The AKRAPOVIC Super Test got the eagerly awaited 2025 Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship underway at round one in Portugal. SuperEnduro star and RIEJU Factory Team’s Dominik Olszowy delivered a surprise result as he set the outright fastest time in Fafe.
- 2025 EnduroGP season gets underway in Fafe, Portugal
- Dominik Olszowy tops AKRAPOVIC Super Test
- Zach Pichon and Hamish Macdonald round out top three
Kicking off with the first AKRAPOVIC Super Test of the year, riders battled it out in front of a packed crowd in Fafe, Portugal, despite torrential rain all evening.
Taking to the start line in the middle of the EnduroGP pack, Poland’s Dominik Olszowy took a strategic approach to the tricky course. Taking it steady on his first lap, the SuperEnduro ace got a feel for the track then gave his all on the second time around, ultimately taking the lead from early pace-setter Alex Puey by half a second. As the remainder of the riders filtered through, no one could top Dominik’s time and he was crowned winner of the first AKRAPOVIC Super Test of the season.
Only a handful of riders could get close to Olszowy’s time, with TM Moto Boano Factory Enduro Team’s Zach Pichon taking second place just one tenth of a second behind. Sherco Factory Team’s Hamish Macdonald rounded out the top three after an impressive lap.
A lot of the leading riders suffered at the hands of the deteriorating track, with reigning EnduroGP and Enduro1 champion Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Josep Garcia setting off last and finishing ninth. It was the same story for Honda RedMoto Racing Enduro Team’s Steve Holcombe, GASGAS Factory Racing’s Andrea Verona, and Beta Factory Enduro Team teammates Brad Freeman and Nathan Watson, who all struggled on the slippery track.
RIEJU Factory Team’s Alex Puey was the star of the Junior class, setting an impressive time early on to fend off 30 other competitors. In his Junior debut, the 2024 FIM Youth Enduro World Champion TM Moto Boano Factory Enduro Team’s Manuel Verzeroli finished just nine tenths of a second shy of the class victory. Triumph Italia Racing’s Luca Colorio was close behind in third.
The Youth category was as competitive as ever, with Spain’s Aleix Samuell (Sherco) claiming the class win. Fantic Factory Racing Team’s Pietro Scardina put in a blistering lap but fell just nine hundredths of a second short, with Romain Dagna (KTM) slotting into third.
In the Women’s class, the key battle emerged between home hero Joana Goncalves (Husqvarna) and Marine Lemoine (KTM). Setting the time to beat by just one second, Marine held on to the top spot, with Honda RedMoto Racing Enduro Team’s Francesca Nocera, RIEJU Factory Team teammates Rachel Gutish, and Rosie Rowett unable to dethrone the French racer.
The GP of Portugal marks the debut of the Expotrade FIM Junior Women’s Enduro World Cup, as the class contest the first of four rounds in 2025. It was Great Britain’s Elizabeth Tett (TM) who comfortably topped the class, over 40 seconds faster than Lorna Lafont (Sherco), and one minute ahead of Matilda Ahlstrom (Husqvarna).
With the AKRAPOVIC Super Test complete, all eyes now turn to two intense days of racing in Fafe, Portugal, as the 2025 Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship gets into full swing.
Dominik Olszowy: “I enjoyed that a lot! It was really difficult with the rain, but I took the first lap easy to get into a rhythm and then I gave it everything. I was sliding in the corners, just on the limit the entire time and it clearly paid off. My SuperEnduro skills definitely helped me tonight!”
Follow results from round one, 4-6 April: LIVE RESULTS
Report and Images by EnduroGP
