Cycle News Staff | July 26, 2021
Ruprecht, Freeman Split EnduroGP of Sweden Wins
TM’s Wil Ruprecht and Beta’s Brad Freeman traded wins at the EnduroGP of Sweden in Skovde, July 24-25, round four of the 2021 Borilli FIM EnduroGP World Championship. Ruprecht dominated day one (Saturday), enjoying a healthy 20-second lead over runner-up Josep Garcia (KTM), last week’s double winner in Estonia, while Freeman, third on Saturday, bounced back to win on Sunday.
Saturday boiled down to a two-man dogfight for the win between Ruprecht and Garcia. It all came down to the final test of the day. Garcia trailed Ruprecht by a close margin but a small get-off in the last test sealed the deal for the TM rider, Ruprecht.
“Yeah, today was good,” said Ruprecht. “I just rode a strong but steady pace, hit my marks, and tried not to override the bike.”
The names fighting for the overall win on Sunday changed, with Freeman bouncing back for the win after a hard-fought battle with GasGas rider Andrea Verona and Fantic’s David Guarneri. Garcia was in the mix, as well.
In fact, Garcia had a shot at the day’s overall win, as did Guarneri (who was holding down second overall), going into the last test while chasing leader Freeman. However, Verona came out of seemingly nowhere and blitzed by both Garcia and Guarneri on time and slipped into second overall on the day, finishing just four seconds behind Freeman, and taking the Enduro1 (E1)-class victory.
Guarneri ended up third on the day and Garcia fourth.
Beta’s Steve Holcombe was slowed by a painful ankle injury suffered at the GP of Estonia the previous weekend. The Brit went 21-17 overall and 9-8 in the Enduro 2 class.
Championship-class leader Laia Sanz (GasGas) topped the Enduro Women’s division both days.
Freeman leads the EnduroGP (overall) classification with 146 points, followed by Garcia with 124 and Ruprecht with 120.
In Enduro1, Verona leads Guarneri by 10 points; in E2, Ruprecht has a five-point advantage over Garcia, and in E3, Freeman enjoys a comfortable lead over Spain’s Jaume Betriu, 160-134.
VIDEO | 2021 EnduroGP of Sweden Highlights
Day 1
- Wil Ruprecht (TM) E2
- Josep Garcia (KTM) E2
- Brad Freeman (Bet) E3
- David Guarneri (Fan) E1
- Samuele Bernardini (Hon) E1
Day 2
- Brad Freeman (Beta) E3
- Andrea Verona (GasGas) E1
- David Guarneri (Fantic) E1
- Josep Garcia (KTM) E2
- Wil Ruprecht (TM) E2
Enduro1
1. Andrea Verona (GasGas) 152 points
2. Davide Guarneri (Fantic) 142
3. Samuele Bernardini (Honda) 109
EnduroGP
1. Brad Freeman (Beta) 146 points
2. Josep Garcia (KTM) 124
3. Wil Ruprecht (TM) 120
Enduro Women
1. Laia Sanz (GasGas) 75 points
2. Mireia Badia (GasGas) 67
3. Jane Daniels (Fantic) 66