2023 FIM EnduroGP World Championship
Round Seven – Portugal
The opening day of racing at the seventh and final round of the Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship saw Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Josep Garcia crowned Enduro1 World Champion.
Josep Garcia (KTM) – E1 Champion
“After a big year it’s incredible to come away with the Enduro1 title. There has been lots of ups and downs, but I never gave up trying. I’m happy for my team and everyone supporting me to take this win.”
Further celebrations quickly followed in the paddock with Fantic JET Racing’s Jane Daniels winning the Magnorange FIM Women’s Enduro World Championship. Fantic Factory Racing’s Kevin Cristino added to the occasion on Saturday afternoon by locking down the Youth Enduro world title too.
The Championship then drew to a close with Beta Factory Racing’s Steve Holcombe clinching the EnduroGP title on Sunday. The Brit capped off an exceptional season by also claiming the Enduro2 World Championship to become a nine-time world champion.
Steve Holcombe (Beta) – EnduroGP/E2 Champion
“I was feeling the nerves today. It’s been a while since I was in this position of winning a title and I just wanted to get the job done and not make a mistake. I had a good start to the day then kinda lost my rhythm to the top guys in the middle of the day. But I knew where I needed to be, so I focused on that and brought the title home. Becoming EnduroGP and Enduro2 World Champion in one year is incredible. I never dreamt of being a nine-time world champion, so it’s going to take a while for this moment to sink in.”
Under the Beta awning Brad Freeman also lifted the Enduro3 crown, while day two at the seventh and final round of the GALFER FIM Junior Enduro World Championship saw Fantic JET Racing’s Jed Etchells become champion.
Brad Freeman (Beta) – E3 Champion
“I’m happy to come home with the world title in Enduro3. It’s a little bit bittersweet having lost the EnduroGP lead and trying to ride through injuries. But despite the tough year, I’ve ended it with my ninth world title. I’m ready to rest up now!”
Jed Etchells (Fantic) – Junior Enduro World Champion
“I’m over the moon to come away with the Junior title after what’s been an amazing year. My team worked so hard to get this over the line and I can’t thank them enough for helping me become a world champion. We’ll celebrate tonight!”
Day One – Saturday
Nerves were high among the potential champions as they rolled off the start ramp in Santiago do Cacem. CH Racing Sherco’s Hamish MacDonald set the quickest time in the POLISPORT Extreme Test, with GASGAS Factory Racing’s Andrea Verona right behind him in second and Beta Factory Racing’s Brad Freeman third.
On the following JUST1 Enduro Test, RedMoto Honda’s Nathan Watson and Samuel Bernardini went 1-2, but with Garcia slotting into third, it moved him into the overall lead. Verona went on to top the opening ACERBIS Cross Test to keep the pressure firmly on Garcia. Fast Eddy Racing’s Jamie McCanney was holding down third overall, while EnduroGP points leader Steve Holcombe (Beta) was beginning to climb his way up the leaderboard after a bad start.
Winning the opening CrossPro Enduro Test, Garcia held a two-second lead over Verona as the duo ended lap one over 14 seconds clear of McCanney in third. McCanney, who was having one of his best rides of the season, was fending off Watson, MacDonald, and Holcombe, who were all within seven seconds of the Manxman.
At the end of lap two, Garcia had extended his advantage over Verona to 10 seconds, while Holcombe raced his way into third. The third and final lap would tell all.
Holcombe had Verona in his sights and won both the POLISPORT Extreme Test and JUST1 Enduro Test, before Garcia topped the final ACERBIS Cross Test as well as the CrossPro Enduro Test to ultimately win the day. Verona played his cards right and managed the gap perfectly to Holcombe to hold onto second. The EnduroGP title fight will go down to the wire tomorrow.
McCanney capped off a great ride for fourth overall, while Bernardini got the better of Watson and MacDonald to complete the top five.
With his EnduroGP win, Garcia marched ahead to claim Enduro1 honours and with it secure the Enduro1 world title with a day to spare. McCanney took second, with Pichon rounding out the podium.
The Enduro2 win went to Verona, finishing 15 seconds ahead of Holcombe. Verona’s win also ensures the championship outcome between the duo won’t be decided until tomorrow’s final special test. Bernardini held off Watson to take third.
