On day two at the opening round of the 2025 Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship, it was TM MOTO Boano Factory Enduro Team’s Zach Pichon who raced to his debut EnduroGP overall victory, while taking an early lead in the championship. GASGAS Factory Racing’s Andrea Verona narrowly missed out on the win in second, with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Josep Garcia completing the podium in third.
- Zach Pichon takes his first EnduroGP win
- Francesca Nocera tops Women’s class on day two
- Kyron Bacon claims Junior class victory in Fafe
Breakthrough EnduroGP victory for Zach Pichon
Fired up after his third-place finish on Saturday, Honda Racing RedMoto Enduro Team’s Steve Holcombe came out all guns blazing on lap one. Setting the fastest time in the first POLISPORT Extreme Test, over five seconds faster than day one winner Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Josep Garcia, Holcombe then went on to comfortably top the following two tests.
After lap one, the Brit enjoyed a 20-second lead over TM MOTO Boano Factory Enduro Team’s Zach Pichon, with Garcia hot on his heels. GASGAS Factory Racing’s Andrea Verona was lying in fourth, a further four seconds behind.
Determined to close the gap to rival Holcombe, Garcia won his first and only test of the day on lap two and began to close the gap. However, Zach Pichon found his rhythm after a series of top-three results and went fastest on the ACERBIS Cross Test, narrowly edging out Holcombe for the win.
Heading into the second GMOTO Enduro Test of the day, Holcombe had built up an impressive lead of 30 seconds over Pichon, who had overtaken Garcia to lie in second place. However, Holcombe suffered a knee injury after an unfortunate crash on the test, forcing him to retire and promoting Pichon into the overall lead.
Lap two saw Beta Factory Enduro Team’s Nathan Watson rise up the leaderboard after a series of strong results, with the Brit lying in fourth ahead of the final lap. Honda Racing RedMoto Enduro Team’s Samuele Bernardini was close behind, putting the pressure on in the fight for fourth.
The final POLISPORT Extreme Test of the day on lap three saw a new winner emerge in Sherco Factory Team’s Hamish Macdonald, with teammate Antoine Magain just over a second behind. In a last-ditch effort to overtake Pichon for the lead, Andrea Verona blitzed the final two tests of the day to win both, but it was not enough to dethrone the Frenchman.
Zach Pichon secured his first-ever overall EnduroGP victory in Fafe, just a day after earning his maiden senior podium, edging out Verona by two seconds in a thrilling finish. Claiming his second overall podium of the weekend, Josep Garcia followed the pair home in third. After an exciting opening round, Pichon leads the EnduroGP standings by just two points over Garcia, with Andrea Verona in third.
Nathan Watson steered his Beta to a hard-fought fourth-place finish on day two, proving that he has what it takes to be in the mix at the sharp end of the pack. Samuele Bernardini took fifth, a further five seconds back. Hamish Macdonald was just four seconds behind for sixth, with Triumph Factory Racing Enduro Team’s Mikael Persson only four hundredths of a second behind the Sherco rider in seventh.
Day two victory for Nocera in Enduro Women
The Expotrade FIM Women’s Enduro World Championship saw Francesca Nocera (HRC Honda) back up her day one victory with a win on day two. Narrowly beating RIEJU Factory Racing’s Rachel Gutish to the top spot by two seconds proved just how tight today’s racing was. The American Gutish had a strong start to the day, but it wasn’t enough to fend off Nocera as she topped every test on lap two. Nieve Holmes steered her Sherco to another podium result, with two test wins on day two also marking an impressive weekend for the Brit.
In the Expotrade FIM Junior Women’s Enduro World Cup, Elizabeth Tett (TM MOTO) emerged victorious again with a margin of 40 seconds over second placed Lorna Lafont (Sherco). Sweden’s Matilda Ahlstrom (Husqvarna) finished third.
Garcia makes it two from two in Enduro1
Despite being forced to settle for third overall, Josep Garcia (KTM) still proved his speed in the Enduro1 category, taking the win over runner-up Samuele Bernardini (Honda). Marking a successful debut weekend for Triumph Factory Racing Enduro Team, Mikael Persson completed the podium for the second time in Portugal.
Thanks to his overall victory, the Enduro2 win was also secured for Zach Pichon (TM MOTO). The French rider beat the reigning Enduro2 champion Andrea Verona (GASGAS) by two seconds, with Nathan Watson (Beta) completing the top three.
Mirroring their podium lockout on Saturday, Sherco Factory Team took over the Enduro3 category again on day two with Hamish Macdonald securing a second consecutive victory. Antoine Magain was close behind in second, just four seconds down on the Kiwi, with Julien Roussaly rounding out the podium in third.
