The opening day of racing at round six of the Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship in Wales was one to savour for British fans, with Honda Racing RedMoto Enduro Team’s Steve Holcombe taking the overall victory. Beta Factory Racing’s Brad Freeman shadowed him home for second, capping off an incredible day one at the FORSITESERVICES GP of Wales.
Words & Featured Image: EnduroGP
- Holcombe and Freeman give British fans an EnduroGP 1-2 in Wales
- Mireia Badia battles through to win Enduro Women
- Newcomer Angus Riordan takes debut Enduro Junior victory
After waiting 15 years since its last visit to Wales, the Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship roared into life for day one of racing at the FORSITESERVICES GP of Wales in Rhayader. With spectators lining the special tests from early morning, there was an air of excitement and anticipation to see if they would be rewarded with a British winner come the end of the day.
With the opening ACERBIS Cross Test located just metres from the start ramp, riders were immediately thrown into the deep end of racing. Mixing a motocross circuit with fast, flowing grass tracks, it was a case of maximum attack straight away.
Holcombe wins in Wales on day one
Beta Factory Racing’s Brad Freeman came out swinging and duly topped the ACERBIS Cross Test. But only just. Honda Racing RedMoto Enduro Team’s Steve Holcombe was only one second behind in second, with GASGAS Factory Racing’s Andrea Verona a further four tenths of a second back in third.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Josep Garcia clocked the fourth quickest time to hold a one second lead as they headed across the Welsh valley to Saintswell to take on both the MAXXIS Enduro Test and POLISPORT Extreme Test.
Spurred on by a wealth of home support, Holcombe was on a mission. Winning both special tests, he ended lap one of three with a seven-second lead over Garcia. Verona sat third, with Freeman now up to fourth and closing in.
Continuing his run of form from round five in Slovakia, CH Racing Sherco’s Wil Ruprecht was up to fifth, with both Nathan Watson (Beta) and Hamish MacDonald (Sherco) hot on his heels in sixth and seventh.
The second ACERBIS Cross Test saw the top three times of Garcia, Freeman and Holcombe split by just one second. Returning to the MAXXIS Enduro Test, Holcombe was again in command and clocked the fastest time over Freeman. A mistake from Garcia saw Holcombe stretch his lead out to 12 seconds over the Spaniard, with Freeman overhauling Verona to take third.
Holcombe again topped the POLISPORT Extreme Test to increase his lead to almost 16 seconds with just one lap remaining. With another mistake from Garcia, Freeman was looking dangerous, sitting just sixth tenths of a second behind him in third.
Heading into the final lap, Holcombe held the upper hand, but the battle was on for the final podium placings. Topping the penultimate ACERBIS Cross Test, Freeman moved into second to set up a potential British 1-2. Winning the final MAXXIS Enduro Test, the Beta rider was now beginning to threaten Holcombe’s lead, shortening it to seven seconds with two special tests remaining.
Winning the final POLISPORT Extreme Test, Holcombe was able to stretch his lead back out again. Despite Freeman’s best efforts on the fourth and final ACERBIS Cross Test, Holcombe had him covered and took the EnduroGP win. Forced to settle for second, Freeman still made it a memorable British 1-2 on day one in Wales.
Regrouping well in the closing stages, Garcia placed just one second behind Freeman for third. With the top three separated by five seconds, and Verona just a further 16 seconds back in fourth, day two is already shaping up to be an exciting one.
The fight for fifth was also incredibly close. Carding his best result of the season, Ruprecht took fifth, with Watson only one second behind in sixth. MacDonald was less than half of a second behind Watson in seventh, and with Zach Pichon (Sherco) two seconds adrift in eighth, the racing was super tight in Wales.
Victory for Badia in Enduro Women
RIEJU Factory Racing’s Mireia Badia extended her Enduro Women win streak to four with victory on day one in Wales. The Spaniard held the upper hand over her classmates for the day, despite multiple mistakes.
Securing a podium on home soil, Rosie Rowett (RIEJU) gave the British fans a lot to cheer about with second place. France’s Elodie Chaplot (Beta) enjoyed her day in the Welsh hills to take third.
With his EnduroGP victory in one hand, Steve Holcombe (Honda) held the Enduro1 win in the other at the end of day one in Wales. Josep Garcia (KTM) took second but will look to find his way onto the top spot of the podium on day two. Zach Pichon (Sherco) completed the top three.
While Andrea Verona (GASGAS) was just off the top three in EnduroGP, he did take a commanding victory in Enduro2. The Italian now moves ever-closer to clinching the world title tomorrow. Wil Ruprecht (Sherco) held off a hard-charging Nathan Watson (Beta) by one second to claim the runner-up position.
In Enduro3, Brad Freeman (Beta) rode clear to victory. Hamish MacDonald (Sherco) placed second, with Matteo Cavallo (TM MOTO) in third.
Riordan makes it a debut Enduro Junior win
The GALFER FIM Junior Enduro World Championship saw Australia’s Angus Riordan (KTM) take his debut win in what was his first time in EnduroGP. Friday evening had marked a fairytale beginning for the Aussie, with him winning the AKRAPOVIC Super Test outright.
Keeping that momentum rolling, he won the opening two special tests this morning and had built up an 18-second lead as they reached the final MAXXIS Enduro Test. However, mistakes almost saw all his hard work come undone. Regrouping after getting stuck in a mud hole, he took the win by two seconds over Team KTM Pro Racing Sport’s Max Ahlin. Team Beta Oxmoto’s Leo Joyon completed the top three.
Enduro Youth saw Romain Dagna (Sherco) take victory. The French youngster held off Team KTM Pro Racing Sport’s Manuel Verzeroli by over one second to claim the top step of the podium. Pietro Scardina (Fantic) ended his day in third.
Steve Holcombe (Honda): “I felt like I had a little pressure on myself to perform this weekend. The Super Test went great and I put in two solid laps today. The last lap I hesitated a bit too much in places, but I was still able to take the win. It’s been awesome today – the home crowd support is amazing and I can’t wait for tomorrow!”
Brad Freeman (Beta): “I started on the back foot after crashing in the Super Test. But I feel like I rode well to come back up to second. I just had too many mistakes towards the end and Steve rode better, so hats off to him. I’ll try again tomorrow.”
Josep Garcia (KTM): “I missed a bit of feeling and speed during the first two laps and had some crashes. I tried to regroup, but Steve and Brad were on it today to be honest. I feel I matched their speed on the last lap, so I feel ready for tomorrow.”
Mireia Badia (RIEJU): “It was a crazy day for me, with some crashes and getting stuck in the mud. But finally I came back and could win. I’m happy!”
Angus Riordan (KTM): “It’s been an unreal start to the weekend already. The fight for the win got close at the end. I had a 10-second lead and eased off a bit, but I got stuck in the mud and lost a bunch of time. I had to charge again from that and just got it back at the end.”
Results: Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship, Round 6 – Day 1
EnduroGP
1. Steve Holcombe (Honda) 56:54.44; 2. Brad Freeman (Beta) 56:58.65; 3. Josep Garcia (KTM) 57:00.04; 4. Andrea Verona (GASGAS) 57:16.70; 5. Wil Ruprecht (Sherco) 58:15.72; 6. Nathan Watson (Beta) 58:17.09; 7. Hamish MacDonald (Sherco) 58:17.57; 8. Zach Pichon (Sherco) 58:19.76; 9. Samuele Bernardini (Honda) 58:50.04; 10. Daniel Mundell (KTM) 58:54.16
Full Results >>> 2024 Results – Official website – FIM EnduroGP World Championship
