KTM’s Josep Garcia and GasGas’ Andrea Verona each took a piece of the spotlight during the two-day FIM EnduroGP round in Portugal, September 13-14. Garcia kicked things off with a win on Saturday, followed by Verona’s victory on Sunday. Every second mattered during this hot and dry—and competitive—weekend.
Photos by Future7Media
Garcia, Verona and Zach Pichon (TM Moto) were the three favorites going into the weekend. The title challengers battled closely all day on Saturday, with Garcia coming out on top, much of which had to do with a late-race surge. After all the seconds were tallied, Garcia came out on top by just 19 seconds over Verona, and Pichon was just eight seconds behind Verona.
The fourth- and fifth-placed riders weren’t far behind, either, with Sherco’s Hamish MacDonald taking fourth and Triumph’s Morgan Lesiardo taking fifth. Just approximately a minute and a half separated the top five riders.
“It was a good day of racing for me,” Garcia said. “The times in the Cross Test and Extreme Test were very tight, but I was able to open a gap in the Enduro Test, which made the difference today.”
“Day one was a positive day, second overall and winning in Enduro2 [class],” Verona said. “I had a good feeling on the bike, without making too many mistakes. I found the Enduro Test the most challenging.”
“I didn’t have the best feeling today,” Pichon said. “I think I was a bit asleep this morning. I think I lost the day there on lap one. After that I figured some things out and rode good for the final two laps.”
It was another close one among the same top racers on Sunday, but this time, Verona got the edge, capitalizing on small mistakes by runner-up Garcia and third-placed Pichon. The day, however, was cut short when a brush fire, which was quickly knocked down, erupted next to one of the tests. The incident caused a lengthy delay, which forced the premature end of the day’s racing.
“I’m super happy to win EnduroGP and Enduro2,” Verona said on Sunday. “I felt good on the bike today and throughout the weekend.”
“It was a good fight today, but it’s second for me in EnduroGP, with the win in Enduro1,” said Garcia, Saturday’s winner. “I am happy with my riding; I just had too many mistakes in the second Enduro Test.”
Pichon said, “The day started well, and I was leading on lap one. But then I began to make some mistakes. I tried to do my best, but it was not enough. It’s not my best GP, but I have taken some good points.”
MacDonald was again fourth, and Mikael Persson (Triumph) was fifth overall.
After five of seven rounds, Garcia leads the EnduroGP (overall) standings with 186 points, followed by Portugal non-starter GasGas’ Andrea Pichon’s 157 points and Zach Pichon’s 155 points.
In the Women’s Championship, there was a shakeup. Points leader Francesca Nocera (Honda) had her Saturday cut short due to a mechanical issue, while American Rachel Gutish, on the factory-backed Rieju, went on to take the day’s win over teammate Rosie Rowett and take over the points lead.
“I’m really happy to get the win here,” Gutish said. “But to be honest, the dusty conditions were not to my strengths. So, to win is very rewarding.”
Nocera came back to win day two, while Gutish took second, which was good enough to maintain her lead in the class championship. After three of the four rounds for the Women’s class, Gutish leads with 105 points to Rowett’s 94. Nocera is now third with 90 points. CN
DAY 1 OVERALL (Top 5)
- Josep Garcia (KTM) 1:03:09.70
- Andrea Verona (GG) 1:03:28.16
- Zach Pichon (TM) 1:03:36.97
- Hamish Macdonald (She) 1:04:13.91
- Morgan Lesiardo (Tri) 1:04:25.96
DAY 2 OVERALL (Top 5)
- Andrea Verona (GG) 40:14.76
- Josep Garcia (KTM) 40:21.36
- Zach Pichon (TM) 40:32.80
- Hamish Macdonald (She) 40:56.50
- Mikael Persson (Tri) 41:00.55
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