Honda Racing RedMoto Enduro Team’s Steve Holcombe produced a weekend to remember at the FIM EnduroGP World Championship in Wales, winning both EnduroGP and Enduro1 categories on Saturday. Racing to third in EnduroGP on Sunday, Steve enjoyed the podium celebrations in front of his British fans.
• EnduroGP victory on British soil for Steve in Wales
• Steve keeps Enduro1 title hopes alive with Rnd 6 win
• Steve enjoys incredible home crowd support all weekend
Round six of the FIM EnduroGP World Championship in Wales was one that Honda Racing RedMoto Enduro Team’s Steve Holcombe had been eagerly anticipated for a long time. Not since 2017 had the nine-time world champion raced on British soil in the world championship and was naturally aiming to deliver his best.
Fast off the mark, he set the fourth quickest time in Friday’s super test on his Honda-RedMoto CRF 250RX Enduro. With a plan in mind of how he wanted to attack Saturday’s opening day of racing, Steve executed it to near-perfection. Leading outright at the end of lap two of three, he remained out front on the third and final lap to secure a dream victory in front of his home crowd, in both EnduroGP and Enduro1.
Hungry for more, Steve set about backing that performance up on Sunday. Quickly, a three-rider fight developed for the overall victory, often with only hundredths of a second separating them on the special tests. With a wealth of British support cheering him on, he ended his day just five seconds short of taking the EnduroGP win, securing third overall and placing second in Enduro1.
After an incredibly enjoyable and successful GP of Wales, Steve now looks forward to the final round of the championship in France on September 13-15.
Steve Holcombe: “What a weekend! Of all the EnduroGP rounds this season, this is probably the one I put the most pressure on myself to do well at. I’m happy to have pulled off the EnduroGP and Enduro1 victory on Saturday. I had a bit of a plan of how I wanted the day to go and managed to execute the first two laps on Saturday really well. I lost a little bit of time on the final lap but had enough in hand to get the job done. I tried to repeat that on Sunday, but between Josep (Garcia), Brad (Freeman) and myself, the pace was so tight and hard for anyone to make a gap. Naturally, I wanted to win, but finishing just five seconds behind in third shows just how tight the racing is. Overall, it’s been an incredible weekend. An event like the GP of Wales was long overdue and racing in front my home crowd was very, very special.”
Results: FIM EnduroGP World Championship, Round 6
EnduroGP – Day 1
1. Steve Holcombe (Honda) 56:54.44; 2. Brad Freeman (Beta) 56:58.65; 3. Josep Garcia (KTM) 57:00.04
Enduro1 – Day 1
1. Steve Holcombe (Honda) 56:54.44; 2. Josep Garcia (KTM) 57:00.04; 3. Zach Pichon (Sherco) 58:19.76…
EnduroGP – Day 2
1. Josep Garcia (KTM) 55:02.28; 2. Brad Freeman (Beta) 55:02.43; 3. Steve Holcombe (Honda) 55:07.72…
Enduro1 – Day 2
1. Josep Garcia (KTM) 55:02.28; 2. Steve Holcombe (Honda) 55:07.72; 3. Zach Pichon (Sherco) 56:07.63
Championship Standings (After round 6)
EnduroGP
1. Josep Garcia (KTM) 212pts 2. Andrea Verona (GASGAS) 195pts; 3. Steve Holcombe (Honda) 189pts
Enduro1
1. Josep Garcia (KTM) 225pts; 2. Steve Holcombe (Honda) 219pts; 3. Zach Pichon (Sherco) 168pts
Words and Images by Steve Holcombe