Hamish Mcdonald was seventh for the day and fifth in E2, with Daniel Milner P10 overall but sixth in E2.
Brad Freeman put his Beta on top to take a crucial victory in Enduro3. He held off closest championship rival Mikael Persson (Husqvarna) by five seconds to increase his championship lead to 12 points. JET Zanardo Husqvarna’s Christophe Charlier beat WP Eric Auge’s Jaume Betriu by half a second to take the final step of the podium.
The Magnorange FIM Women’s Enduro World Championship saw Fantic JET Racing’s Jane Daniels crowned world champion by securing her seventh consecutive win of the season. The Brit raced ahead to a 48-second margin of victory. However, she didn’t have things easy. Francesca Nocera (Honda) topped six special tests to finish second. Mireia Badia (Rieju) ended her day third, with Jessica Gardiner dropping out of podium contention to fourth.
Danielle McDonald was also in the top-10, finishing the day in sixth.
Jane Daniels (Fantic)
“I’m so happy to take the title. It wasn’t an easy day. The heat really got to me and I found it tough out there. Winning the title with seven wins from seven starts is amazing. It would be lovely to cap off my year with a perfect season, so I’ll give my best.”
Settling for the runner-up spot behind Leo Joyon (Beta), Fantic’s Kevin Cristino was crowned the 2023 Youth Enduro World Champion. Thibault Giraudon (Sherco) completed the top three.
Kevin Cristino (Fantic)
“It feels amazing to win the title. I’ve been working towards this goal for three years and now I’ve done it. Thank you to my team for helping me reach this moment!”
The GALFER FIM Junior Enduro World Championship saw Fantic Factory Racing’s Albin Norrbin take the win and close the gap to points leader Jed Etchells (Fantic) to seven points heading into tomorrow’s final day of racing.
Etchells finished three seconds behind Norrbin in second, while Max Ahlin (KTM) was third. There was some early celebration for Etchells today, with the Manxman winning the Junior1 title.
2023 EnduroGP of Portugal Day One Highlights
Day One Results – Top 20
Pos | Rider | Nat | Cat | Moto | Gap |
1 | GARCIA Josep | ESP | E1 | KTM | 1:02:04.83 |
2 | VERONA Andrea | ITA | E2 | GASGAS | +9.00 |
3 | HOLCOMBE Steve | GBR | E2 | Beta | +24.22 |
4 | MCCANNEY Jamie | GBR | E1 | Husqvarna | +48.66 |
5 | BERNARDINI Samuele | ITA | E2 | Honda | +1:17.69 |
6 | WATSON Nathan | GBR | E2 | Honda | +1:23.48 |
7 | MACDONALD Hamish | NZL | E2 | Sherco | +1:29.54 |
8 | PICHON Zachary | FRA | E1 | Sherco | +1:33.16 |
9 | FREEMAN Brad | GBR | E3 | Beta | +1:54.88 |
10 | MILNER Daniel | AUS | E2 | TM RACING | +1:58.12 |
11 | PERSSON Mikael | SWE | E3 | Husqvarna | +2:00.47 |
12 | ESPINASSE Theophile | FRA | E1 | Beta | +2:15.11 |
13 | CHARLIER Christophe | FRA | E3 | Husqvarna | +2:18.99 |
14 | BETRIU Jaume | ESP | E3 | KTM | +2:19.46 |
15 | PAVONI Matteo | ITA | E1 | TM RACING | +2:21.22 |
16 | FARGIER Luc | FRA | E3 | Beta | +2:37.46 |
17 | HERRERA RIED Benjamin | CHI | E3 | GASGAS | +2:43.87 |
18 | KYTONEN Roni Markus | FIN | E1 | Honda | +2:50.43 |
19 | KOUBLE Krystof | CZE | E2 | Husqvarna | +2:53.45 |
20 | EDMONDSON Jack | GBR | E1 | Husqvarna | +2:58.65 |
Day Two – Sunday
As day one winner and the freshly crowned Enduro1 World Champion, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Josep Garcia was not taking things slowly. On a mission to secure third or better in the EnduroGP standings, the Spaniard blitzed the opening five special tests.
