The 2025 Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship kicks off this weekend with the opening round in Fafe, Portugal, from 4-6 April. Marking the first of seven rounds on this year’s calendar, the GP of Portugal will set the tone for the season as the world’s best riders go head-to-head in the fight for the top step of the podium.
- FIM EnduroGP season set to get underway in Portugal
- EnduroGP will take place across seven rounds in 2025
- Over 11 factory-supported teams and 136 riders entered
- Fafe excited to host EnduroGP season opener once again
Eagerly anticipated, the opening round of the Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship marks the first major test for 2025. Having opened the season in 2024, the northern Portuguese city of Fafe will once again play host to round one this weekend.
A bumper entry of riders and teams is set to arrive in Fafe from Wednesday in preparation for three days of exciting racing. Friday’s AKRAPOVIC Super Test will be hotly contested as competitors look to gain an early jump on their rivals. Adding to the excitement of Friday, Triumph Motorcycles will be officially welcomed into the EnduroGP paddock with a full unveiling of their all-new TF 250-E and TF 450-E enduro motorcycles.
Well-known for its distinctive, rugged landscape, Fafe and its surrounding mountains offer a true test of enduro terrain to open the championship. Across both Saturday and Sunday, riders will take on a 56-kilometre course, with three laps scheduled for EnduroGP, Junior and Youth categories, while Women, Junior Women and Open will complete two laps.
READ MORE: 2025 EnduroGP of Portugal – Entry Lists
Each lap will feature three special tests: ACERBIS Cross Test, GMOTO Enduro Test and the POLISPORT Extreme test. A test of outright speed, the ACERBIS Cross Test offers riders a chance to show their pace, while the GMOTO Enduro Test requires a balance of technical ability and speed to master. Always a spectacular sight in Portugal due to its gigantic boulders, the POLISPORT Extreme Test will push the rider’s technical skills to the maximum as they battle to deliver a mistake-free run under intense pressure.
Garcia set to begin defence of EnduroGP crown
At the head of the EnduroGP class, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Josep Garcia arrives to Fafe as the defending champion. A formidable racer, the Spaniard will look to get his season off to a winning start. However, Garcia is just recently recovered from a collarbone injury and round one will mark his first time in competitive action.
Honda Racing RedMoto Enduro Team’s Steve Holcombe will look to capitalise on any weakness in Garcia. A race-winner in Fafe in 2024, Holcombe’s pace is strong, and having moved from Enduro1 to Enduro2, and onto a CRF300X Enduro, the nine-time world champion will want to open his 2025 account with a victory.
So too will GASGAS Factory Racing’s Andrea Verona. A change in machinery during the offseason sees the Enduro2 World Champion now campaign the GASGAS EC 450F. The extra power over his 350 four-stroke could be a key factor on the ACERBIS Cross Test for the Italian.
Beta Factory Enduro Team’s Brad Freeman is another rider coming off the injury list heading into round one. The 10-time world champion ended 2024 with an overall win and would love to begin his 2025 season in the same fashion. Always determined to succeed, the Enduro3 World Champion will be one to watch in Fafe.
Looking to challenge for the podium will also be Freeman’s teammate Nathan Watson. With a programme unchanged from 2024, the Brit is always at his best when he’s most relaxed.
France’s Zach Pichon was one of the high-profile rider transfers during the offseason. Moving from Sherco Factory Team to TM MOTO BOANO Factory Enduro Team, the Frenchman has immediately looked happy and fast in his new colours. Now on the TM 300 4T, this could be the move Pichon needs to become a regular fixture among the top five or better in EnduroGP.
New Zealand’s Hamish MacDonald leads the charge of Sherco Factory Team into round one. MacDonald ended 2024 seventh in EnduroGP, while challenging for Enduro3 honours. Alongside teammate Jeremy Sydow (Enduro1), Theo Espinasse (Enduro2) and Antoine Magain (Enduro3), Sherco are well-represented across all senior classes.
Excitement as Triumph set to debut in world enduro
New arrivals to the EnduroGP paddock for 2025 are Triumph Racing Factory Team. The British manufacturer will run two riders in EnduroGP and Enduro1 with Jamie McCanney and Mikael Persson. Both are vastly experienced and will look to give Triumph an EnduroGP debut to remember.
