Emma Bristow (Sherco) maintained her perfect starts to the 2024 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship on day two of the Taisei Rotec TrialGP of Japan with a winning performance in the TrialGP Women class to back up her victory on the opening day while Jack Peace (Sherco) finished the second day on top in Trial2.
Bristow is aiming to close her career in the top-flight with a tenth TrialGP Women title in eleven years and the thirty-three-year-old British star, who plans to retire at the end of the season, claimed her second win of the weekend – although it was a close-run thing.
Spain’s Berta Abellan (Scorpa) put in a sensational opening lap of just two to lead the defending champion by eleven before suffering technical problems at the halfway stage of the second lap. As Bristow picked up the pace, adding just five to her total, Abellan piled up the marks in the final seven sections of the Trial and she slipped to third on a total of thirty-seven, ten behind Andrea Sofia Rabino (Beta) from Italy.
“I rode a lot better on the last lap and didn’t have any silly fives,” said Bristow. “I think that was my fiftieth GP win so I’m really proud. I’m very happy, but the hard work continues.”
Completing an identical top five to yesterday, Naomi Monnier (Montesa) and Alice Minta (Scorpa) ended the day in fourth and fifth, although this time around the French rider’s score of forty-three put her just two ahead of the twenty-year-old British talent.
Trial2 is always a close-fought class with multiple title contenders and today it was British rider Peace who staked an early claim to the crown with a narrow three-mark win ahead of Alex Canales (Sherco) from Spain with France’s Gael Chatagno (Electric Motion) a further one mark behind in third.
Peace broke free from the chasing pack on the first lap with his total of three putting him five ahead of yesterday’s winner Sondre Haga (GASGAS) and eight clear of Canales. It proved to be a decisive advantage and despite three maximums on lap two Peace was able to defend his lead from Canales and Chatagno as Haga dropped out of contention and back to fifth behind Britain’s Jack Dance (GASGAS) who failed to finish yesterday.
“I had a really good second lap yesterday and I carried that form into today,” said Peace. “I was nice and relaxed and had a brilliant first lap. I made a few mistakes on the second, but it was still good enough to get the win so I’m really happy.”
The result sees Peace lead the championship on thirty-three points, just one ahead of a two-way tie for second between Chatagno and Canales with Haga another point behind in fourth.
The focus now shifts to Sant Julià de Lòria, high in the Pyrenees, for the TrialGP of Andorra – round two of the 2024 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship – on 7-9 June where the competitors in TrialGP and Trial2 will be joined by the rising stars of the Trial3 class.