In doing so he built up an early lead of 15 seconds over Steve Holcombe, with GASGAS Factory Racing’s Andrea Verona six seconds back in third. With RedMoto Honda’s Nathan Watson just one tenth behind Verona, it ensured a four-rider battle for the final podium of the season.
Comfortable in the chewed-up sandy special tests, Garcia pushed on to ultimately secure the victory. The Spaniard had done all he could to bolster his place in the final standings. Behind him though and things were spicy. With Watson putting in his best ride of the season, he was making life difficult for Verona.
Exiting the final POLISPORT Extreme Test, Watson sat in second position. Holcombe was 12 seconds behind, with Verona a further three seconds adrift in fourth. Factor in a charging Jamie McCanney (Fast Eddy Racing), just three seconds behind Verona, and it was all too close to call.
Trying to decide between pushing on for a top-three result or wrapping up the EnduroGP title, Holcombe wisely opted for the latter option in the closing stages of the day. Eventually slipping back to fifth in the closing stages, it was more than enough to see him crowned the 2023 EnduroGP World Champion, along with taking the Enduro2 world title.
Watson would stand firm in second to record his best result of the season. With Verona unable to get the better of the Honda rider, it saw Garcia capitalise on the result and end the season as runner-up to Holcombe in the final EnduroGP standings, beating Verona by just one point. Also enjoying a great end to his year, McCanney ended his day in fourth.
Garcia and Holcombe locked down the Enduro1 and Enduro2 titles respectively.
Hamish Macdonald finished the finale in ninth, while Daniel Milner was 14th. In the overall EnduroGP standings Macdonald was fifth, Milner 14th and Wil Ruprecht 15th.
Hamish finished the season in third in E2, Milner sixth and Wil Ruprecht eighth.
The most nail-biting end to the year was in Enduro3, Brad Freeman began the day with a comfortable looking 12 points over nearest rival Mikael Persson (Husqvarna).
Winning the opening two tests, things looked like business as usual for Freeman, but as the day wore on he was in trouble. Slipping down the order to an eventual sixth place, and with Persson going on to win the day, resulted in many frantically doing the maths for the Enduro3 outcome. In the end, Freeman won the title by just two points and was crowned the Enduro3 World Champion.
The outcome of the GALFER FIM Junior Enduro World Championship was played out between Jed Etchells (Fantic) and Albin Norrbin (Fantic). Etchells began the day with seven points in hand over Norrbin. If Norrbin won, Etchells needed to finish third or better to win his first world championship title.
Topping the opening test, Etchells was off to a great start. But in the second half of the day, Norrbin was on top form. The Swede won the final six tests of the day to take the win. Australia’s Kyron Bacon (Yamaha) was riding well and slipped in between Norrbin and Etchells to place second.
Kyron Bacon
“Portugal EnduroGP all done! Pumped the be back on the podium with P1 in J1 and P2 overall juniors happy with my weekend but now time to head home ready for AORC this weekend! Huge thankyou to Johansson MPE and the whole team for making us feel at home, supplying a bike and letting us be apart of the team the last two weeks it’s been a good time!”
However, with Etchells hanging onto third, it was enough to seal him the GALFER FIM Junior Enduro World Championship. Although losing out to Etchells in the overall Junior standings, Norrbin did win the Junior2 title.
With the Youth Enduro and Women’s Enduro titles already wrapped up on day one by Kevin Cristino (Fantic) and Jane Daniels (Fantic) respectively, day two saw Cristino win once again to make it 11 victories in 2023.
Making it a clean sweep of victories in the Magnorange FIM Women’s Enduro Championship, Daniels remained unbeaten in 2023. Jess Gardiner finished runner-up five-points clear of Francesca Nocera. Gardiner dropped to fifth on day two, behind fellow Australian Danielle McDonald. McDonald finished the season in 14th.
