The first day of the first round of the 2024 Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship saw Josep García, from Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, take victory in Fafe, Portugal. With an impressive performance at the ACERBIS GP of Portugal, the Spaniard climbed to the top step of the EnduroGP podium, surpassing Andrea Verona, from GASGAS Factory Racing, with Steve Holcombe, from Honda Racing RedMoto Enduro Team, in third.
After an exciting AKRAPOVIC Super Test on Friday night, won by García, the rain overnight was the first to greet the riders on Saturday morning at the ACERBIS GP of Portugal. The rain eventually eased off, but the cloudy sky ensured that the humidity conditions remained throughout the day. However, despite the dropping temperatures, the on-track action was intense, with the world’s best enduro riders taking part in the first full day of racing of the 2024 season.
García gives a masterclass in EnduroGP
Determined to strengthen his early lead, García got into action in the opening ACERBIS Cross Test and topped the timesheets. However, his advantage was slim, with Verona only six tenths behind in second. After his fall in the AKRAPOVIC Super Test, Holcombe was on a mission and set the third fastest time, with Jamie McCanney, from Fast Eddy Racing, and Brad Freeman, from Beta Factory Racing, being fourth and fifth fastest, respectively.
Winning the MAXXIS Enduro Test by four seconds, García increased his lead to eight seconds, proving he was serious in Fafe. Freeman won the POLISPORT Extreme Test with a one-second advantage over García, but when they closed the first lap of the three, García already had an 11-second lead over his rivals.
In the second ACERBIS Cross Test, it was Verona’s turn to lead the timing table. With a mistake from García, his lead was now only six seconds and it seemed like the fight for victory was back on. However, García was quick to get back on track and won the second MAXXIS Enduro Test to increase his lead to 11 seconds.
Entering the final lap, García had only a 12-second lead over Verona, while Holcombe, in third, had an 11-second advantage over Nathan Watson (Beta), in fifth. With Freeman between Holcombe and Watson, a podium spot was up for grabs.
Faster in the ACERBIS Cross Test and the MAXXIS Enduro Test, García built an insurmountable lead. And with a strong race in the final POLISPORT Extreme Test, he managed to finish the day with a 32-second margin of victory in the EnduroGP. Behind him, however, the last steps of the podium were contested until the end.
The errors of Verona allowed Holcombe to get closer. Sensing the opportunity to conquer second place, the Honda pilot pushed to win the last POLISPORT Extreme Test, but it wasn’t enough. Holding on, Verona secured second place by just one second, with Holcombe in third. A titanic battle between the Beta duo of Freeman and Watson saw Watson overtake his teammate on the last lap to claim fourth place and push Freeman to fifth.
Historic victory for Gutish in Women’s Enduro
Rachel Gutish’s victory for Team KBS Sherco on the first day of the FIM Women’s Enduro World Championship was immediate. The win makes Gutish the first woman from the USA to win a race in the championship.
Rosie Rowett of RIEJU Factory Racing finished 22 seconds behind and took second place. Mireia Badia closed out a great day for RIEJU, finishing on the podium in third. A consistent and strong performance from Nieve Holmes led her to fourth place, while Marie Holt Vilde (KTM) won the opening ACERBIS Cross Test to finish the day in fifth.
In the Enduro1 class, García secured an effortless victory. Holcombe’s debut in Enduro1 earned him second place, indicating more potential from the nine-time world champion. In the battle for the final spot on the podium, Zach Pichon of CH Racing Sherco overtook McCanney in the final two tests to seal the deal.
Verona was the best in the Enduro2 category on the first day, but faced a late attack from Watson in the final stages of the race. Watson will try to maintain this pace on the second day and challenge Verona from the start. While Verona and Watson pulled away from their classmates, Samuele Bernardini (Honda) and Mikael Persson (Husqvarna) fought for third place. Bernardini edged out Persson by just half a second to finish on the Enduro2 podium.
Brad Freeman began his defense of his Enduro3 crown with a 22-second victory on the first day in Portugal. Hamish MacDonald (Sherco) finished second in his Enduro3 debut. MacDonald got four wins in the test against Freeman’s five on the first day and will try to apply more pressure tomorrow. Matteo Cavallo, from TM Racing, rounded out the top three.
Semb dominates Enduro Junior on the first day
The FIM GALFER Junior Enduro World Championship saw Axel Semb, from the Fantic Racing Team, dominate the first day of racing in Fafe. The Swede was a level above his rivals on the demanding Portuguese terrain and secured a 62-second victory margin.
The current Youth Enduro champion, Kevin Cristion (Fantic), had a strong debut in the Junior Enduro and finished second behind his teammate Semb. Manolo Morettini (Honda) fended off attacks from Thibault Giraudon (Sherco) and Leo Joyon (Beta) to claim third place.
The Enduro Jovem class saw Romain Dagna (Sherco) take the victory on the first day. Dagna led a completely French podium in the category. It was a special day for the Clauzier family, with twin brothers Maxime and Clement, riding on Beta, finishing in second and third place, respectively.
