Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Josep Garcia clinched the 2026 FIM EnduroGP World Championship in France, July 17-19, with one round still on the schedule. It’s the Spaniard’s ninth career FIM Enduro World Championship.
Photos by Future7Media
The weekend, however, started with Frenchman Zach Pichon, of the TM Moto Boano Factory Enduro Team, winning Friday’s Super Test and Saturday’s GP. It was the first EnduroGP victory for Pichon on home soil. Pichon won eight of the day’s special tests. Heading into lap two with an 11-second advantage over Sherco Racing Factory’s Steve Holcombe in second, with Garcia 1.46 seconds further back in third, Pichon continued to build on that lead with another clean sweep of special test wins on lap two. With two more fastest times on lap three, before ending the final Extreme Test with the third quickest time, the victory was his.
Garcia took advantage of a late mistake by Holcombe to take second. Another mistake by Holcombe allowed Garcia’s teammate Andrea Verona to pass, making the day’s final finishing order: Pichon, Garcia, Verona and Holcombe. Frenchman Julien Roussaly rounded out the day’s top five.
Pichon and Garcia battled all day Sunday. Pichon was the early leader until making a mistake, allowing Garcia to take over. During the third and final lap, Pichon mounted a comeback and closed the gap on the KTM rider, Garcia, to just 1.31 seconds. However, Garcia, with the 2026 EnduroGP title within his grasp, managed to keep Pichon at bay to take the day’s overall win and the championship.
Holcombe finished out the day a distant third, followed by Beta Factory Team rider Brad Freeman and Sherco’s Hamish MacDonald.
Garcia also clinched the Enduro1-class championship with his 12th class win of the season. Pichon topped the Enduro2 class both days, and Holcombe won the Enduro3 class both days.
With one round to go in Wales, Garcia has an uncatchable 226 points in the EnduroGP (overall) division, followed by Verona with 180 and Pichon with 175. Holcombe (136) and MacDonald (124) round out the top five.
In Enduro1, Garcia has a lock on the championship with 240 points, followed by Triumph’s Morgan Lesiardo (187).
Verona has a slim six-point lead over Pichon in Enduro2, and Holcombe also has a six-point edge over Freeman.
“It’s an incredible feeling to leave France as both the 2026 EnduroGP and Enduro1 World Champion,” Garcia said Sunday. “Winning both titles with one round still to go is something I’m proud of, and taking the overall victory today made it even more special. I feel like I’ve taken another big step forward this season, both with my riding and as a racer, and that’s down to all the hard work from everyone around me. I’m incredibly grateful to the whole team for everything they’ve done this year. Now it’s time to enjoy these titles and head to Wales looking to finish the season on a high.”
Despite a tough weekend, Verona still leads in Enduro2 but by just six points over the red-hot Pichon.
“It’s been a tough day and not the result we were aiming for,” Verona said Sunday. “I made too many mistakes during the first two laps, which cost me a lot of time, and after that it was difficult to recover. I kept pushing until the end, but sixth overall and third in Enduro2 was the best we could manage today. There’s still one round left with two important days of racing.”
“It’s been a really positive weekend,” Holcombe said, “and I’m delighted to leave France leading the Enduro3 Championship, which was our main goal. Saturday was a little eventful after one of the biggest crashes I’ve had in a long time, but thankfully I could carry on, win the class and finish fourth overall. On Sunday I focused on staying consistent and avoiding any mistakes after the crash. To finish on the EnduroGP podium again and take another Enduro3 win is a great result. It’s always special to do well at Sherco’s home GP.” CN
2026 FIM EnduroGP Round 6 Results
EnduroGP
Saturday Overall (Top 5)
- Zach Pichon (TM)
- Josep Garcia (KTM)
- Andrea Verona (KTM)
- Steve Holcombe (She)
- Julien Roussaly (She)
Sunday Overall (Top 5)
- Josep Garcia (KTM)
- Zach Pichon (TM)
- Steve Holcombe (She)
- Brad Freeman (Bet)
- Hamish MacDonald (She)
