2023 FIM EnduroGP of Spain Round 2 Results

Cycle News Staff | May 9, 2023

Brad Freeman and Josep Garcia came away with wins in round two of the FIM EnduroGP Championship in Spain, May 5-7.

Brad Freeman at 2023 FIM EnduroGP of Spain — **Beta’s Brad Freeman was a double winner at the EnduroGP of Spain.**

Photos by Future7Media

The home favorite, Garcia, got things started by winning Friday evening’s Akrapovic Super Test. The Red Bull KTM Team rider, Garcia, came in hot, topping Beta Factory Racing teammates Freeman and Steve Holcombe. But it was close. Garcia nipped Freeman by just 0.7 seconds ahead of the two Betas. Sherco’s Hamish MacDonald was just 0.05 of a second behind Holcomb in fourth. Junior-class winner Sergio Navarro (Husqvarna) was fifth overall.

Garcia was hoping to ride his winning momentum through Saturday’s first full day of the GP and it looked as though he would at first, charging to a quick 12-second lead over his rivals. In rainy conditions, Garcia looked good, but as the sun came out and the traction improved, Freeman started to close the gap. Small crashes and minor errors in the final loop ended up costing Garcia the day’s victory. Instead, it was the Brit, Freeman, who came out on top.

“It’s awesome to get my third win in a row,” said Freeman who won both days at the Italian round a few weeks earlier. “It’s been a good day at the office. The rain this morning made conditions tricky. It wasn’t overly muddy, just slippery, and I found it hard to judge. After lap one there was a better racing line settled in.”

“I really wanted that victory, but I just missed out on the final lap,” said Gomaz. “I had some small crashes that cost me, and Brad got too far away.”

Josep Garcia at 2023 FIM EnduroGP of Spain — **Josep Garcia won Friday’s Super Test but came up a little short in the main races Saturday and Sunday.**

Holcombe had a battle on his hands for third with GasGas rider Andrea Verona. The Brit, Holcombe, ended up getting on the podium by four seconds on Verona. McDonald completed the top five.

Garcia and Freeman were back at it again for Sunday’s day two. Freeman got off to a fast start by winning the first couple or tests, but Garcia was right there, too. The two battled all day with only fractions of a second separating the two from test to test, but those fractions added up for Freeman, who came away with the day’s victory for the fourth time this year. Garcia had to settle for second place again.

“To end the GP of Spain with another victory is fantastic,” said Freeman. “Today I finally felt like I was riding like I know how. Nerves played a part at round one in Italy, but today I was relaxed and just enjoying the battle with Josep. There was nothing really between us all day.”

“I pushed hard all day with Brad for the victory,” Garcia said. “We were in the same second on almost every test, but it kept working out in his favor and the win just slipped away. This weekend was a big improvement over round one, and with a long season ahead I’ll take it race by race.”

Holcombe was always a threat but couldn’t quite catch Freeman or Garcia and took another third for the day.

“I was pretty happy with my riding today and I was consistent all day,” Holcombe said. “Last year I ended the GP of Spain injured, so this season so far had been a big step forward for me.”

Verona was fourth, while Honda rider Nathan Watson rounded out the top five, finishing narrowly ahead of Sherco’s Antoine Magain. CN