Day 1 – Part 1
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Racing at round five of the Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship in Vila de Rei, Portugal, got underway with day one’s action proving hot and heavy. Extremely dry and dusty conditions were the order of the day, and as the special tests became rougher with each passing rider, it was a demanding challenge for all on the Portuguese terrain.
Garcia, Verona and Pichon out front in EnduroGP
At the head of the EnduroGP class, all eyes were on the trio of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Josep Garcia, TM MOTO Boano Factory Enduro Team’s Zach Pichon and GASGAS Factory Racing’s Andrea Verona to see who would come out on top on day one in Vila de Rei.
With the ACERBIS Cross Test opening the day’s proceedings, it was Verona who attacked Garcia’s early lead following the KTM rider’s AKRAPOVIC Super Test win. Verona took the test win by 1.44 seconds over Garcia to reduce the Spaniard’s advantage.
But Garcia immediately responded, winning both the POLISPORT Extreme Test and GMOTO Enduro Test on lap one of three to build a lead of 11 seconds as they began lap two. On the second ACERBIS Cross Test, Pichon set the quickest time to bring himself back into the fight for victory. However, Garcia continued to have the measure of his rivals on the POLISPORT Extreme Test and, crucially, the GMOTO Enduro Test, keeping them both at arms length.
Starting the third and final lap with a 16-second lead, Garcia won both the ACERBIS Cross Test and final GMOTO Enduro Test to ensure his place on the top step of the podium. The battle for second played out closely between Verona and Pichon. A win on the final POLISPORT Extreme Test was enough for Verona to hold off Pichon by eight seconds to secure the runner-up result, with the Frenchman taking third.
After a slow start to his morning, Sherco Racing Factory’s Hamish Macdonald began to race his way back up the leaderboard from ninth. The New Zealander started lap two in a fight for fourth with Fantic Factory Racing Team’s Albin Norrbin and Triumph Italia Racing’s Morgan Lesiardo. Maintaining a consistent pace, he overhauled both riders to end his day fourth. Helped by numerous top-four special test times, Lesiardo completed the top five.
Winning Enduro3 ride for Macdonald
Thanks to his fourth place finish in EnduroGP, Macdonald also won the Enduro3 class. Macdonald took the win by 57 seconds over his teammate Antoine Magain in second. TM MOTO Boano Factory Enduro Team’s Leo Le Quere completed the top three.
In the Enduro1 class, it was Garcia who recorded his ninth win of the season. Lesiardo placed as runner-up to Garcia, with Sherco Racing Factory’s Jeremy Sydow claiming his first podium result of the season in third.
The battle for Enduro2 top honours saw Verona claim victory over Pichon. Sherco Racing Factory’s Theo Espinasse edged out Norrbin by just two seconds to finish third.
Gutish races to Expotrade Women’s Enduro win
The opening day of racing in the Expotrade FIM Women’s Enduro World Championship in Vila de Rei marked the first win of the season for RIEJU Factory Team’s Rachel Gutish. The American was on top form today, charging ahead to a one-minute-and-seven-second margin of victory over her teammate Rosie Rowett in second. Behind the top-two, Team KBS Sherco’s Nieve Holmes held off Norway’s Marie Holt by two seconds to claim third. With Holt fourth, France’s Justine Martel (Beta) finished fifth.
However, one of the day’s biggest stories in the Women’s Enduro class was the retirement of championship leader Francesca Nocera (Honda). The Italian saw her day cut short due to a mechanical issue after the second ACERBIS Cross Test while holding second. The result now sees Gutish move into the championship lead.
In the Expotrade FIM Junior Women’s Enduro World Cup, France’s Lorna Lafont (Sherco) raced to the top step of the podium for the second time this season. Electraction TM MOTO’s Elizabeth Tett took second, with Delun Davies (TM MOTO) third.
Cristino tops five-rider battle for Junior Enduro win
The Junior Enduro class produced some of the closest racing seen on day one in Portugal. At the midway point in the day, five riders were covered by 16 seconds in the fight for victory. Ending lap one, it was Fantic Factory Racing Team’s Axel Semb who led the way by two seconds over Fantic Factory Racing Enduro Team Specia’s Kevin Cristino, with Ox Moto Beta’s Leo Joyon in third.
Entering the final lap, Cristino was now in charge of the race lead, with France’s Thibault Giraudon (Sherco) moving up to second, ahead of Joyon and Clement Clauzier (Beta) as Semb slipped back to fifth. Joyon won the final ACERBIS Cross Test to move into second and close the gap to Cristino to just two seconds. Winning the final POLISPORT Extreme Test, Joyon reduced Cristino’s lead to only 0.39 seconds, ensuring it was all to play for on the crucial GMOTO Enduro Test.
With Giraudon winning the test by four seconds, the leaderboard changed one final time. Cristino held on to win the day, but only by 1.86 seconds over Giraudon in second position. Joyon slipped back to third, with Clauzier taking fourth and Semb fifth.
Josep Garcia (KTM): “It was a good day of racing for me. 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.”
Andrea Verona (GASGAS): “Day one has been a positive day, second overall and winning in Enduro2. I had a good feeling on the bike, without making too many mistakes. I found the Enduro Test the most challenging.”
Zach Pichon (TM MOTO): “I didn’t have the best feeling today. 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. I feel like I found a solution to be better tomorrow.”
Rachel Gutish (RIEJU): “I’m really happy to get the win here. But to be honest, the dusty conditions were not to my strengths. So to win is very rewarding.”
Super Test Recap
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GP – Day 1
B01Classification_Enduro_GP
GP – Standing
G01Enduro_GP
E1 – Day 1
B02Classification_Enduro_1
E1 – Standing
G02Enduro_1
E2 – Day 1
B03Classification_Enduro_2
E2 – Standing
G03Enduro_2
E3 – Day 1
B04Classification_Enduro_3
E3 – Standing
G04Enduro_3
Junior – Day 1
B05Classification_Junior
Junior – Standing
G05Junior_Enduro
Youth – Day 1
B08Classification_Youth
Youth – Standing
G08Youth_Enduro
Women – Day 1
B09Classification_Women
Women – Standing
G09Women_Enduro
Quelle / Source / Bilder / Pictures: EnduroGP
