The opening day of racing at round two of the Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship saw Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Josep Garcia win in Oliana, Spain.
- EnduroGP victory for Josep Garcia on day one at GP of Spain
- Sweden’s Axel Semb wins Junior class
- Romain Dagna races to the top step of the Youth category podium
Garcia rides to EnduroGP victory on home soil
Under sunny skies in Oliana, Spain, the Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship readied itself for an exciting day of racing at round two. Riding a wave of momentum following his win in Friday’s AKRAPOVIC Super Test, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Josep Garcia began day one primed for business.
Sharp off the mark, the Spaniard quickly topped the opening GMOTO Enduro Test by almost six seconds from TM MOTO Boano Factory Enduro Team’s Zach Pichon, with GASGAS Factory Racing’s Andrea Verona a further seven seconds behind in third.
Fastest in the opening POLISPORT Extreme Test ahead of Sherco Racing Factory’s Theo Espinasse, Garcia extended his lead to 15 seconds over Pichon. With Verona winning the first ACERBIS Cross Test, and Garcia placing an ‘uncharacteristic’ fifth, it momentarily looked like the fight for victory was about to tighten up.
But Garcia quickly silenced those thoughts by opening lap two with an astonishingly fast time in the GMOTO Enduro Test. Gapping his rivals by 14 seconds on the special test saw him build a healthy 27-second lead with less than half of the race day complete.
From that point on, Garcia never faltered. Winning all five remaining special tests to end day one with a 49-second advantage, it was very much a statement ride from the EnduroGP champion.
Although remaining the closest rider to Garcia throughout the day, a mistake on the first POLISPORT Extreme Test and a drop in pace on the final lap saw Pichon’s hopes of challenging for the win slip away. Nevertheless, it was still a solid ride for the Frenchman in second.
Verona raced on to complete the top three, and despite taking a win on the ACERBIS Cross Test, the Italian never quite got close enough to properly challenge Pichon. The GASGAS rider will look to make amends tomorrow.
Sherco Racing Factory’s Hamish Macdonald enjoyed a strong ride for fourth. Claiming a brace of top-five test times, he kept the pressure on Verona. Ensuring two Sherco Racing Factory riders made it into the top five, Antoine Magain took fifth.
Pichon keeps Enduro2 win streak alive with day one victory
The overall EnduroGP win might have eluded Pichon, but the Enduro2 victory on day one was his. As the closest overall challenger to Garcia, his pace pulled him clear of Verona in second to win by 17 seconds. Behind the top two of Pichon and Verona, Beta Factory Enduro Team’s Nathan Watson completed the podium in third.
In Enduro1, it was Garcia who raced to a clear and commanding one-minute and 43-second margin of victory. But behind him things were much tighter. In the battle for the remainder of the podium, it was a fight between Triumph Italia Racing’s Lesiardo Morgan and Triumph Factory Racing Enduro Team’s Mikael Persson. Coming down to the wire, Morgan took second over Persson by just six tenths of a second.
Backing up his pair of Enduro3 wins at round one, Macdonald won again in class on day one in Spain. The New Zealander was challenged by teammate Magain, but the Belgian just didn’t have the pace of Macdonald on the final lap to deny him victory. TM MOTO Boano Factory Enduro Team’s Leo Le Quere secured his first Enduro3 podium of the season with third, while home favourite WP Eric Auge’s Jaume Betriu took fourth.
Dominant win for Semb in Junior class
The FIM Junior Enduro World Championship was all about Fantic Factory Racing Team’s Axel Semb on day one at the GP of Spain in Oliana. The young Swede was nothing short of sensational. Taking control of the race lead on the opening POLISPORT Extreme Test, Semb never looked back, racing clear to a very commanding 37-second margin of victory. This marked the Fantic rider’s first Junior class win since round two in 2024.
The remainder of the Junior class podium was decided by less than four seconds. Proving fast and consistent throughout the day, France’s Thibault Giraudon (Sherco) secured second. Stepping up to the Junior class as the reigning FIM Youth Enduro World Champion, TM MOTO Boano Factory Enduro Team’s Manuel Verzeroli proved he’s got the pace of his rivals by taking a debut podium result in third.
Finishing an agonising sixty-five hundredths of a second behind Verzeroli, Ox Moto Beta’s Leo Joyon had to be content with fourth. Fantic Factory Racing Team’s Kevin Cristino completed the top five. It wasn’t the best of days for round one’s double winner Kyron Bacon, with the MGR Kawasaki rider placing seventh. He’ll look to bounce back tomorrow.
Win for France’s Romain Dagna in Youth class
The FIM Youth Enduro World Championship saw Team KTM Pro Racing Sport’s Romain Dagna return to the top step of the podium on day one at the GP of Spain. The Frenchman pulled clear during the early part of the day, stretching his advantage out to 19 seconds at the end of the second ACERBIS Cross Test.
But losing 15 seconds on the final GMOTO Enduro Test almost saw all of that hard work undone. With TM MOTO Boano Factory Enduro Team’s Alberto Elgari now within striking distance, Dagna had to react fast. Winning the final two special tests of the day, he secured the Youth class victory.
Although almost capitalising on Dagna’s mistake, Elgari was unable to turn the tables on the Frenchman and finished second. Fantic Factory Racing Enduro Team Specia’s Pietro Scardina completed the top three.
Josep Garcia (KTM): “I worked hard after the GP of Portugal to be ready for this race. I felt I came into my home race prepared and ready to fight. I made some mistakes and some crashes, but overall it went well. It’s incredible to race this close to my home, to win is amazing.”
Zach Pichon (TM MOTO): “For me, it was a good day. I had some good times in the Enduro Test. I knew Josep [Garcia] would be fast here, it’s his home race. But I’m pleased with my performance. I hope to continue like this tomorrow.”
Andrea Verona (GASGAS): “Third overall is nice, but I think I could have fought for second if it wasn’t for some mistakes. I know there’s places to improve, so I will aim to do that tomorrow.”
Axel Semb (Fantic): “It feels great to win. It’s been a good comeback from the opening round in Portugal where I was fourth both days. It’s also been a long time since my last victory, so I’m super happy to be back on the top step of the podium.”
Romain Dagna (KTM): “I had a great first lap and was able to open up a nice lead. I held that advantage for most of the day, but when I crashed twice on the final Enduro Test the times were tight again. I kept calm, kept my pace and was able to build again, and win the day.”
Results: GP of Spain, Day 1
EnduroGP
1. Josep Garcia (KTM) 1:00:33.25; 2. Zach Pichon (TM MOTO) 1:01:22.36; 3. Andrea Verona (GASGAS) 1:01:39.85; 4. Hamish Macdonald (Sherco) 1:01:59.12; 5. Antoine Magain (Sherco) 1:02:14.02; 6. Lesiardo Morgan (Triumph) 1:02:17.05; 7. Mikael Persson (Triumph) 1:02:17.64; 8. Nathan Watson (Beta) 1:02:46.04; 9. Samuele Bernardini (Honda) 1:02:49.28; 10. Leo Le Quere (TM MOTO) 1:03:02.29…