Honda Racing RedMoto Enduro Team’s Steve Holcombe has had a mixed but largely positive weekend in Slovakia at round five of the FIM EnduroGP World Championship in Gelnica. Saturday saw the nine-time world champion claim third place in EnduroGP while also winning in the Enduro1 class. A challenging day on Sunday saw the Brit finish second in Enduro1.
· Steve finishes third overall and tops Enduro1 on day one in Romania
· Day two saw Steve place as runner-up in Enduro1 and in fifth overall
· Next up is hotly anticipated GP of Wales, Steve’s home race
Following a three-week break since round four, Steve was raring to go in Gelnica. Starting off strongly on Saturday morning, he made his intentions clear as he went fastest on the first extreme test on his Honda-RedMoto CRF 250RX Enduro.
A series of consistent top-three test results followed, leaving the Brit lying second overall after two laps. However, the final lap on Saturday wasn’t Steve’s strongest, slipping down to third place in EnduroGP, five seconds shy of a runner-up result. Comfortably ahead of his nearest Enduro1 competitor, though, importantly the Brit took to the top step of the E1 podium on day one.
Despite feeling confident after an impressive day one, Steve’s second day of racing didn’t quite go his way. Consistently in the top five on each test, he was just outside the battle for the top spots but ultimately was forced to settle for fifth in EnduroGP on Sunday, while also claiming second in Enduro1. Steve maintains third overall in the EnduroGP standings, with just six points separating him and the current leader of the Enduro1 category.
Steve now has his sights set firmly on the EnduroGP of Wales, his home round of the series in just three weeks’ time.
Steve Holcombe: “I had a good day on Saturday, but honestly, I was hoping for more. I knew from early on that some of the tests were suiting the bigger bikes a bit more, but I just got to work and I’m glad it paid off with the Enduro1 win. I was a little bit off the pace today and struggled to keep up with the guys at the front so I ended up fifth. The plan is to regroup, work hard and give it my all at my home race in a few weeks’ time.”
Results: FIM EnduroGP World Championship, Round 5
EnduroGP – Day 1
1. Andrea Verona (GASGAS) 1:06:07.03; 2. Nathan Watson (Beta) 1:06:24.07; 3. Steve Holcombe (Honda) 1:06:29.44…
EnduroGP – Day 2
1. Josep Garcia (KTM) 1:03:46.40; 2. Brad Freeman (Beta) 1:04:04.91; 3. Andrea Verona (GASGAS) 1:04:05.41; 4. Nathan Watson (Beta) 1:04:16.70; 5. Steve Holcombe (Honda) 1:04:16.95…
Enduro1 – Day 1
1. Steve Holcombe (Honda) 1:06:29.44 2. Josep Garcia (KTM) 1:06:40.04; 3. Theo Espinasse (Beta) 1:08:13.26…
Enduro1 – Day 2
1. Josep Garcia (KTM) 1:03;46.40; 2. Steve Holcombe (Honda) 1:04:16.95; 3. Theo Espinasse (Beta) 1:05:56.12…
Championship Standings (After round 5)
EnduroGP
1. Josep Garcia (KTM) 177pts; 2. Andrea Verona (GASGAS)169pts; 3. Steve Holcombe (Honda) 154pts…
Enduro1
1. Josep Garcia (KTM) 188pts; 2. Steve Holcombe (Honda) 182pts; 3. Zach Pichon (Sherco) 138pts…
