TrialGP of USA Celebrates
50th Anniversary of Wagner Cup
T
he 2025 Hertz FIM Trial
World Championship made
its highly anticipated return
to the United States in Exeter,
Rhode Island, July 11-13, for
its sixth round, showcasing the
best trials riders from around the
globe. It had been eight years
since the last FIM World Cham
-
pionship event in the USA, and
the electric atmosphere created
by the thousands in attendance
at the TrialGP of USA proved just
how much the sport had been
missed on American soil. This
event was not only a long-await
-
ed return but also a historic one,
marking the 50th anniversary
of the Wagner Cup and the 50th
anniversary of the first-ever FIM
World Championship Trials event
in Rhode Island.
The event also highlighted
the differences between the FIM
World Championship format and
the NATC National MotoTrials
Championship Series that many
of the U.S. riders are accus
-
tomed to. Competitors had only
60 seconds to navigate each
section, rather than the 90 sec
-
onds allowed in U.S. competi-
tions, and competitors were not
permitted to re-walk sections
during their second loop. Addi-
tionally, riders were required to
arrive at each section at speci-
fied times, creating a fast-paced,
high-pressure atmosphere with
little room for second-guessing.
Saturday saw Repsol Honda
HRC's Toni Bou, a dominant
figure in the sport, make a state
-
ment with a spectacular perfor-
mance. Bou finished with just 23
points, a 26-point advantage over
second-place Jaime Busto of
GasGas Factory Racing, who had
WIND
IN THE
P44
Toni Bou started
the competition off
with double wins on
Saturday.
PHOTOS:
STEPHANIE VETTERLY
