Day one at the opening round of the 2025 Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship saw Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Josep Garcia claim the overall victory in Fafe, Portugal. Despite returning from injury, the Spaniard put in an impressive performance to take the top step of the podium over TM MOTO Boano Factory Enduro Team’s Zach Pichon, with Honda Racing RedMoto Enduro Team’s Steve Holcombe in 
third.
- Reigning champion Garcia victorious in EnduroGP
- Kyron Bacon wins Junior with Kawasaki
- Enduro Women victory for Francesca Nocera
After a rain-soaked AKRAPOVIC Super Test on Friday night, which saw a surprise victory from SuperEnduro star Dominik Olszowy (RIEJU), the Portuguese weather improved for the first full day of racing on Saturday in Fafe. Characterised by impressive landscapes marked with huge boulders, the GP of Portugal is always a fan-favourite.
Josep Garcia wins EnduroGP on day one
Making his intentions clear from the off, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Josep Garcia came out swinging on the opening POLISPORT Extreme Test to win by over two seconds. Close behind him was Honda Racing RedMoto Enduro Team’s Steve Holcombe, with GASGAS Factory Racing’s Andrea Verona a further five seconds down.
The first ACERBIS Cross Test of the day saw Holcombe top the timesheets and take an early overall lead, with Verona hot on his heels just half a second behind. TM MOTO Boano Factory Enduro Team’s Zach Pichon came into contention, finishing third on the test and entering the podium battle.
Victorious on the GMOTO Enduro Test, Garcia closed the overall gap to Holcombe to just one second after the first lap of three.
Much like lap one, Garcia topped the POLISPORT Extreme Test second time around to reclaim the overall lead. Pichon had a blistering ride to finish second, edging out Verona by a mere two hundredths of a second. Settled into a rhythm and clearly playing to his strengths, reigning Enduro2 champion Verona then claimed two consecutive test wins to round out the second lap with an overall lead of seven seconds.
With two laps completed, just two seconds separated Holcombe and Garcia in second and third respectively. Pichon sat a further ten seconds behind. After a series of strong results, Sherco Factory Team’s Antoine Magain found himself in a close battle for fourth with teammate Hamish Macdonald.
Lap three belonged to Pichon, with the young Frenchman clocking the fastest time on two of the three tests. Holcombe closed out the day’s racing with a victory on the final GMOTO Enduro Test, but it was not enough for the Brit to secure the overall win.
Despite still recovering from a recent injury and surgery, Garcia proved that once again he is the one to beat in EnduroGP, claiming his first victory of the 2025 season by nearly five seconds, across what was an incredibly close day of racing.
Thanks to consistent top-three results and his last-lap test wins, Pichon was awarded second place overall on day one, overtaking Holcombe for the honour. The Brit was forced to settle for the final spot on the podium, just three seconds down on Pichon.
Despite clocking two test wins, Verona missed out on a podium finish by over 10 seconds. The GASGAS rider had a comfortable lead over fifth placed Hamish Macdonald, however, who finished the day just under a minute slower than Garcia.
Macdonald’s Sherco teammate Antoine Magain placed sixth, followed by Honda Racing RedMoto Enduro Team’s Samuele Bernardini in seventh and Fantic Factory Racing Team’s Albin Norrbin in eighth. Triumph Factory Racing Enduro Team’s pairing of Mikael Persson and Jamie McCanney finished ninth and tenth respectively.
Francesca Nocera victorious in Enduro Women
The Expotrade FIM Women’s Enduro World Championship saw Francesca Nocera (Honda) race clear to victory, ending day one with five test wins and a lead of over one minute. The Italian held off RIEJU Factory Racing’s Rachel Gutish and Nieve Holmes (Sherco), who both claimed two test wins but finished second and third respectively.
Day one in Portugal marked the first full day of racing for the newly-formed Expotrade FIM Junior Women’s Enduro World Cup. Elizabeth Tett (TM MOTO), Lorna Lafont (Sherco), and Matilda Ahlstrom (Husqvarna) all claimed three test wins each, but it was Tett who ultimately came out on top. Elizabeth finished the day with a two-minute lead over Lafont, with Ahlstrom a further three minutes behind in third.
