Trial GP Netherlands Day 1 Results: Toni Bou Wins Again

Toni Bou once again came out on top on Day 1 of the TrialGP Netherlands, but the story behind the champion is far more competitive. Jaime Busto, Gabriel Marcelli, Matteo Grattarola and Miquel Gelabert are separated by a handful of championship points, while Trial2 and Trial3 produced their own fascinating battles heading into Sunday.

The opening day of the TrialGP Netherlands has done exactly what a championship round should do: put pressure on the title contenders while creating plenty of questions for Day 2.

Toni Bou continued his remarkable 2026 season by taking the TrialGP Day 1 victory, collecting the maximum 40 championship points from the two-race format. But behind the Repsol Honda HRC rider, the order was considerably closer, with Jaime Busto finishing second overall on 32 points and Matteo Grattarola edging Gabriel Marcelli and Miquel Gelabert in the battle for the remaining podium positions.

With another full day of competition still to come, there is plenty that can change. For some riders, Day 1 was about establishing control. For others, it was about limiting the damage and putting themselves in position to fight back.

Toni Bou Does What Toni Bou Does

Bou's Day 1 result was another reminder of just how difficult he is to beat in 2026.

The Montesa rider produced scores of 9 in Race 1 and 9 in Race 2, giving him a remarkably consistent day and 40 championship points from the two races.

What stands out is not simply that Bou won. It is the lack of a major mistake when the pressure was on. Across the two races, he was able to keep the penalty total extremely low while the riders around him were giving away considerably more marks.

That consistency has been one of the defining features of Bou's season. While other riders can match him for individual sections or occasionally produce a spectacular ride, Bou continues to put together complete days with almost no weakness.

My view: Day 1 has not given Bou a reason to change anything. The pressure on Sunday is instead on everyone trying to stop him.

Busto Second, But Marcelli Is Still a Major Threat

Jaime Busto finished second in the TrialGP classification with 32 championship points, and his Day 1 performance is particularly interesting when looking towards Sunday.

Busto recorded a 17-mark score in both races, showing just how closely matched his two rides were. He was unable to get close enough to Bou to challenge for the overall victory, but he did enough to stay ahead of the rest of the field.

Gabriel Marcelli, meanwhile, finished fourth overall with 26 championship points.

That result may look slightly disappointing for the Repsol Honda HRC rider, particularly after his strong performance in the Super Test, but the gap to Busto is not large enough to write Marcelli off.

In fact, Marcelli's position could make Sunday one of the most interesting parts of the weekend. He knows he has the pace to run at the front, but he needs to turn that speed into a cleaner overall result when the marks start adding up.

With the championship fight behind Bou still so tight, one strong Sunday from Marcelli could completely change the complexion of the Netherlands round.

Grattarola Takes Third as the Fight Behind Bou Gets Messy

Matteo Grattarola came away from Day 1 in third place with 27 championship points.

His position is particularly important because the gap between the riders immediately behind Bou is extremely small. Grattarola finished just one championship point ahead of Marcelli and two ahead of Miquel Gelabert.

That means the battle for the podium is far from settled.

Miquel Gelabert finished fifth with 25 points, while Harry Hemingway took sixth on 22 points. Jack Peace was seventh with 18, followed by Hugo Dufrese and Sondre Haga on 15 apiece.

One clean or near-clean section can make a huge difference when the riders are this closely packed. That makes Day 2 less about simply chasing the rider directly ahead and more about avoiding the costly mistakes that can turn a podium challenge into a mid-pack result.

TrialGP Day 1 Classification

Pos	Rider	Nation	Day 1 Championship Points
1	Toni Bou	Spain	40
2	Jaime Busto	Spain	32
3	Matteo Grattarola	Italy	27
4	Gabriel Marcelli	Spain	26
5	Miquel Gelabert	Spain	25
6	Harry Hemingway	Great Britain	22
7	Jack Peace	Great Britain	18
8	Hugo Dufrese	France	15
9	Sondre Haga	Norway	15

Trial2: Arnau Farré Wins a Very Important Day

The Trial2 class produced one of the more significant results of the day, with Arnau Farré taking the overall Day 1 victory.

Farré scored 11 marks in Race 1 before improving further with just 7 in Race 2. That gave the Sherco rider 37 championship points from the day.

George Hemingway matched Farré on 37 championship points and finished second, while Alex Canales Martos took third with 30.

The result is particularly important because the Trial2 championship has been one of the most unpredictable categories this season. Different riders have been capable of winning, and the championship fight has repeatedly changed direction from one day to the next.

Farré's ability to improve from 11 marks to seven in his second race is exactly the kind of progression that can turn a strong Saturday into a championship-changing weekend.