Kyron Bacon does the double in Junior
The Junior class saw some incredibly close battles on day two, but it was MGR Kawasaki’s Kyron Bacon who triumphed again. With three test victories under his belt and three runner-up results, the Tasmanian proved that consistency is key, taking the win by close to 16 seconds and setting himself as the championship frontrunner. Leo Joyon (Beta) ended his day in second. Despite topping the timesheets on four of the nine tests, Fantic Factory Racing Team’s Kevin Cristino was forced to settle for third after a costly error on the second GMOTO Enduro Test.
In the Youth category, TM MOTO Boano Factory Enduro Team’s Alberto Elgari dominated day two in Portugal to take the victory, after narrowly missing out on Saturday. Victorious in all but two special tests, the young Italian finished with a 28-second lead over runner-up Fantic Factory Racing Team rider Pietro Scardina. Day one victor Romain Dagna (KTM) completed the podium in third.
The 2025 Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship continues in one months’ time for the GP of Spain in Oliana on 2-4 May.
Zach Pichon (TM MOTO): “That was a tough day! I stayed focused all day and put in some good times, which clearly paid off. We’ve worked really hard this winter training and getting the bike set up perfectly, and as soon as I got on the bike this weekend I felt the difference. I was surprised to win, but I know that my speed and fitness are up there with the top guys now which is exciting. This win has been a few years in the making, since I stepped up from Junior, so I’m really happy and feeling confident.”
Andrea Verona (GASGAS): “Day two was a lot better for me, finishing second overall and second in Enduro2, just two seconds off the win. I came up a bit short on the extreme tests, but I brought it back on the other tests so I know what I need to work on now. It was a tough fight all day long, but of course I want to win and I’m looking forward to going again in Spain in a few weeks.”
Josep Garcia (KTM): “Today was really tough day for me, I pushed a bit too hard yesterday and used up a lot of my energy. I’m not 100% yet, and I did suffer a bit with my shoulder today. I fought until the end and overall I’m proud of my results this weekend considering I’m coming back from injury. Now, it’s time to put the work in to get back to full fitness and I can’t wait for my home GP in Spain!”
Hamish Macdonald (Sherco): “I’m happy to get another strong finish today in Enduro3, I struggled a bit this morning but found my groove in the afternoon and managed to push for some good overall times. I’m feeling good with my riding and we’ve made some small changes to the bike which have worked well. I’m stoked!”
Kyron Bacon (Kawasaki): “I’ve had a really good start to the championship and it’s great to get two wins this early on. It’s a long season and anything can happen, but the bike feels great and I’m really happy with my riding. I stayed consistent all day and made a lot less mistakes, so I managed to get into the top 10 overall on a few of the tests. I’m looking forward to the next round already!”
Francesca Nocera (Honda): “I had another really good day today! I struggled a bit on the first test and lost some time, but I was determined to fight for the win again and go home as the championship leader. I felt really comfortable with the bike and was able to find my rhythm, so it has been a perfect start to the season.”
Elizabeth Tett (TM MOTO): “The racing was a lot closer today, but I’m really happy to have still managed to take the win. The weather definitely helped today, as well as doing one less lap. I was only hoping for a podium coming into the first round, so to come away with two wins is amazing. The next round is a home race for me in Rhayader, and I can’t wait!”
Results: Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship, Round 1 – Day 2
EnduroGP
1. Zach Pichon (TM MOTO) 52:08.70; 2. Andrea Verona (GASGAS) 52:11.45:13.38; 3. Josep Garcia (KTM) 52:19.33; 4. Nathan Watson (Beta) 52:27.24; 5. Samuele Bernardini (Honda) 52:32.85; 6. Hamish Macdonald (Sherco) 52:37.27; 7. Mikael Persson (Triumph) 52:37.64; 8. Antoine Magain (Sherco) 52:41.62; 9. Albin Norrbin (Fantic) 53:04.68; 10. Morgan Lesiardo (Triumph) 53:22.90…
Championship Standings (After Round 1)
EnduroGP
1. Zach Pichon (TM MOTO) 37pts; 2. Josep Garcia (KTM) 35pts; 3. Andrea Verona (30pts); 4. Hamish Macdonald (Sherco) 21pts; 5. Samuele Bernardini (Honda) 20pts; 6. Antoine Magain (Sherco) 18pts; 7. Nathan Watson (Beta) 17pts; 8. Mikael Persson (Triumph) 16pts; 9. Steve Holcombe (Honda) 15pts; 10. Albin Norrbin (Fantic) 15pts…