Sixty-nine years is a long time, but incredibly that is how long it has been since Great Britain last won the FIM International Six Days of Enduro (ISDE).
Words by FIM ISDE – Images courtesy of Future7Media
A lot has happened since then, the FIM ISDE is no longer called the International Six Day Trial as it was in 1953. But yet the Great Britain drought has continued. However, Steve Holcombe (Beta), Jamie McCanney (Husqvarna), Nathan Watson (Honda), and Jed Etchells (Fantic) are hoping to set the record straight.
Although as a team Great Britain remains winless in the modern era of the FIM ISDE, their talent pool is arguably as deep and as good as it has ever been.
Steve Holcombe is a seven-time FIM Enduro World Champion, Nathan Watson is arguably one of the world’s best all-round riders having had success in enduro, motocross, hard enduro, and beach racing. Jamie McCanney is similarly talented from Dakar Rally success to winning the Enduro1 class at the 2015 FIM ISDE.
“Personally, it’s been a while since I raced it, but it’s an event that brings back a lot of good memories,” recalls Jamie. “I’ve had some solid results as an individual and winning the E1 category in 2015 remains a career highlight.”
“My speed has been good this year and if I can carry that into France, I can deliver a strong result individually that will help the team overall.”
Absent from the race in 2021 means Great Britain will have a late starting number for the opening day of racing. Juggling traffic in the special tests, while at the same time progressing up the leaderboard will be tricky to manage, something that is not lost on Jamie.
“Day one is always the toughest. There are a lot of nerves and excitement to start out well. Everyone is eager to get going. With a late starting number Great Britain are at a bit of a disadvantage too. We might have a lot of traffic on the special tests to deal with and it’s going to be a big ask to fight for the win on day one.”
“But hopefully we can put a solid ride in and give ourselves a better starting position for day two and try to build from there. The FIM ISDE is a long race – you can’t win it on the first day, but you can definitely lose it. So we’ll need to play smart and play the long game!”
The FIM International Six Days of Enduro takes place in Le Puy-en-Velay, France from 29 August 29 to 3 September.
