2024 ISDE Final Results: France Win Six Days World Trophy

Final results from the 2024 FIM International Six Days Enduro (ISDE) in Silleda Spain, where France claim the World Trophy, Sweden‘s Juniors get revenge and USA remain imperious for Women‘s World Trophy – record fourth scratch win for Josep Garcia.

2024 ISDE day 6 in a nutshell:

France have claimed the victory at 98th edition of the International Six Days of Enduro after a dominant performance across the week in Silleda, Spain.
As always, the final motocross race is “just” another test where, so as long as rider finished in good time, all yesterday’s positions for the teams stand. But, the weather being so bad on this last day, it was a huge test of tired bodies and bikes and in these conditions surprises can happen.
Some sections of the track were ok but others were bad enough to grab hold of bikes and not let them out again, adding jeopardy to the final results with everyone mindful of the fact that to finish first, first you have to finish.
World Trophy riders race in scratch classification order (it used to be class order) so, for those of us outside the tapes, it was great to see the fastest 20 riders run elbow-to-elbow.
Without any great surprise the fastest duo this Six Days, Steve Holcombe and Josep Garcia, led away on lap one of the grand finale. With Steve hit by massive arm-pump, Josep blasted past to claim the overall scratch win for a historic fourth time. Josep also claims the individual E1 class medal.
GNCC champ Johnny Girror clawed through the mud to take second in the moto ahead of Holcombe who wins E2 class and places second scratch overall. The E3 class medal went to Leo Le Quere.
While home fans watched Josep, the collective world’s eyes were on the French team who served up yet another lesson in team riding, just as they have all week. All four riders – Theo Espinasse, Le Quere, Hugo Blanjoue and Julien Roussaly – didn’t just arrive safely home but all were inside the top 15 which no other team came close to matching.
The win was theirs, a historic one as they take the famous World Trophy for the ninth time, finishing 5’38.08 ahead of USA who were comfortably the ‘next best’ with Spain 14’12.33 behind in third.
Australia finished in fourth place with Czech Republic completing the top five.

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Junior riders were split into two races with the weather at its worst as the first blasted out the gate with Sam Hughes at home in the conditions for the moto win.
In the second moto all eyes were on Sweden who had such bad luck 12 months ago in the MX test when Albin Norrbin’s Fantic expired and lost them the victory. Their 1’38 advantage would normally be ok but in the terrible conditions it was easy to lose large amounts of time.
No such bad luck this year as the Swedes skied (like riding in the snow, no?) to victory led by the very guy who had such a devastating final last year, Albin Norrbin (who took the first holeshot of his career he later told us). The Swedish boys came home in first, third and sixth in the moto to clinch the Junior World Trophy they last won the in Spain in 2016, it was fitting they clinched victory here again.
Things were close enough between France and USA for the podium places at the start but last year’s fortuitous Junior winners stuck at it to take second six minutes down, with the USA Juniors grabbing third on the podium, 14’28.55 behind. Australia finished fourth and Great Britain complete the top five in JWT.

Top 50 scratch for USA’s Richards

The Women’s World trophy category race was the first of the Trophy races on track in the afternoon, following much needed track maintenance, but still in atrocious conditions. It’s been wet on and off all week but constant rain across the sixth and final day made the course, marked and cut out of a field next to the paddock, a slop-fest.
Ignoring it, finishing with a smile and the claim they loved the conditions, USA Women crossed the line with all three placed inside the top seven in the race to prove their dominance.
Their winning margin was 6’21.18 over Australia slipped and slid their way to second place, a strong team effort from the multiple Trophy winning squad who didn’t quite have enough for USA. Sweden’s girls claim third, 30’17.95 behind the winners with France fourth and Italy fifth.
Brandy Richards completes yet another total domination of the ISDE individually sealing the deal in style with a win but also to finish inside the top 50 outright is remarkable.
The Club riders were first on track throughout the morning. Racing in groups of around 30 riders made for packed grids and chaotic first laps. Team Italy had a massive 16-minute lead in the Club Trophy overall and only needed to finish the final moto – a race won by standout performer in the CT category, Lorenzo Macoritto (also outright scratch winner in the Club category), ahead of Alex Walton and Enzo Marcal.
A final flurry in the mud saw GTBN USA team overhaul Moto Club Le Puy en Velay in the final moto. The difference was a remarkable seven seconds between second and third.