The 2023 FIM EnduroGP World Championship continues its run just five days after the GP of Finland with the fourth round of the season, in Skovde, for the Swedish GP.
The organisers have designed for the occasion a 58 km track, to be repeated three times a day, consisting of four Special Stages on the first and third lap (Extreme, Enduro1, Enduro2 and Cross Test) and three Special Stages on the second lap (Enduro1, Enduro2 and Cross Test) for a total of 11 Special Tests per day, to which was added the Super Test on the evening of Thursday 1/06.
The race course defined by the Moto Club FMCK Skovde, opened with an Extreme test, partly located on the same track as the Super Test, and therefore full of artificial obstacles, and the other half within a forest for a total distance of 1 km. This was followed by a first Enduro Test 6.5 km long, very technical and characterised by sandy terrain with roots, in the middle of a wood, and a second Enduro Test of 7 km, also inside a forest, with sandy terrain mixed with roots and loose stones, made very spectacular by the presence along the route of very steep ramps that allowed the riders to test themselves in spectacular jumps that thrilled the numerous spectators present.
To close the course, a very long Cross Test of over 6.5 km on flat, hard and dusty terrain, valid as the last PS on the first and second lap and as the penultimate on the fourth lap of the day, which included the Extreme Test at the end.
On the opening day, Brad Freeman and Steve Holcombe both finished on the podium in the Enduro GP Class, in second and third positions respectively after a long day of racing in which the two Beta Factory riders fought to the very end for the top position.
Steve Holcombe dominated the first day of competition in the E2 Class, winning the SuperTest run on Thursday evening and taking the top step of the podium after winning six of the eleven special tests on offer.
In the E3 Class, Brad Freeman also took victory after recording the fastest time in the SuperTest on Thursday evening and the fastest time in all special stages run on the opening day of the Swedish GP.
There were also strong performances from Theo Espinasse (Team Oxmoto), who took third in the E1 Class and eighth in the EnduroGP, and Leo Joyon (Team Oxmoto), who finished the first day of the race in third position in the Youth class.
On the second day of competition there was no shortage of excitement, with Steve Holcombe and Brad Freeman putting on an incredible show in the EnduroGP Class. The two riders battled it out throughout the day, setting incredible times on all the special tests scheduled, arriving at the last one (Extreme Test) with Steve Holcombe leading by just over five seconds. At the end of the special test Holcombe took the top step of the EnduroGP Class and the E2 Class while Freeman, with his second position in Skovde in the EnduroGP and the first in Class, is still the leader of the EnduroGP Class and the E3 Class.
The already excellent results brought home by the factory riders were complemented by the performances of Theo Espinasse (Team Oxmoto), who won the E1 Class and finished fifth in the EnduroGP, and Leo Joyon (Team Oxmoto), who took second position in the Youth, just five tenths behind the first.
The FIM Enduro World Championship stops for a month before returning to the stage on the weekend of 30 June – 2 July in Gelnica, Slovakia, for the fifth round of the 2023 season.
STEVE HOLCOMBE
An incredible weekend for me, I am very happy with the result, with two first places in the E2 Class, I increased the gap to my rivals. In EnduroGP I won on Sunday after a hard-fought race day with my team-mate.
BRAD FREEMAN
It was a very intense race, I’m happy to still be leading the Enduro GP and the E3 Class, where I have won all the race days so far. Now we are working hard to get ready for the GP in Slovakia.