Some offseason shakeups will see Fantic Factory Racing Team field Jed Etchells in Enduro1, with Albin Norrbin taking on Enduro2, and Matteo Pavoni lining out in Enduro3.
Finally, FIM Junior Enduro World Champion Max Ahlin steps up to EnduroGP and Enduro2 with Team KTM Pro Racing Sport. The young Swede will be hungry to mix it with the best this weekend.
Race is on for first-time Women’s Enduro World Champion
In the four-round Expotrade FIM Women’s Enduro World Championship, the way is cleared for a first-time champion to emerge from the 2025 season. With 2024 champion Mireia Badia calling time on her professional racing career, she won’t defend her crown. A competitive field of women are entered for the season opener in Fafe.
Vice-champion to Badia, it’s the United States’ Rachel Gutish who starts as the early favourite. Now Rieju-mounted, Gutish claimed three wins in 2024, despite it being her rookie season in EnduroGP. With a year’s worth of experience under her belt, she is aiming for the top step of the podium.
Chasing her hard will be Rieju Factory Team’s Rosie Rowett. The Brit ended 2024 in third overall, and would love to race for the world title. After a season curtailed by injury, Honda Racing RedMoto Enduro Team’s Francesca Nocera returns hungry to fight for the title that slipped from her grasp. Finishing on the podium in Fafe 12 months ago, she will be determined to start her year strong again.
Adding in Maria San Miguel (Rieju), Nieve Holmes (Sherco), Justine Martel (Beta) and Marie Holt (KTM), ensures a place inside the top five will be hotly contested.
New for 2025 is the addition of the Expotrade FIM Junior Women’s Enduro World Cup. Running alongside the four-round senior women’s category, it provides a prefect stepping stone for riders under the age of 23 to compete at world championship level enduro.
In total, there are five riders from France, Germany, Great Britain and Sweden entered. Lorna Lafont (Sherco), Lea Meier (Sherco), Elizabeth Tett (TM MOTO), Delun Davies (Fantic) and Matilda Ahlstrom (Husqvarna) will all aim to become the first race winner of the category this weekend.
Junior category fiercely contested
With almost 30 entries in the FIM Junior Enduro World Championship, the stage is set for a fiercely competitive season. Always a difficult category to predict, it will be exciting to see who can emerge from Fafe as an early favourite.
Finishing second and third in 2024, the Fantic Factory Racing Team pairing of Axel Semb and Kevin Cristino will be both determined to take over from Ahlin. Semb was a winner in Fafe last year and will hope to replicate that form once again this weekend.
Thibault Giraudon (Sherco), a race winner in 2024, and Leo Joyon (Beta), will be riders to watch for, alongside Alex Puey (Rieju). Following his double victory at the GP of Slovakia, Australia’s Kyron Bacon joins the championship full-time in 2025 with MGR Kawasaki. As the FIM Youth Enduro World Champion, Manuel Verzeroli joins Junior with TM MOTO BOANO Factory Enduro Team.
Youth class look to shine in Fafe
Already looking super-competitive, the Youth class is brimming with the next generation of enduro talent ready to shine through. Pietro Scardina (Fantic), Romain Dagna (KTM), Alberto Elgari (TM MOTO), Hugo Vukcevic (Sherco), Sam Hughes (KTM), Rees Jones (GASGAS) and Liam Sanjuan (GASGAS) are just some of the 20 riders from nine nationalities competing in Youth.
The opening round of the 2025 Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship takes place in Fafe, Portugal, from 4-6 April. Racing begins on Friday evening with the AKRAPOVIC Super Test.
Follow results from round one, 4-6 April: LIVE RESULTS
2025 Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship
Round 1: GP of Portugal – Fafe – 4-6 April
Round 2: GP of Spain – Oliana – 2-4 May
Round 3: GP of Sweden – Skövde – 23-25 May
Round 4: GP of Wales – Rhayader – 1-3 August
Round 5: GP of France – Réquista – 12-14 September
Round 6: GP of Italy – Darfo Boario Terme – 26-28 September
Round 7: GP of Germany – Zschopau – 17-19 October
2025 Expotrade FIM Women’s Enduro World Championship
Round 1: GP of Portugal – Fafe – 4-6 April
Round 2: GP of Wales – Rhayader – 1-3 August
Round 3: GP of France – Réquista – 12-14 September
Round 4: GP of Germany – Zschopau – 17-19 October
Words and Images by EnduroGP
