Cycle News Staff | April 9, 2024
The 2024 FIM EnduroGP Championship got underway in Portugal on April 6-7. KTM’s Josep Garcia and Steve Holcombe, now riding a RedMoto Enduro Team Honda, took the overall wins, Garcia on Saturday and Holcombe on Sunday. Team KBS Sherco’s Rachel Gutish made history by becoming the first female from the U.S. to take a race win in the championship.
Photos by Future7Media
Gutish’s win came on day one when she finished 22 seconds ahead of her nearest rival. “The World Championship is a lot different than the ISDE,” Gutish said. “It’s a tough, long day, but I enjoyed it a lot. I wasn’t expecting to win, so to take the top step of the podium is a proud moment for me, for sure. I’m looking forward to tomorrow now and another good battle.”
Unfortunately for Gutish, she could not follow up her win with another but did ride well and took second in class on Sunday.
In the EnduroGP, Garcia came out swinging by winning the first test and letting everyone else chase him for the rest of the day. No one could catch him and he went on to take the day’s win.
“My goal was to start the season with a win, and I managed to get that done today,” Garcia said. “It’s something I’ve been pushing to do for a while now because I wasn’t able to do it last year. The conditions were tough out there, but I enjoyed it a lot and could ride hard.”
GasGas’ Andrea Verona was second overall, while Holcombe was third. Nathan Watson (Beta) and Brad Freeman (Beta) rounded out the top five.
Sunday’s racing was intense, with just 10 seconds between the top three riders. Holcombe and Garcia battled for the top spot, while Watson was lurking behind in third. When all was said and done, Holcombe had edged out Josep by just four second for the day’s overall win. Watson was just five seconds back. Verona was fourth, approximately a minute behind Holcombe, and Samuele Bernardini (Honda) was fifth.
“I’m really pumped to take the EnduroGP win today,” Holcombe said after Sunday’s hard-fought win. “It was a heck of a battle all day between Josep, Nathan and myself. I felt good in my riding and could really put the bike where I wanted to on track. It feels awesome to win so soon with Honda, and also to get my first Enduro1 victory. I’m excited for the rest of the season!”
SATURDAY (Top 5)
- Josep Garcia (KTM) 56:17.60
- Andrea Verona (GG) 56:49.70
- Steve Holcombe (Hon) 56:50.87
- Nathan Watson (Bet) 57:01.82
- Brad Freeman (Bet) 57:14.38
SUNDAY (Top 5)
- Steve Holcombe (Hon) 53:32.40
- Josep Garcia (KTM) 53:36.79
- Nathan Watson (Beta) 53:41.95
- Andrea Verona (GG) 53:54.45
- Samuele Bernardini (Hon) 54:17.18