Reigning TrialGP king Toni Bou and women’s front-runner Berta Abellan proved unstoppable across both days of the 2025 TrialGP of Portugal, tightening their grip on the championship leads at round two of the Hertz FIM Trial World Championship.
With a brutal, rock-strewn course in Viana do Castelo dishing out plenty of challenges, the Spanish duo rose to the top—Bou doing the double in TrialGP and Abellan trading wins with Italy’s Andrea Sofia Rabino to leave Portugal with a bigger points buffer.
Bou Bounces Clear
Bou’s opening-day win came the hard way. With rain leading up to the event leaving the steep hillside slick and treacherous, the 38-year-old Montesa legend found his flow from section five onward, pulling clear despite a late five to take a five-mark win over Jaime Busto. Italy’s Matteo Grattarola grabbed third on a tiebreak ahead of Gabriel Marcelli.
In the second race of the day, Bou again had the edge early but was pushed hard by Busto. A costly maximum on section eleven brought the fight alive, but Busto’s own mistake on the final section handed Bou a slightly flattering six-mark win. “The second race was more difficult,” Bou admitted. “I am super-happy with both victories as they are very important for the championship.”
Sunday brought drier conditions, and the pace ramped up. Bou was pushed in the opening race, eventually tying on score with Busto but getting the nod on tiebreak. Then, in Race Two, he laid down a masterclass—just six marks dropped across the course with only one section requiring more than a dab. “It’s been great for us and the mood is very good in the team,” Bou said after extending his series lead to a commanding 22 points.
Grattarola pushed through to finish second in the final race, three ahead of Busto with Marcelli just behind. A clean final section from Britain’s Jack Peace earned him fifth, continuing an impressive debut season.
Abellan Pulls Clear in TrialGP Women
Berta Abellan came into Portugal with just four points over Rabino and left with breathing room. Saturday didn’t start her way—Rabino was untouchable in the first race with a tidy nine-mark ride to finish two ahead of the Spaniard—but Abellan bounced back with a commanding win in the second, finishing eight clear of her Italian rival.
“I didn’t start too well,” Abellan said. “My body positioning and throttle control were not right, but the second race went much better and I felt very good on the bike.”
Sunday’s opener was a repeat of their ongoing tug-of-war. Both finished on 18 marks, but Rabino won the tiebreak. Abellan responded with her best ride of the weekend in Race Two, cruising to victory with just seven marks lost, while Rabino slipped to fifteen.
“The first race was not so good, but I’m very happy to win the second,” she said. “Portugal has been good – I’ve really enjoyed it.”
Power Section Drama
Both days wrapped up with the high-stakes, high-speed Power Section, offering bonus points and plenty of spectacle. Bou snatched the win on Saturday in 25.81 seconds, ahead of Busto and Grattarola. But on Sunday, it all went sideways—the champ caught his sump on the wooden crates and failed to finish, handing top honours to Busto.
In the women’s Power Section, Abellan clocked Saturday’s fastest time (25.01) to extend her lead, but Sunday belonged to France’s Naomi Monnier, who blazed through in 20.65 ahead of Kaytlyn Adshead and Alice Minta.
Hemingway Breaks Through in Trial2
After a quiet showing in Spain, Harry Hemingway turned it on in Portugal. Second to Miquel Gelabert on Saturday, Hemingway came out swinging on Sunday, matching Billy Green in Race Two and taking the overall win on tiebreak—his first career victory and enough to hand him the series lead.
“It’s been an amazing weekend,” Hemingway said. “I’ve learnt a lot and it’s a great feeling to get that first win under my belt.”
Gelabert was dominant in Saturday’s second race, dropping just five marks on the new RTL Electric to beat George Hemingway by eight. “After last weekend, I was not pleased with myself, so today’s results have been great,” he said.
With the tightest field of all, Trial2 saw names like Jack Dance, Harry Turner, and Sondre Haga all in the mix, with podiums often coming down to tiebreaks. Green, meanwhile, was always in the hunt, finishing third on Saturday and second in the final race.
Land Lights It Up in Trial3
American newcomer Ryon Land continues to turn heads in Trial3. The teenager won both overall days in Portugal, going two-from-two in the points-scoring races and moving to the top of the standings. “I feel like my dreams are coming true,” he said. “My first race was amazing so I went into Race Two full of confidence.”
His closest challengers were Norway’s Jonas Jorgensen and Japan’s Jin Kuroyama, who kept the heat on with podiums across the weekend. A pair of fourths from Britain’s Harison Skelton kept him in the title chase too.
Trial2 Women Still Wide Open
With no single rider able to dominate, Trial2 Women remains a scrap. Norway’s Wilde Moi edged Britain’s Sophie Bailey on Saturday with five-two scores to Bailey’s four-three. Italy’s Sara Trentini built on her championship lead despite a tough second race, and Spain’s Daniela Hernando stormed to victory on Sunday.
After two tough rounds of back-to-back races in Portugal, the 2025 TrialGP season heads deeper into Europe with Bou and Abellan firmly in charge—but with the tight margins across every class, nothing is set in stone just yet.
