One of the brightest, most exciting new talents to emerge onto the global Trial scene in recent years, Spain’s Gabriel Marcelli – Repsol Honda will be hoping the old saying ‘third time lucky’ rings true after signing to return to Sheffield’s Utilita Arena to compete at the DL12 Indoor Trial V3.0 on Saturday 18th January 2025.

The twenty-four-year-old from O Rosal in the Galicia region of north-west Spain, close to the Portuguese border, will be making just his third visit to the Steel City in the New Year and after finishing third on his debut in 2023 and fourth at the start of this year he feels he has unfinished business.

“It’s a great honour for me to be invited to compete in the DL12 Indoor Trial for the third time,” he said. “It’s a fantastic event, I love the technical sections and the Sheffield crowd who go crazy. I’ve made the final every time, but this year I missed out on the podium after finishing third in my first year so I’ll use this to motivate me even more for 2025.”

Combining animal aggression with raw strength and innate natural talent, Marcelli’s rise within Trial’s elite has been swift since he clinched the FIM Trial2 World Championship in 2019 and within four years he had established himself as the third-ranked rider on the planet, both indoors in the FIM X-Trial World Championship and outside in the FIM Trial World Championship.

While he is still chasing that elusive breakthrough debut victory at the sport’s highest level, Marcelli continues to hone his skills and build on his potential. So far this season he has twice been runner-up to his legendary team-mate and compatriot Toni Bou in X-Trial action and has finished second behind him in TrialGP competition on three occasions.

There will be no room for complacency in the pressure-cooker environment of the DL12 Indoor Trial V3.0 in January and Marcelli knows that the slightest mistake will be severely punished by an entry that as well as Bou will also currently includes Spanish stars Adam Raga and Jaime Busto and homegrown hero Toby Martyn.

“The riders I will be competing against are the best in the world, so getting on the podium will be difficult, but my goal is to win. It won’t be easy and I will have to ride at my best, but my riding is always improving and I feel very strong on the Repsol Honda, so I am confident it is possible.”

If Marcelli can emulate the performances of previous winners Dougie Lampkin, Albert Cabestany, Bou and Raga to become just the fifth King of Sheffield since the city first hosted an Indoor Trial in 1996 it will be an historic, momentous moment that fans simply cannot afford to miss.

Tickets for the DL12 Indoor Trial V3.0 on Saturday 18th January 2025 at the Utilita Arena Sheffield, continue to sell fast. To make sure of the best seats in house and to book one of the limited upgrades – which include the Dougie Lampkin course tour book your tickets now!