Jessica Gardiner
“What a massive year, thank you to everyone for your huge support over the year to make my return to world enduro championships a successful one. To the @johanssonmpe team for their huge support and effort! To @jeremycarpentier44 for working tirelessly to make my dream of my best result yet In a world championship possible. They don’t just give these medals out. It takes consistency, a lot of good moments, strength, a few tears and a few good pep talks. Jeremy ran half the special tests that I rode this year and without you I know this wouldn’t have been possible. To each and every major and minor sponsor that supported me to make this possible, from the bottom of my heart thank you.”
2023 EnduroGP of Portugal Day Two Highlights
TBA
Day Two Results – Top 20
Pos | Rider | Nat | Cat | Moto | Gap |
1 | GARCIA Josep | ESP | E1 | KTM | 1:00:43.45 |
2 | WATSON Nathan | GBR | E2 | Honda | +18.30 |
3 | VERONA Andrea | ITA | E2 | GASGAS | +33.41 |
4 | MCCANNEY Jamie | GBR | E1 | Husqvarna | +43.10 |
5 | HOLCOMBE Steve | GBR | E2 | Beta | +47.12 |
6 | PICHON Zachary | FRA | E1 | Sherco | +1:42.48 |
7 | BERNARDINI Samuele | ITA | E2 | Honda | +1:53.23 |
8 | PERSSON Mikael | SWE | E3 | Husqvarna | +2:00.54 |
9 | MACDONALD Hamish | NZL | E2 | Sherco | +2:00.83 |
10 | CHARLIER Christophe | FRA | E3 | Husqvarna | +2:09.80 |
11 | MAGAIN Antoine | BEL | E3 | Sherco | +2:11.33 |
12 | SANS SORIA Marc | ESP | E2 | Yamaha | +2:16.19 |
13 | ESPINASSE Theophile | FRA | E1 | Beta | +2:18.20 |
14 | MILNER Daniel | AUS | E2 | TM RACING | +2:19.47 |
15 | MACORITTO Lorenzo | ITA | E3 | Fantic | +2:27.24 |
16 | BETRIU Jaume | ESP | E3 | KTM | +2:29.12 |
17 | FREEMAN Brad | GBR | E3 | Beta | +2:30.88 |
18 | HERRERA RIED Benjamin | CHI | E3 | GASGAS | +2:47.05 |
19 | FARGIER Luc | FRA | E3 | Beta | +3:01.37 |
20 | KOUBLE Krystof | CZE | E2 | Husqvarna | +3:18.15 |
EnduroGP Standings
Pos | Rider | Nat | Bike | Total |
1 | HOLCOMBE Steve | GBR | Beta | 222 |
2 | GARCIA Josep | ESP | KTM | 210 |
3 | VERONA Andrea | ITA | GASGAS | 209 |
4 | FREEMAN Brad | GBR | Beta | 169 |
5 | MACDONALD Hamish | NZL | Sherco | 143 |
6 | WATSON Nathan | GBR | Honda | 122 |
7 | PICHON Zachary | FRA | Sherco | 108 |
8 | ESPINASSE Theophile | FRA | Beta | 103 |
9 | MCCANNEY Jamie | GBR | Husqvarna | 97 |
10 | PERSSON Mikael | SWE | Husqvarna | 86 |
11 | BERNARDINI Samuele | ITA | Honda | 67 |
12 | CAVALLO Matteo | ITA | TM RACING | 45 |
13 | MAGAIN Antoine | BEL | Sherco | 41 |
14 | MILNER Daniel | AUS | TM RACING | 40 |
15 | RUPRECHT Wil | AUS | Sherco | 32 |
16 | PAVONI Matteo | ITA | TM RACING | 30 |
17 | OLDRATI Thomas | ITA | Honda | 22 |
18 | FISCHEDER Luca | GER | Sherco | 17 |
