The last day of racing in the opening round of the EnduroGP World Championship Paulo Duarte FIM in Portugal saw Steve Holcombe, from Honda Racing RedMoto Enduro Team, take the victory. In what proved to be an incredible day of action at the ACERBIS GP of Portugal, Holcombe shone to claim a hard-fought win over day one winner, Josep García (KTM), with Nathan Watson (Beta) close behind in third.
In the Enduro Junior World Championship GALFER FIM, Axel Semb, from Fantic Racing Team, secured his second win of the weekend, with Alberto Elgari, from TM Racing, taking the Youth Enduro win. Mireia Badia, from RIEJU Factory Team, won the Women’s Enduro class.
The last day of racing in the first round of the EnduroGP World Championship Paulo Duarte FIM produced one of the most memorable races in recent times. Exceptionally close battles saw the world’s best enduro riders fight it out, with only 10 seconds separating the top three on the EnduroGP podium.
As the riders left the start ramp in Fafe, the rain quickly disappeared, giving way to a bright and sunny sky. The dry weather ensured that grip levels on the Portuguese soil were at their best, allowing competitors to raise their game even further than the day before.
Holcombe debuts with a win in EnduroGP with Honda colors
Steve Holcombe, from Honda Racing RedMoto Enduro Team, fired the first warning shot to his rivals in the opening of the ACERBIS Cross Test by setting the fastest time. Josep García, from Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, was right behind him in second, with Nathan Watson, from Beta Factory Racing, following them in third. A solid start from the current Junior World Champion, Jed Etchells (Fantic), placed him in fifth, behind Andrea Verona, from GASGAS Factory Racing, in fourth.
In the opening of the MAXXIS Enduro Test, García immediately responded. With the fastest time, he took the lead from Holcombe. But this would be short-lived. Holcombe responded immediately in the POLISPORT Extreme Test. By winning the test and taking advantage of a mistake from the Spanish rider, the Honda pilot had a nine-second lead over his rival at the start of the second of the three laps.
Throughout the second lap, the pace was frantic at the front. García, Watson, and Holcombe shared the victories of the special test among them, with Verona, Samuele Bernardini (Honda), and the Fast Eddy Racing duo, Mikael Persson and Jamie McCanney, close behind.
Entering the final lap, Holcombe still controlled the race lead with a crucial eight-second advantage over García. With Watson only four seconds behind the Spaniard in third, everything was at stake with only three tests remaining.
Watson secured the final victory in the ACERBIS Cross Test. Closing in on the duo, he seemed to be the man to watch out for. Persson won the last MAXXIS Enduro Test, while García, Watson, and Holcombe were separated by two seconds.
With everything coming down to the last POLISPORT Extreme Test, nine-time world champion Holcombe used all his experience to stay calm under pressure. By winning the test, he secured his first victory in EnduroGP with Honda colors by just four seconds. Despite his best efforts, García had to settle for second place on the second day in Fafe. With an incredible performance, Watson was pleased with his third place finish of the day.
Outside of the top three, Verona was unable to join Holcombe, García, and Watson in the fight for victory and had to settle for fourth place. Closing out the top five overall was Bernardini, with Persson just one second behind the Italian in sixth.
Badia claims first place on the Enduro Women’s podium
The FIM Women’s Enduro World Championship produced a great battle between Mireia Badia of the RIEJU Factory Team and first day winner Rachel Gutish of Team KBS Sherco. Badia had the measure of Gutish today and with four wins in special tests out of six possible, she took the victory.
Gutish rode well, but was not able to show the same intensity as the first day and finished in second place. Francesca Nocera of the Honda Racing RedMoto Enduro Team finished seven seconds behind in third. Elodie Chaplot (Beta) and Marie Holt (KTM) were fourth and fifth, respectively.
With Holcombe and García fighting for the overall victory in EnduroGP, it was Holcombe who also secured the victory in the Enduro1 class. The British rider has now secured victories in all three senior classes during his professional career. Jamie McCanney, from Fast Eddy Racing, came out on top against Zach Pichon, from CH Racing Sherco, on the second day to finish in third place.
Putting the finishing touches on an incredible debut with Beta Factory Racing, Nathan Watson put his name at the top of the Enduro2 results sheet on the second day in Fafe. Verona and Bernardini joined the Beta rider on the podium in second and third place, respectively. Persson narrowly missed out on a top-three finish by one second and will look for more in the second round next weekend in Valpacos. Etchells completed the top five.
In Enduro3, first day winner Brad Freeman (Beta) caused a surprise when he had to abandon the race after the first special test due to illness. Hamish MacDonald, from CH Racing Sherco, managed to secure a memorable first victory in Enduro3. Matteo Cavallo (TM Racing) finished second, with Julien Roussaly (Sherco) in third.
Semb achieves a double win in Junior Enduro
The FIM GALFER Junior Enduro World Championship saw Axel Semb, from Fantic Racing Team, secure two wins in two starts in Fafe. However, unlike his victory on the first day, his margin was only 18 seconds this time. Antoine Alix, from Team Beta Oxmoto, kept him honest throughout the day to finish in second place, while Thibault Giraudon (Sherco) finished third. Leo Joyon (Beta) and Max Ahlin (KTM) completed the top five.
The Enduro Young class saw a shake-up in the results with a new winner emerging on the second day in Fafe. Alberto Elgari, from TM Racing, was in great form in the Portuguese special stages and managed to secure his first victory of his young career. Manuel Verzeroli (KTM) also stepped up and finished in second place. Third on the first day, Clement Clauzier (Beta) returned to the podium on the second day with another well-deserved result among the top three.
Following what proved to be an exceptionally thrilling opening round of the Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship in Fafe, Portugal, the paddock now heads to the neighboring Valpaços, in Portugal, for the second round next week, from April 12 to 14.
