Honda Racing RedMoto Enduro Team rider Steve Holcombe saw his 2025 EnduroGP World Championship aspirations take a serious hit on Sunday – day two of the EnduroGP series’ opening event, the EnduroGP of Portugal – as the Brit was forced to retire from the lead of the competition following an injury to his left knee.
Third overall and second in Enduro2 on day one having shown the speed to fight for victory, on day two Steve was in dominant form, winning each of the three special tests on the opening lap to hold a commanding advantage headed into the days second of three laps.
Finishing a close second in both the extreme and motocross tests on lap two, Steve’s race frustratingly came to a premature end on the enduro test. Steadying himself by putting his left foot down while crossing a medium speed section of muddy rocks, Steve immediately felt something wasn’t right with his knee. Unable to race on, Steve rode to the end of the test and took no further part in the competition.
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Able to see a doctor and have a scan on his knee on Sunday evening, initial information suggests that Steve has not damaged any of the major ligaments in his knee. Steve will see a knee specialist on Wednesday, in Italy, and undergo further scans and examinations.
Steve Holcombe: “It goes without saying that this is absolutely not the way I wanted my 2025 EnduroGP season to start. Injuries are always frustrating, but right at the start of the championship, it’s just so, so disappointing. Not only myself, but also the team who have put so much work into everything in recent months. Knowing my speed was where it needed to be, and that my riding was good, well, I think that makes things a little easier to take, but it is what it is and I just have to do all I can to be back racing as soon as I can. I was pleased with how the first day went, but I think like a lot of riders the mix of some early season nerves and the tricky conditions meant I wasn’t fully settled. I made some mistakes and, well, maybe the win could have been mine. Day two was going so well. I knew what I needed to do and had an amazing first lap. I was riding well, and the times were exactly where they needed to be. I wasn’t pushing too hard when I hurt my knee – I just got a tiny bit sideways and put my left foot down nearing the end of the enduro test and immediately felt something in my knee wasn’t right. That was the end of my day – from leading EnduroGP to getting a scan! The first scan was positive, and it looks like there’s no damage to any of the main ligaments. I have another scan on Wednesday where I hope to understand exactly what I’ve done and what I need to do to be back racing as soon as possible.”
Words and Images by Steve Holcombe – Future7Media
