2024 EnduroGP Results: Holcombe wins three-way fight on day 2 in Portugal

2024 EnduroGP World Championship results from round one, day two where Steve Holcombe, Josep Garcia and Nathan Watson took a three-way fight for the win to the final test in Portugal – reigning champion claims first win of the season.

EnduroGP Rnd1 in Fafe, day 2 in a nutshell:

If awesome motorcycle racing all day long is your idea of a good day out, you should have been in Fafe, Portugal this weekend. Day two of the 2024 FIM EnduroGP World Championship produced a corker of a fight with Steve Holcombe and Nathan Watson stepping up to challenge day one winner Josep Garcia and create a nail-biter finish.
Holcombe picked up where he left off yesterday, winning the final test last night and the first this morning as more rain fell, despite a brighter forecast and better conditions across the day.
Day one winner Josep Garcia also started strongly but his rivals had stepped it up for Sunday and he was fighting tooth and nail to close Holcombe’s advantage all day after an early get-off in the extreme test.
Watson meanwhile is proving to be more than happy on his new 4T Beta, last year’s championship winning bike no less, going fastest overall in the long enduro test on lap two, then again the cross test on the final lap to put himself in contention for the overall.
It proved an awesome last lap as Holcombe held a slender lead of 5sec over Garcia and Watson. On the penultimate test that gap dropped to 3.3 but an all-in performance from all three riders saw Holcombe put the Honda RedMoto one second faster and claim the top step of the box for the first time this season.
One second faster in the final test meant a 4.3s win overall for Steve who says he was stoked to get that first win, “It was a good battle all day and the times were really, really close. I was generally mistake-free and precise with my riding and felt comfortable and didn’t take too many risks. I’m really pumped to reward the team with my firs twin of the season.”
It was close but no cigar for Garcia: “My day started good again but in the first extreme test I had a big crash and lost more than 10 seconds. I was happy to then push again, make good times and fight for the overall. We finished second but just by some seconds so it’s ok, it was a good weekend. Next week is round two.”
Watson had his best result for Beta and takes the E2 class win for the day: “It’s been a really good start to the season after a big change over the winter. But I’ve done a lot of hard work and I felt really good on the bike straight away and I didn’t know what to expect coming to the first round, I’ve been riding good but you don’t know until you get here. Just nine seconds off the win, third overall and first in class which means I get the red plate which I think is the first time in my career I’ve had that. So I’m really happy and looking forward to next weekend.”
Runner-up on day one, Andrea Verona never quite put it together on day two, clocking in four or five seconds off the pace in tests to finish fourth and second in E2.
Honda RedMoto had two riders in the top five with Samuele Bernadini fifth overall narrowly ahead (1.5s) of Fast Eddy Racing’s Mikael Persson, sixth OA and grabbing an E2 podium.
Top E3 rider yesterday, Brad Freeman got no further than the first test of today after the Beta rider fell sick overnight, his team told us, and was unable to ride day two.
Brad’s absence allowed Hamish Macdonald an easier task in taking his and Sherco’s a first E3 class day win, P7 scratch and over a minute adrift – although the Kiwi says he was lucky after having a big crash.
Another rider picking up where he left day one was Axel Semb in Juniors, setting out his stall on the first lap to cement the lead. Antoine Alix got faster as the weekend progressed to apply pressure but not enough and the Swedish rider beat the Frenchman by 18.5 in the end, and with it the J2 class win. Thibault Giraudon grabbed third and the J1 class victory.
“It’s a good start,” says Axel, “It was good to just keep it together with the extreme test being so gnarly. It was easy to make mistakes but I kept it together and I always had a bit or pace to increase if I needed it and I did on the last lap.”
The Youth 125 class had a different look to the leader board all morning with only Maxime Clauzier maintaining his place at the top from day one as a rash of Italians shouldered their way ahead of the Frenchies.
TM Racing’s Alberto Elgari and Manuel Verzeroli on the saucy 125 KTM (SX converted to enduro – Youth class rules mean it has to be a 125cc). A storming final lap from Elgari, coupled with a disaster in the final test from Maxime, gave TM Racing their first 125 win in a donkey year and a maiden triumph for Alberto in just his second GP.
After a poor result on day one, Honda RedMoto’s Francesca Nocera turned up on Sunday and challenged for the Women’s class win along with Rieju Factory Enduro rider Mireia Badia – both seemed to find speed overnight.
A string of test wins on the second lap stretched an advantage and Badia went on to claim a healthy 28 second winning margin after a dominant day.
Day one winner Rachel Gutish wasn’t done either and takes runner-up spot ahead of Nocera third with the women racing one lap less today.
Belgian Tim louis put in a repeat performance to claim the Open World Cup class scratch result, and 2T class, again ahead of 4T winner Alfie Webb with Frenchman Alex Pichaud third.