – 19
- Austria – 25
- Andorra – 35
- Finland – 37
- Czech Republic – 39
- Ireland – 39
- Polant – 39
- Sweden – 40
- Australia – 48
Challenge des Nations Results
- Italy – 51
- Norway – 62
- Germany – 92
- Sweden – 119
- United States – 154
- Portugal – 230
