Honda Racing RedMoto Enduro Team’s Steve Holcombe has finished the 2024 FIM EnduroGP World Championship as runner-up in both the EnduroGP and Enduro1 championships. The Brit had a strong end to the season, delivering a pair of second place finishes in EnduroGP at round seven in France, and topping the Enduro1 category on Sunday.
Determined to end the EnduroGP season on a high, Steve added another four podium results to his 2024 tally, with solid results at round seven in Brioude, France. The nine-time world champion powered his Honda-RedMoto CRF 250RX Enduro to three runner-up finishes and a victory across both the EnduroGP and Enduro1 classes.
In the hunt for the win from the off on Saturday morning, Steve had a strong first lap to hold second, just four tenths of second behind leader Josep Garcia. The pair were in a league of their own, opening up a mighty 15 second advantage over the rest of the EnduroGP pack. Claiming a top-three result on every test, Steve finished second in both EnduroGP and Enduro1 on Saturday.
It was all to play for on Sunday in Enduro1. A slower start to the day, which left Holcombe lying third after two laps, only fuelled the Honda star to push to his limits in the final tests of the day. A victory on the last cross test, coupled with his consistent times throughout the day, saw Steve claim the win in Enduro1 as well as claiming second overall in EnduroGP.
After 14 days of world championship racing in 2024, Holcombe finished tied for points for second place in EnduroGP with Italian Andrea Verona. However, finishing two positions higher than Verona on the final day in France, the Brit was awarded second place in the championship. Despite his day two victory in Enduro1, Steve ended the season as runner-up, just eight points short of claiming the title.
After a strong year in EnduroGP, Steve’s attention now turns to the 2024 International Six Days Enduro in Spain on October 14-19, where he will represent Great Britain in the Men’s World Trophy.
Steve Holcombe: “It’s been a tough weekend, but to get second overall in EnduroGP was my main goal. It would have been great to win the Enduro1 title, but we just came up a little bit short in the end. In general though, it’s brilliant to have been in the fight all year, especially being on a new bike and with a new team. It’s been a good season for me, really good, and a strong end to it here in France puts the championship to bed in a positive way. Roll on the ISDE!”
Results: Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship, Round 7
EnduroGP – Day 1
1. Josep Garcia (KTM) 1:02:32.06; 2. Steve Holcombe (Honda) 1:02:44.46; 3. Andrea Verona (GASGAS) 1:03:16.49…
EnduroGP – Day 2
1. Brad Freeman (Beta) 1:00:48.58; 2. Steve Holcombe (Honda) 1:01:01.11; 3. Josep Garcia (KTM) 1:01:08.18…
Enduro1 – Day 1
1. Josep Garcia (KTM) 1:02:32.06; 2. Steve Holcombe (Honda) 1:02:44.46; 3. Zach Pichon (Sherco) 1:03:47.50…
Enduro1 – Day 2
1. Steve Holcombe (Honda) 1:01:01.11; 2. Josep Garcia (KTM) 1:01:08.18; 3. Zach Pichon (Sherco) 1:01:53.82…
Championship Standings (After Round 7)
EnduroGP
1. Josep Garcia (KTM) 247pts; 2. Steve Holcombe (Honda) 223pts; 3. Andrea Verona (GASGAS) 223pts…
Enduro1
1. Josep Garcia (KTM) 262pts; 2. Steve Holcombe (Honda) 256pts; 3. Zach Pichon (Sherco) 198pts…
Words and Images by Future7 Communications