19 | CHARLIER Christophe | FRA | Husqvarna | 16 |
20 | LESIARDO Morgan | ITA | Sherco | 13 |
21 | ELOWSON Albin | SWE | Husqvarna | 12 |
22 | BETRIU Jaume | ESP | KTM | 8 |
23 | KYTONEN Roni Markus | FIN | Honda | 7 |
24 | FARGIER Luc | FRA | Beta | 5 |
25 | SANS SORIA Marc | ESP | Yamaha | 4 |
26 | HERRERA RIED Benjamin | CHI | GASGAS | 3 |
27 | ROUSSALY Julien | FRA | Sherco | 2 |
28 | MACORITTO Lorenzo | ITA | Fantic | 1 |
E1 Standings
Pos | Rider | Nat | Bike | Total |
1 | GARCIA Josep | ESP | KTM | 249 |
2 | ESPINASSE Theophile | FRA | Beta | 203 |
3 | MCCANNEY Jamie | GBR | Husqvarna | 200 |
4 | PICHON Zachary | FRA | Sherco | 197 |
5 | PAVONI Matteo | ITA | TM RACING | 154 |
6 | KYTONEN Roni Markus | FIN | Honda | 121 |
7 | CRIVILIN Bruno | BRA | Honda | 99 |
8 | OLDRATI Thomas | ITA | Honda | 93 |
9 | SORECA Davide | ITA | Sherco | 81 |
10 | EDMONDSON Jack | GBR | Husqvarna | 60 |
11 | HALJALA Hermanni | FIN | Beta | 59 |
12 | GESLIN Anthony | FRA | Husqvarna | 28 |
13 | FASTH Adam | SWE | KTM | 18 |
14 | HUEBNER Edward | GER | KTM | 17 |
15 | MINOT Carlo | ITA | KTM | 14 |
16 | GUNNERHEIM Alexander | SWE | KTM | 10 |
17 | OBRADO GARCIA Samuel | ESP | GASGAS | 8 |
18 | SEGANTINI Matteo | ITA | Husqvarna | 6 |
19 | JOCHEMS Tommie | NED | KTM | 5 |
20 | PAVONE Luca | ITA | TM RACING | 2 |
E2 Standings
Pos | Rider | Nat | Bike | Total |
1 | HOLCOMBE Steve | GBR | Beta | 260 |
2 | VERONA Andrea | ITA | GASGAS | 247 |
3 | MACDONALD Hamish | NZL | Sherco | 188 |
4 | WATSON Nathan | GBR | Honda | 178 |
5 | BERNARDINI Samuele | ITA | Honda | 153 |
6 | MILNER Daniel | AUS | TM RACING | 115 |
7 | KOUBLE Krystof | CZE | Husqvarna | 102 |
8 | RUPRECHT Wil | AUS | Sherco | 98 |
9 | SANS SORIA Marc | ESP | Yamaha | 82 |
10 | KUTULAS Nicolas andres | ARG | KTM | 46 |
11 | ELOWSON Albin | SWE | Husqvarna | 39 |
12 | BLANJOUE Hugo | FRA | KTM | 33 |
13 | BOLT Billy | GBR | Husqvarna | 19 |
14 | BURUD Kevin | NOR | KTM | 18 |
15 | POHJOLA Eemil | FIN | Honda | 17 |
16 | MARTINI Gianluca | ITA | GASGAS | 16 |
17 | LINDHOLM Casper | SWE | Husqvarna | 12 |
18 | LJUNGSTROM Oskar | SWE | Beta | 12 |
19 | NELSON Oliver | SWE | KTM | 10 |
20 | SILVA Renato | POR | Beta | 8 |
21 | LOFQUIST Franz | SWE | Yamaha | 6 |
22 | BIGIARINI Alessio | ITA | Husqvarna | 5 |
23 | MEISOLA Ville | FIN | Kawasaki | 2 |
E3 Standings
Pos | Rider | Nat. | Bike | Total |
1 | FREEMAN Brad | GBR | Beta | 227 |
2 | PERSSON Mikael | SWE | Husqvarna | 225 |
3 | MAGAIN Antoine | BEL | Sherco | 160 |
4 | LESIARDO Morgan | ITA | Sherco | 139 |
5 | CAVALLO Matteo | ITA | TM RACING | 131 |
6 | HERRERA RIED Benjamin | CHI | GASGAS | 114 |
7 | FARGIER Luc | FRA | Beta | 108 |
