2026 Fim X-Trial Round Six Leeds, England – Michelin Take the Top Spot with Toni Bou
On a formidable night of motorcycle trials that will be talked about for a long while yet and one that will be remembered as the night that Toni Bou (Repsol Honda-ESP) was pushed all the way with a rider from Great Britain celebrating his 20th birthday, Harry Hemingway (Beta). In a tense and exciting evening of superb trials skills in front of 4,000 spectators it was the master Toni Bou who once again took the top step of the podium at the First Direct Bank Arena in Leeds in the North of England in round six of the 2026 FIM X-Trial World Championship. On a night full of entertaining two-wheeled skills it was only a single mark advantage over local rider Harry Hemingway that gave Bou the win in one of the most exciting finishes in the 2026 season that was won in the final section of the day sponsored by Michelin Tyres.
It was a strong international entry that had come to do battle at round six in the First Direct Bank Arena, Leeds, England that consisted of eight of the best riders in the world. This included the 19 x FIM X-Trial World Champion Toni Bou (Repsol Honda-ESP), Jaime Busto (GASGAS-ESP); Gabriel Marcelli (Repsol Honda-ESP) and Matteo Grattarola (Beta-ITA) to be joined by the sensation of this years championship Harry Hemingway (Beta-GBR), Jack Peace (Sherco-GBR), Hugo Defresse (Beta-FRA) and 17 year old George Hemingway (Beta-GBR). The 2026 season started in Andorra on the 4th October 2025 with some improvements to the competition format. Included in the Leeds Arena as part of the event would be the section dominated by the huge Michelin tyres as the backdrop to the evening’s entertainment.
The two main changes for this season are the course and sections for Q2 and the Superpole which are identical and the fact that the Q2 winner will not compete in the Superpole and their score will serve as a benchmark for the three riders who qualify from Q1. The other elements of each round remain unchanged which includes Q1 with the top three riders qualifying for the Final. Q2 is contested using the time based Sprint system which determines the fourth finalist followed by a Sprint Superpole which determines the starting positions for the final. Regarding the final FIM X-Trial Championship standings, riders will no longer be able to discard their worst result, meaning that each event will directly influence the final standings of the 2026 season.
With everyone seated the early evening start would introduce the eight riders before the action commenced to do battle over man-made hazards consisting of a variety of materials including steel, wood and concrete all laid out to test the best in the world before finishing with the Michelin section made up of huge earth moving tyres and shipping containers. With a six minute time allowance it would see the passing of four riders before Harry Hemingway became the first rider to part with less than 20 marks before Jaime Busto (GASGAS-ESP) set the bench mark with a score of eight marks lost and became the first rider to pass through the Michelin section parting with no marks. It would take the super human skills of Toni Bou (Repsol Honda-ESP) to get anywhere near Busto as he became the only other rider to pass though the Michelin section losing no marks on his way to the final.
Competing over the six sections in the reverse direction in the final proved even more challenging as the opening section stopped the fourth place final qualifier Gabriel Marcelli (Repsol Honda-ESP), Jaime Busto and Harry Hemingway before Toni Bou masterd it for a single mark loss. In section two the arena roof was lifted with the roar from the home crowd as Hemingway was the only rider to pass through, parting with no marks to take the lead in the final! As Bou applied his experiance to the event he slowly edged in front of Hemingway whose five mark loss on section four brought the marks even closer in the fight for the win. A single mark loss on the final hazard, the Michelin tyres section, from Hemingway put the pressure firmly on the shoulders of Toni Bou. Against the clock his two mark loss secured his fifth win of the 2026 season.
Toni Bou (Repsol Honda-ESP): “This was not the easiest of victories but I felt more comfortable after I finished second in Q1. With totally new sections I was not that relaxed on them at first but after Q1 was over I felt more confident as we approached the final. As the only rider to pass through section one I became focussed on the win despite the strong performance from Harry Hemingway, and I must congratulate him on his first FIM X-Trial podium. As we have seen in the past at the X-Trial Championship anything can happen and I was more than happy to pass through the end cards on the final Michelin section to take the win. On the wide variety of man-made hazards which included concrete, rubber, steel, stone, and wood the Michelin tyres once again proved their superb attributes of providing wheel grip in the most demanding of conditions to give me the win”.
2026 FIM X-Trial World Championship RD 6 Leeds Great Britain
Results Q1
1: Jaime Busto (GASGAS-ESP) 8; 2: Toni Bou (Repsol Honda-ESP) 12; 3: Gabriel Marcelli (Repsol Honda-ESP) 17; 4: Harry Hemingway (Beta-GBR) 19; 5: Matteo Grattarola (Beta-ITA) 23; 6: George Hemingway (Beta-GBR) 25; 7: Jack Peace (Sherco-GBR) 27; 8: Hugo Defresse (Beta-FRA) 30.
Results Q2
1: Harry Hemingway (Beta-GBR) 0.40.7; 2: Hugo Dufrese (Beta-FRA) 01.17.4; 3: Jack Peace (Sherco-GBR) 01.40.8; 4: George Hemingway (Beta-GBR) 01.46.5; 5: Matteo Grattarola (Beta-ITA) 02.10.6.
Final
1: Toni Bou (Repsol Honda-ESP) 10; 2: Harry Hemingway (Beta-GBR) 11; 3: Jaime Busto (GASGAS-ESP) 17; 4: Gabriel Marcelli (Repsol Honda-ESP) 20.
2026 FIM X-Trial World Championship – Six Rounds Completed
1: Toni Bou (Repsol Honda-ESP) 115; 2: Gabriel Marcelli (Repsol Honda-ESP) 81; 3: Jaime Busto (GASGAS-ESP) 74; 4: Harry Hemingway (Beta-GBR) 50; 5: Matteo Grattarola (Beta-ITA) 27; 6: Jack Peace (Sherco-GBR) 19; 7: Fransesco Titli (TRRS-ITA) 14; 8: Benoit Bincaz (EM-ESP) 11; 9: Hugo Dufrese (Beta-FRA) 10; 11: Arnau Farre (Sherco-ESP) 9; George Hemingway (Beta-GBR) 4.