Canales Still in the Fight

Alex Canales Martos has plenty to take from his third-place finish. He collected 15 championship points from each race for a 30-point total, keeping him firmly within reach of the leaders.

George Hemingway is also right there after an impressive second-place day, while Gerard Trueba Tio, Benoit Bincaz and Harry Turner remain within striking distance.

For Day 2, the key question is whether Farré can repeat the consistency that delivered the victory on Saturday. If he can, he has put himself in an excellent position. If the chasing riders find another level, however, Trial2 could easily produce another change at the front.

Trial2 Day 1 Classification

Pos	Rider	Nation	Day 1 Championship Points
1	Arnau Farré	Spain	37
2	George Hemingway	Great Britain	37
3	Alex Canales Martos	Spain	30
4	Gerard Trueba Tio	Spain	23
5	Benoit Bincaz	France	20
6	Harry Turner	Great Britain	20
7	David Fabian	Czech Republic	17
8	Pablo Echene	France	14
9	Ryon Land	USA	12
10	Billy Green	Great Britain	11

Trial3: Harison Skelton Takes Control

Harison Skelton produced one of the strongest rides of the day in Trial3, taking the Day 1 victory with 37 championship points.

Skelton's performance was built around an excellent second race, where he dropped just five marks. After a 17-mark first race, that improvement was enough to put him at the top of the classification.

Marco Laure finished second with 33 points, while Fabio Mazzola completed the podium on 26.

What makes the Trial3 result particularly interesting is how quickly the order can change. Laure was extremely close to Skelton, while Mazzola remained within reach of the front after a 31-mark first race and a much-improved six-mark second race.

Max Dance also deserves attention after finishing fourth on 24 points. He was consistent across both races, and another strong second day could put him into the podium conversation.

Skelton Has Momentum, But Day 2 Is a Different Challenge

From a championship perspective, Skelton's result is important because it gives him exactly what a rider wants at this stage of a round: momentum.

The biggest positive is the way he responded after Race 1. Rather than allowing the 17-mark score to dictate his day, he came back with just five marks in Race 2.

That is the kind of response that can win championships.

But Skelton cannot afford to relax on Sunday. Laure is only four championship points behind him from Day 1, while Mazzola and Dance are close enough to take advantage of even a small mistake.

Trial3 Day 1 Classification

Pos	Rider	Nation	Day 1 Championship Points
1	Harison Skelton	Great Britain	37
2	Marco Laure	Germany	33
3	Fabio Mazzola	Italy	26
4	Max Dance	Great Britain	24
5	Patrick Bjornland Larsen	Norway	24
6	Oscar Wuensch	Germany	23
7	Oriol Garcia Campano	Spain	20
8	Fenno Goertz	Netherlands	16
9	Max Golla	Great Britain	14
10	Lennox Schlosser	Germany	14

What Day 1 Means for Sunday

The biggest takeaway from the Netherlands is that the three classes are heading into Day 2 with very different stories.

In TrialGP, Bou has created the perfect situation for himself. He has the maximum Day 1 points and another victory would further strengthen his already dominant championship position. The real fight is behind him, where Busto, Grattarola, Marcelli and Gelabert are separated by only a small number of points.

Marcelli is the rider I will be watching most closely on Sunday. His fourth-place Day 1 result does not reflect a lack of speed. What he needs is a cleaner overall ride. If he can reduce the costly marks, he has the ability to turn the tables on Busto and Grattarola.

Trial2 could be the most unpredictable class of the weekend. Farré and George Hemingway both ended Day 1 on 37 championship points, with Canales only seven points further back. There is no comfortable lead, and one difficult section could completely rearrange the podium.

Trial3 belongs to Skelton for now, but the four-point advantage over Laure is hardly decisive. Mazzola and Dance are also close enough to apply pressure. Skelton's second-race improvement is encouraging, but he will need to reproduce that level of consistency again.

My Take: Bou Is in Control, Everyone Else Is Racing for Position

Day 1 has reinforced something we have seen throughout this TrialGP season: Toni Bou is operating at a different level.

That does not mean the Netherlands round is predictable. Quite the opposite.

The battle for second in TrialGP is fascinating, Trial2 remains wide open and Trial3 has produced another close fight at the front. For those championship contenders, Sunday is about turning small advantages into a complete result.

Bou can afford to look at the bigger championship picture. His rivals cannot.

That could make Day 2 even more aggressive, because the riders behind him know that simply finishing second may not be enough if they want to make a serious impact on the championship.

The Netherlands has therefore set up an intriguing second day: Bou looking for another win, Busto and Marcelli fighting for the runner-up battle, Trial2 wide open between Farré, Hemingway and Canales, and Skelton trying to convert Saturday's momentum into another Trial3 victory.

Sunday should provide the answers.