This weekend, 14-16 October, the last act of the Enduro World Championship season was staged in Zschopau, Germany, in front of a large and festive crowd of fans who came along the track.
The Motoclub MSC Rund um Zchopau e.v im ADAC organised a high-level race for the occasion, both from a technical point of view, designing a course as treacherous as it was spectacular, and from a logistical point of view, positioning the three special stages in the immediate proximity of the Paddock, which was once again positioned in front of the historic MZ Factory (Motorradbau Zschopau).
It was a weekend under the sign of a typically autumnal climate, which kicked off on Friday evening with the Super Test, followed by two days of racing, each 57 km long, which included the following tests: an Extreme Test 1.5 km long, with soft terrain alternating with stones and rocks, followed by a medium-length Enduro Test (6 km) that was equally technical and challenging. To close, the last extremely fast special test, a Cross Test over 3 km long, inside a large field with very soft terrain.
At the end of a long and tormented season, Brad Freeman was awarded the title of E3 Class World Champion. Throughout the season, despite injuries and problems with Covid-19, the British rider never lost heart and fought with grit, despite many difficult moments. On Saturday, Brad Freeman rode an incredible race to win the E3 Class and take second position in the Enduro GP Class, levelling the points in the provisional standings against his rival.
Sunday started more uphill for the British rider who was unable to be as incisive as on the previous day in the first part of the race. The turning point came at the start of the second lap, however, when Brad recorded incredible times in all special stages, still finishing second in the Enduro GP and winning the race day in the E3 Class. Thanks to this result Brad Freeman once again became World Champion in the E3 Class.
In the German GP, Steve Holcombe’s performance was also very positive, the British rider in fact, despite the after-effects of a shoulder injury, collected a third place in the Enduro GP and a second place in the E2 Class on the opening day. The fatigue set in on the following race day, and Steve could do no better than third in the E2 Class and sixth in the Enduro GP.
In addition to the performance of the Official Beta Factory riders, the Zschopau weekend also saw the victory of Luc Fargier (Team Ox Moto), who already at the end of the first day’s racing was awarded the title of Junior 2 World Champion for the first time. A round of applause also went to Max Ahlin (Team Entrophy), who finished the Championship in second position after an excellent race weekend.
BRAD FREEMAN
“This World Championship win, my eighth World Championship title, I will always remember because I had several injuries this year and the post Covid was very complicated. A victory that was really and literally suffered until the end.”
STEVE HOLCOMBE
“A bit of a complicated year for me, with the first injury coming right at the first race in Spain. The season was on the up, and I was coming into Germany in good shape, but unfortunately I injured my shoulder just a week before the GP in Zschopau. I gritted my teeth and tried my best to finish the year in the best possible way.”