8 | BETRIU Jaume | ESP | KTM | 107 |
9 | FISCHEDER Luca | GER | Sherco | 95 |
10 | MACORITTO Lorenzo | ITA | Fantic | 82 |
11 | CHARLIER Christophe | FRA | Husqvarna | 81 |
12 | LE QUERE Leo | FRA | Rieju | 71 |
13 | ROUSSALY Julien | FRA | Sherco | 59 |
14 | BUXTON Tom | NZL | Sherco | 44 |
15 | SCOTT Jordan | GBR | TM RACING | 13 |
16 | ADIELSSON Marcus | SWE | Beta | 12 |
17 | CIANI Mirko | ITA | Beta | 3 |
18 | MARTINI Andrea | ITA | Sherco | 1 |
FIM Junior Enduro World Championship
Pos | Rider | Nat | Bike | Total |
1 | ETCHELLS Jed | GBR | Fantic | 242 |
2 | NORRBIN Albin | SWE | Fantic | 240 |
3 | SYDOW Jeremy | GER | Sherco | 192 |
4 | AHLIN Max | SWE | KTM | 192 |
5 | NAVARRO HUERTAS Se… | ESP | Husqvarna | 168 |
6 | SEMB Axel | SWE | Husqvarna | 106 |
7 | NAVARRO HUERTAS Al… | ESP | Beta | 90 |
8 | RINALDI Enrico | ITA | GASGAS | 78 |
9 | PUHAKAINEN Samuli | FIN | Beta | 77 |
10 | ALIX Antoine | FRA | Beta | 76 |
11 | MORETTINI Manolo | ITA | Honda | 74 |
12 | EDMONDSON Harry | GBR | Fantic | 60 |
13 | BACON Kyron | AUS | Yamaha | 51 |
14 | ERLANDSSON Max | SWE | Honda | 49 |
15 | JUUPALUOMA Peetu | FIN | Husqvarna | 43 |
16 | FONTOVA Albert | ESP | GASGAS | 36 |
17 | SKUTA Matej | CZE | Beta | 23 |
18 | PANDO Julio | ESP | Beta | 7 |
19 | CHLUM Matyas | CZE | Sherco | 6 |
20 | BENGTSSON Nisse | SWE | Sherco | 6 |
21 | BERGSTROM Lucas | SWE | Husqvarna | 5 |
22 | BERNINI Lorenzo | ITA | GASGAS | 5 |
23 | INGHAM Max | GBR | Yamaha | 3 |
24 | COCKER Davin | RSA | Husqvarna | 2 |
25 | KALNY Jaroslav | CZE | Sherco | 2 |
26 | LUNIER Killian | FRA | Husqvarna | 1 |
FIM Women’s Enduro World Championship
Pos | Rider | Nat | Bike | Total |
1 | DANIELS Jane | GBR | Fantic | 160 |
2 | GARDINER Jessica | AUS | Yamaha | 114 |
3 | NOCERA Francesca | ITA | Honda | 109 |
4 | ROWETT Rosie | GBR | Rieju | 101 |
5 | MALM Hedvig | SWE | KTM | 80 |
6 | HOLMES Nieve | GBR | Sherco | 71 |
7 | BADIA Mireia | ESP | Rieju | 60 |
8 | CHAPLOT Elodie | FRA | Sherco | 50 |
9 | MARTEL Justine | FRA | Beta | 48 |
10 | HOLT Vilde marie | NOR | GASGAS | 46 |
11 | AKESSON Linnea | SWE | Beta | 35 |
12 | LEMOINE Marine | FRA | Husqvarna | 29 |
13 | GONCALVES Joana | POR | Husqvarna | 27 |
14 | MCDONALD Danielle | AUS | Yamaha | 23 |
15 | FIFER Tjasa | SLO | Beta | 20 |
16 | RABIONET Mireia | ESP | KTM | 18 |
17 | MIELONEN Janette | FIN | Yamaha | 12 |
18 | BUHMANN Samantha | GER | Beta | 10 |
19 | BERZELIUS Hanna | SWE | Husqvarna | 8 |
20 | TETT Elizabeth | GBR | Beta | 8 |
21 | MAKINEN Viivi-Maria | FIN | Husqvarna | 6 |
22 | LAGHER Hanna | SWE | Beta | 4 |
23 | SCAGLIONI Carla | ARG | Husqvarna | 2 |
24 | PITTALUGA Aurora | ITA | Beta | 1 |