Sherco claim memorable Enduro3 podium lockout
In the Enduro3 class, it was a Sherco Factory Racing one-two-three, as 2024 championship runner-up Hamish Macdonald topped the timesheets ahead of teammates Antoine Magain and Julien Roussaly. Reigning Enduro3 champion Brad Freeman narrowly missed a podium finish by half a second.
Alongside his overall victory came the Enduro1 class win for Josep Garcia (KTM), with a huge advantage of over one minute. Samuele Bernardini (Honda) took the second spot on the podium, with Triumph Factory Racing Enduro Team’s Mikael Persson rounding out the top three, an impressive feat in the British manufacturer’s debut EnduroGP race.
The Enduro2 category proved to be the most competitive on day one, with just 13 seconds separating the top three. Zach Pichon (TM MOTO) claimed the win ahead of Steve Holcombe (Honda), as Andrea Verona (GASGAS) finished third.
Hard-fought victory for Bacon in Junior
The Junior category proved to be as competitive as ever, with five different winners across the nine tests on day one in Fafe. MGR Kawasaki’s Kyron Bacon and Fantic Factory Racing Team’s Kevin Cristino both clocked three wins each, but it was the Tasmanian rider Bacon who ultimately came out on top by just over two seconds. Cristino was forced to settle for second as Leo Joyon (Beta), winner of the opening ACERBIS Cross Test, completed the top three.
In the Youth class it was Romain Dagna (KTM) who dominated, claiming seven out of nine test wins and building up a lead of half a minute. TM MOTO Boano Factory Enduro Team’s Alberto Elgari ended his day in second, with two test wins in the bag, followed by Fantic Factory Racing Team’s Pietro Scardina in third.
Josep Garcia (KTM): “It doesn’t feel real! One month ago I was in hospital having surgery on my collarbone, so I didn’t get on the bike until five days ago. My expectations weren’t this high so I’m very pleased, and I know I can do even better as I still made a lot of mistakes today. I’m looking forward to tomorrow as I’m feeling better on the bike with every hour I ride. I’m really happy!”
Zach Pichon (TM MOTO): “That was a really nice day to open the season! I had a difficult start to the day with a lot of mistakes, but I managed to bring it back by the end of the day and beat a lot of the top guys. I’m really happy to win Enduro2, and it’s my first overall EnduroGP podium ever which is quite special.”
Steve Holcombe (Honda): “Today was a bit difficult and one big mistake set me back quite a lot. I would have liked to have finished higher, but getting a podium on the first day of the season is a good position to be in. I definitely felt better on the last lap and I was improving, so overall I’m happy and looking forward to tomorrow.”
Hamish Macdonald (Sherco): “I’m really happy with the E3 win, it’s a solid start to the championship! It was a difficult day, the tests were relentless and I have no doubt tomorrow will be just as tough. I just try to stay as relaxed as possible, so hopefully we can do the same again tomorrow!”
Kyron Bacon (Kawasaki): “It’s great to get a win at round one, not just myself but for the team too. We’ve worked really hard to get to this point and I’m feeling very comfortable with the bike, my riding is a lot smoother which has helped me make less mistakes. I’m looking forward to getting back out there tomorrow!”
Francesca Nocera (Honda): “So that’s the first day done and I’m super happy to be back on the top of the podium! After a tough 2024 season, it feels amazing to win now. It was a great day and I pushed hard the whole time, even though the tests were quite tough in the changing weather.”
Elizabeth Tett (TM MOTO): “I had a great day, but it was hard in some places as just one mistake could change everything. The tests were good and I really enjoyed them, especially the extreme. It’s nice to be in a class with people more similar to my age, and I’m really happy to have taken the win!”
Results: Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship, Round 1 – Day 1
EnduroGP
1. Josep Garcia (KTM) 54:08.59; 2. Zach Pichon (TM MOTO) 54:13.38; 3. Steve Holcombe (Honda) 54:16.29; 4. Andrea Verona (GASGAS) 54:26.54; 5. Hamish Macdonald (Sherco) 55:01.70; 6. Antoine Magain (Sherco) 55:15.61; 7. Samuele Bernardini (Honda) 55:22.95; 8. Albin Norrbin (Fantic) 55:54.76; 9. Mikael Persson (Triumph) 55:56.90; 10. Jamie McCanney (Triumph) 56:12.44…