What is the best engine capacity to race FIM EnduroGP?

The engine capacity debate is a never-ending topic of discussion in the Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship paddock. Just what is the best engine size to race a full season of competition on?

Take a look at the current standings of the Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship and you’ll see eight manufacturers feature in the top 10 positions of the EnduroGP classification. From two-stroke to four-stroke, and from large to small engine capacities, there is no defining answer.

Sure, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Josep Garcia sits at the top on his 250F, but GASGAS Factory Racing’s Andrea Verona is a race winner on his 450F. TM MOTO Boano Factory Enduro Team’s Zach Pichon has won twice on his 300F, and Sherco Racing Factory’s Hamish Macdonald has claimed a podium result on his 300 two-stroke. It’s quite the mix!

Chatting to riders in the paddock, it was time to get some opinions on the engine capacity debate. Is there one bike to rule them all?

“I don’t know!”, is the immediate response of Hamish Macdonald, when posed with the question of what is the best engine capacity for EnduroGP. “I think the 300 four-stroke is on par to be one of the best bikes. I did like the 300F when I rode it, so I might have to jump back on it next year!

“I feel that you’re always moving in the tests,” explains Hamish, with regards to the style of special tests raced. “This suits the four-stroke, whereas the two-stroke works best when it’s stop-and-start cornering.

“I feel like the four-stroke has a slight advantage with the way the tracks tend to ride and develop, especially with how rough they become. I find the two-stroke bounces around a lot more, you need quite a technical race for it to really work to its full potential.

“But with enduro, you can’t have the perfect bike for the perfect race, every race, you know! Some races the feeling is incredible, then the next it’s not - that’s what is so good about our sport. We go to the race not knowing the tracks we are about to ride. We walk the tests and still don’t know exactly how the bike is going to react in the conditions, and then we race. That’s what is special about enduro!”

After a tough weekend at the Polisport GP of Sweden, where the special tests were much slower and more technical than what we witnessed in Portugal and Spain, Honda Racing RedMoto Enduro Team’s Manolo Morettini agrees with Hamish’s line of thinking.

“For me, in these conditions in Sweden, I think the two-stroke would be better because there is more agility,” considers Manolo. “But when there is fast and dry conditions, the 300 four-stroke is best.”

After many years on a 250F and 350F, it came as a surprise to see Andrea Verona switch to the 450F for 2025. Already taking a race win in Spain, and missing another victory in Portugal by two seconds, Verona is proving any doubters wrong. For him, bigger can be better.

“I am in a position where I’ve tried a lot of different bikes.” Says Verona. “From 2015 until 2022, I raced the 250 four-stroke, then I rode the 350 four-stroke, and now I’m racing the 450 four-stroke.

“What I can say is that it depends a lot on the conditions and rhythm of the race,” says Andrea, when getting deeper into the discussion. “For sure, the 450F is really fast on high-speed, open special tests, but on a lower capacity bike you can be faster when the test is more technical, with lots of direction changes. Ultimately, it depends on what the rider wants. For the moment, I do like the 450 four-stroke.”

In the Triumph Racing Factory Enduro Team camp, options for 2025 were limited to a 250F, with the brand only arriving in EnduroGP this year. But it seems to be working for them.

“I would say the 250F is the best capacity,” says Mikael Persson. “Even though it’s a smaller engine size, there is still a lot of power. Also, these bikes are generally lighter, which makes them good to ride.”

“A good working 250 four-stroke can be the number one bike,” says Jamie McCanney in agreement with Mikael, while pointing towards Garcia at the top of the standings being the current trendsetter.

So what does Josep Garcia think? He’s the reigning EnduroGP champion, and current points leader in 2025 and the second rider in recent years to claim the overall EGP title on a 250F (along with Andrea Verona). Is the 250F now the clear-cut answer to success?

“I really don’t know!”, laughs Josep. “To be honest, every rider has their own style and they suit different bikes. The beautiful thing with enduro is that with any bike you can fight for the EnduroGP title. We’ve proved we can do it with the 250F, and titles have been won with the 300 two-stroke too.

“For sure, I really like the 250F, but you have to ride it on the limit. With my 250F, the power is incredible and I suit this bike a lot. But I think the 350F is a very good engine capacity too. It's light and has great power, especially in the bottom end. So, it’s a “full bike” for everywhere.”

The 2025 FIM EnduroGP World Championship picks up again on August 1-3 at the GP of Wales. More information and tickets: www.endurogp.wales

Photo Credit: Future7Media