Toni Bou has added another remarkable chapter to an already unmatched career, wrapping up his twentieth consecutive TrialGP World Championship title at the TrialGP of the Netherlands as the 2026 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship headed into its penultimate round at Zelhem.
The purpose-built Dutch venue delivered one of the most unique challenges of the season, with giant concrete pipes, massive boulders and man-made obstacles testing the world’s best trials riders across two days of competition. While Bou secured yet another crown in TrialGP, the championship battles in Trial2 and Trial3 Junior remained alive deep into the weekend, with Britain’s Harison Skelton also celebrating a world title of his own.
TrialGP: Bou seals historic twentieth crown
Few championships have appeared as inevitable as the 2026 TrialGP title race, but Toni Bou still had work to do arriving in the Netherlands. The Repsol Honda HRC rider wasted little time tightening his grip on the championship, winning both races on Saturday to move within touching distance of another title.
After topping Friday’s Super Test, Bou mastered the wet and slippery conditions on day one to claim victory in the opening race with just nine marks lost. Early pressure from fellow Spaniards Gabriel Marcelli and Jaime Busto faded as the Montesa rider steadily built a comfortable advantage.
Busto claimed second in the opening race ahead of Honda-mounted electric rider Miquel Gelabert, while Marcelli finished fourth.
The second race was more dramatic. Busto initially looked set to challenge for victory after a strong Super Pole performance, but Bou once again delivered under pressure. A composed ride through the Final and Super Final stages saw him take another win and complete a perfect Saturday.
“It feels amazing today to have won both races,” Bou said. “Tomorrow is another day and I will be fighting to the end.”
Sunday presented Bou with the opportunity to mathematically secure the championship, and he grabbed it at the first opportunity.
Despite an early maximum score in section two of race one, the Spaniard recovered brilliantly, cleaning every remaining section to claim victory and officially secure his twentieth consecutive TrialGP World Championship. The title also marked the fortieth world championship crown of his extraordinary career.
“I’m so happy. Winning my 40th world title is incredible, and it’s still hard to believe we did it,” Bou said. “This season has been amazing; we’ve been very consistent and made good decisions at crucial moments.”
“I want to especially thank the team for all their hard work, because without them none of this would be possible. To be able to clinch the title here, before the final race, is very special.”
With the championship secured, Bou chased another race win in Sunday’s second outing. However, a costly mistake at section four opened the door for Busto, who capitalised to hand Bou his first race defeat of the season. Busto took the victory by two marks, ending Bou’s unbeaten race streak while Bou still secured overall honours for the weekend.
Marcelli rebounded from a difficult Saturday to finish third in Sunday’s opening race, keeping himself firmly in the battle for championship silver. He followed that with fourth in race two.
“I’m not happy with today’s result,” Marcelli admitted. “I made a few mistakes, but I felt comfortable on the bike and the feeling was good.”
“We salvaged something with this third place, but in Pobladura we’ll have to give it our all to take the runner-up spot.”
Heading to the final round in Spain, Busto now holds a seven-point advantage over Marcelli in the fight for second place in the TrialGP standings.
Trial2: Farré holds firm as Hemingway closes in
The Trial2 championship battle took another twist across the weekend as Spain’s Arnau Farré and Britain’s George Hemingway traded victories.
Fresh from taking over the championship lead at the previous round in France, Farré carried that momentum into Zelhem. Starting from the back of the field after winning the Super Test, the Sherco rider claimed victory in Saturday’s opening race and followed it with second place in race two behind Hemingway.
“I am very happy with the win,” Farré said. “The sections were easier than I expected after yesterday’s rain and the points are good for the championship, although there is still a long way to go.”
Hemingway responded on Sunday with arguably his strongest performance of the season. The Beta rider won the opening race on a tie-break and then produced a flawless clean ride in race two to complete a perfect day.
“It’s my first overall win of the year and it’s taken a long time,” Hemingway said. “But I’m happy with two race wins today and staying clean in the second, so I’m looking forward to the final round.”
The weekend dramatically tightened the championship standings. Farré remains in control, but Hemingway’s double victory elevated him to second in the standings and reduced the gap to just 13 points with one round remaining.
Former championship leader Alex Canales remains firmly in contention as well, leaving just 18 points separating the top three riders heading into Spain.
Trial3 Junior: Skelton claims maiden world title
The Trial3 Junior championship reached its conclusion in the Netherlands and delivered a fitting finale to one of the closest title fights of the season.
Britain’s Harison Skelton and Italy’s Fabio Mazzola arrived in Zelhem tied on points, setting the stage for a winner-takes-all showdown.
Saturday belonged largely to Germany’s Marco Laure, who dominated the opening race and claimed victory. However, Skelton’s consistency proved critical as he finished second before backing it up with victory in race two. Mazzola could only manage seventh in the opening race, handing Skelton a valuable championship advantage.
“It’s been a good day, although in the first race I had a few tense moments,” Skelton said after Saturday’s action. “I’ve got a good lead going into tomorrow so I’ll just try to keep my feet up, do my best and I’ll see if I can secure the title.”
Skelton completed the job on Sunday. While Laure again impressed to secure overall honours for the day, Skelton’s second-place finish in race one and third in race two were enough to clinch the Trial3 Junior World Championship.
“A world championship title – I can’t believe it,” Skelton said. “It’s taken me many, many years to get to this stage and here I am. I’m pretty much speechless.”
The result secured Skelton’s first FIM World Championship, with Mazzola taking the silver medal and Laure completing the season podium in third.
The 2026 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship now heads to Pobladura de las Regueras in Spain on September 18-20 for the final round of the season, where the Trial2 title remains undecided, and the battle for runner-up honours in TrialGP will be settled.
