ISDE 2023 reaches the halfway point – Recap and rankings

2023 FIM International Six Day’s Enduro
Day Three

ISDE 2023 reached the halfway point overnight after a 115 kilometre loop took competitors southwest of the Villicum Circuit along the rocky and dry northern shorelines of the nearby Dique Ullum and Punta Negra lakes.

Team USA extended their FIM World Trophy lead over Great Britain, who narrowly maintained their second place ranking ahead of Team France.  Spain and Italy complete the top five, with Chile, Argentina, and Canada holding sixth, seventh and eighth respectively. Venezuela and Brazil round out the top ten.

Individual overall and E1 honours on day three went to Spain’s Josep Garcia who moved back into the outright lead after a great performance, winning five of the day’s six special tests in what were challenging conditions.

Italy’s Andrea Verona claimed the Enduro2 class win for the third time.

Sweden’s Albin Norrbin (Fantic) was the fastest Enduro3 class rider on day three.

Sweden further extended their advantage in the FIM Junior World Trophy, while the United States extended their lead over Australia in the Women’s competition.

ISDE 2023 moves into the second half of race week with Thursday’s day four using the same loop as Wednesday, so conditions are sure to be rough out on the course as rider fatigue becomes a real factor throughout the field.

FIM World Trophy Stage Three Individual

FIM World Trophy Individual Standings

FIM World Trophy Team Standings

FIM Women’s World Trophy

In the FIM Women’s World Trophy class, the United States once again pushed the pace at the top of the classification. Winning the opening special test by over one minute, they set about building their lead throughout the day. At the end of lap one they had pulled two minutes and twenty-three seconds clear of Australia in second place.

Closing out their day with a five minute and thirty-three second margin of victory, the United States begin the second half of this year’s 6DAYS® with a very comfortable ten minute and thirty-one second advantage over Australia.

“We’re halfway through the race, but so far it’s been one of the gnarliest ones we’ve done,” said Australia’s Tayla Jones (Husqvarna). “The combination of heat, dust, rocks, and big days is hard. But we’re tough and will keep plugging away at it.”

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“The United States are riding great, but we’re happy with the position we’re in. It’s physically tiring and super easy to make a mistake. I’ll rest up this evening and get ready for the second half of the week.”

Behind the United States and Australia, Team FIM LA of Barbara Neves (Honda), Tania Gonzales (Honda) and Valeria Rodriguez (Honda) hold onto to third overall.

FIM Women’s World Trophy Standings

FIM Junior World Trophy

Sweden were once again the dominant force in the FIM Junior World Trophy class. As has been the case all week, the trio of Axel Semb (Husqvarna), Albin Norrbin (Fantic), and Max Ahlin (KTM) filled out the top-three positions in the Junior rankings. Today it was Semb who took the win, edging out his team-mate Norrbin by three seconds.

France kept the United States at bay to finish day three in second, but are still looking for that extra bit of pace to trouble leaders Sweden. Host nation Argentina enjoyed a great performance, beating the Czech Republic to take fourth.

After three days, Sweden now lead by almost twelve minutes. France hold a two minute and forty-five second lead over the United States in third. Argentina sit fourth overall. With hopes of a podium still on their minds, they will look to keep the pressure on the top three nations during these final three days of racing.

FIM Junior World Trophy Standings