The Repsol Honda HRC team rider talks after his first victory in the TrialGP World Championship.
This past weekend, Gabriel Marcelli took his first win in the TrialGP World Championship. He did so in the United States, besting his teammate and title favourite Toni Bou in the contest. Marcelli spoke after the victory to express his delight with the result.
How did it feel to finally get your first win?
“It’s great! Honestly, I’m on cloud nine. In the end, I’ve been in the top class for a few seasons now, taking a step forward each year, getting closer to achieving this objective. For one reason or another, it had always eluded me. I’d come close to winning, but never quite achieved it, and doing it here in the United States is very special. In fact, I have very fond memories of the last time I was here, in 2017, when I also took two wins at Kingman in the Trial 2 class. To end the weekend like this, on such a high note, is a dream come true.”
What has been the key to taking this step forward to fight for wins?
“A little more maturity. I think I’ve taken a small step forward in terms of my skill, although it’s perhaps harder to make progress in this regard. But in terms of my maturity, race vision, concentration, and the way I handle pressure, I suppose I’ve improved a little and matured more. On Saturday, for example, I made a lot of avoidable mistakes. At the end of that day I wasn’t happy at all, despite finishing third, because I didn’t feel bad on the bike and I saw there were many mistakes that I could correct. I took note of that and knew the second day would be better for us; I was clear about that. I didn’t know that I would win, but I knew what I was going to do better.”
What was the hardest part of the victory?
“As the final sections approached, I knew I was leading the race, and it was going through my head. I struggled a bit because of the pressure, because it wasn’t my first time; I had been very close to winning for several races, and in the end, in the final zones, I ended up making a mistake that made me go from leading to finishing second or third on those occasions. Every time you fail and don’t make it, when you’re so close, you have an extra bit of pressure on you for the next time. Getting this win also takes a weight off my shoulders and means I can ride a little more calmly in the upcoming races, with an extra bit of confidence.”
How did you handle the pressure?
“In the Spanish Championship, I’m used to fighting for victory and the title -and to handling the pressure. However, it’s not the same pressure as I had here. The World Championship is the World Championship. I’ve also raced in Trial2, where I won races; I’ve won a World Championship in that class and I was on the podium many times, for many years… But this time I had that extra pressure, I don’t know if it’s because I was competing against Toni, whether it was that thorn in my side of not having been able to beat him yet in the World Championship -at least in the Outdoor series. I knew that it had to be the day, no matter what, and it’s a lot of pressure. Sometimes that means you don’t ride as well as you could.”
When did you really see that you could win?
“Normally, I prefer not to know the scores until the last two zones or so, and I just focus on riding my own race. This time, halfway through the second lap, my team came over to tell me our score and how we were doing, because it’s a situation where it’s important to know that. Luckily, it’s not something that affected me, or at least not much in terms of making mistakes. It also helped me know what I had to do in the following zones, since this race was a little different from the previous ones -because I had information from the first day.”
“It’s possible for the future to not only fight to win races, but also win the World Championship”
What advice did Fuji give you, and what was the team’s role in achieving this victory?
“The Repsol Honda HRC team’s role is incredibly important. In the end, without them, this victory wouldn’t have come, that’s clear. The team worked incredibly hard: Aitor, Arnau, and Fuji, everyone. Fuji, as always, shows me videos, lines taken by other riders who’ve gone ahead of me, gearing tips, etc. Not in every section, but he was giving me some kind of advice the whole time. The team and I, compared to Saturday, took a step forward, because I had made mistakes that were perfectly avoidable.”
How do you maintain your level and achieve more victories?
“I’ll tell you that after the next victory, but I think we have a good working method, good discipline, a very high level of performance, and an unbeatable team. The bike is also really competitive, so in the end it’s the perfect recipe for more wins. Obviously, it’s very difficult to beat Toni, because he’s outstanding, but it’s not impossible. This time it was my first win; I’ve managed to break my duck. We have to continue in the same way, fine tuning some things, but I think the foundation is very good, and I have to keep training the same way.”
Where do you think you can improve?
“Having an extra bit of confidence, which you get by training and feeling good on the bike and, obviously, putting in good performances. Once you string together good races, that also motivates you, makes you believe in yourself a little more, makes you feel better, and helps you give 120% in every section. That’s what Toni has, along with an extraordinary talent, obviously. He’s very confident and knows exactly what he has to do at every moment or at every zone. I still have to work on that, gaining more experience and improving my racing skills. I think we’re already doing a good job. Obviously, all of this is something that you refine and improve over the years.”
Toni seemed happy with your win, despite it delaying his chance to win the title…
“Yes, without a doubt. Toni was also very happy that I got this victory. In the end, if he doesn’t win, I think he wants me to win. I saw he was very happy. He’s a very good teammate; he’s always helped me a lot, and whilst I spoiled his World Championship celebrations a bit, he was still very happy that I was able to finally win my first race. We have a very good relationship and we both respect each other a lot.”
What are your plans for the summer break after the Spanish Championship?
“Obviously, I’m going to take advantage of it to unwind a bit, because we have a fairly intense competition schedule coming up. This season has been quite tough, and the idea is to rest a bit and to unwind, which your body appreciates -and your mind even more so. We have a round of the Spanish Championship to come, so I’ll keep going, and then I want to enjoy a couple of weeks off to reset and face the last race of the World Championship with a lot of motivation and my batteries recharged.”
After this victory, can you dream of one day winning the World Championship?
“Of course I can dream of a title; maybe I still lack experience and maturity, and it will be tough if Toni is up there. He has a lot of experience, wisdom, and titles, more than any other rider. Obviously, that makes it very difficult to beat him for a World Championship. But if I’ve managed to beat him in a race, then why can’t I beat him in a World Championship? I think that if I keep fine-tuning details, gaining experience, and improving my skill, it’s possible for the future to not only fight to win races, but also win the World Championship.”
