Honda Announced 2022 FIM Trial World Championship Team– Takahisa Fujinami Newly Appointed as Repsol Honda Team Manager –
December 10, 2021 - Honda announced that in addition to Toni Bou (Spain / 35 years old), Gabriel Marcelli (Spain / 21 years old) will join the Repsol Honda Team to compete in the 2022 FIM*1 Trial World Championship. Retiring teammate Takahisa Fujinami (Japan / 41 years old) will become the new Team Manager for Repsol Honda Team.
Repsol Honda Team is a factory team*2 operated by Honda Racing Corporation (HRC), competing with Montesa COTA 4RT factory bikes.
Toni Bou debuted in the Trial World Championship in 2003. In 2007 he won his first FIM X-Trial World Championship (indoor) and Trial World Championship (outdoor) titles. In 2021, he has accumulated an unparalleled 30 consecutive titles over the two world championships.
Gabriel Marcelli debuted in the Trial2 class of the Trial World Championship in 2016, and won the class in 2019. In 2020 he moved to the TrialGP class, finishing the season sixth overall. He was 7th in 2021.
Takahisa Fujinami debuted in the Trial World Championship in 1996, and in 2004 became the first Japanese rider to win the championship. Retiring after 26 years of competition, Fujinami will become the new Team Manager for Repsol Honda Team in 2022.
With the new team, Repsol Honda Team aims to continue its domination of the championship, and looks forward to the continued support from its supporters.
*1 FIM: Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme
*2 Factory team: Racing team managed by the bike manufacturer. For Honda, Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) manages its factory teams.
■Toni Bou | Repsol Honda Team
“This forthcoming season will be very interesting for all of us. As always, our objectives are the titles and we are continuously preparing for it, as our rivals always want to take the world championship number one position away from us. We will continue the line of work that we have been taking over these years. I would like to welcome Gabriel Marcelli to the team. He is a very good rider and he rode some great trials this year. I’m sure that he will do really well and it will be good for the team. I also wish to congratulate Takahisa Fujinami as the new Team Manager. I'm sure his racing experience will be positive for us.”
■Gabriel Marcelli | Repsol Honda Team
“I am more than happy to join the best trial team in the world. First of all I want to thank all my sponsors who have supported me over the years, especially this last season. From now on maybe there will be more pressure. The fact of joining the Repsol Honda Team gives you more responsibilities, you are in the eyes of everyone ... being Toni’s team-mate, having such a good team, I think it will bring many great moments and I hope it will be a relationship that lasts for many years. I take over from Takahisa Fujinami, who has set the bar very high all these years. I will try to do my best and show that I am up to it and I trust in the work to get to the top and hopefully be at the top with Toni Bou.”
■Takahisa Fujinami | Repsol Honda Team
“For me it is a great honor to be able to defend, from this point on, the colors of the Repsol Honda Trial Team as Team Manager. It is a great challenge for me, no doubt whatsoever. The team has achieved great success and my intention will be to continue this long streak of titles and to collaborate in making the brand even bigger. In 2022 we are adding a new rider to the team: Gabriel Marcelli. He is a young rider with a promising future. In 2020 he achieved his first podium and in 2022 he finished the season clearly on the rise. With his entry into the Repsol Honda Team we are sure that he will make a great leap forward in his career. He will be the team-mate of our great champion Toni Bou. Toni has won 30 world championship titles and ... what else can you say about someone who has achieved so much? As always, he will be looking to win the TrialGP and X-Trial world championships once again next season, and the whole team will be working to make it possible for another year!”