Results from a dramatic day two of the 2022 Italian EnduroGP World Championship round three in Carpineti where Wil Ruprecht set a blistering pace to put the new pink TM on the top step of the podium and Josep Garcia has a monster crash.

EnduroGP of Italy, day two in a nutshell:

• Day two at the Italian GP dawned very much the same as day one: hot, dry, and dusty. If the day-old tests were looking beaten up by the end of the two, long days it was understandable.“People don’t realise how hard the EnduroGP World Championship is.” said Hard Enduro World Champion Billy Bolt at the end of today...
• Mistakes arrive when it’s hot and conditions are brutal but most often when riders are pushing at their very maximum. Which is where Josep Garcia was at on the third trip to the decisive enduro test and while sitting 14 seconds behind his rival Wil Ruprecht. Josep lost the front on a high-speed section, hit the deck hard and Enduro21 understands he was knockout andinadvertantly blocked the track.
• After a delay the test was cancelled and Josep continued after medical attention (and crashed again in the final test, hurting his backside). He finished 16th overall having been docked a one minute time penalty.
• Ruprecht meanwhile had already done the hard work and without the pressure from Garcia, the Australian was able relax a little on the pink TM and bring it home for another overall win, the E2 victory and the retention of the points leader’s gold plate.
• “We were all on the limit” Ruprecht explained having wished his rival well. But from where we stood it was clear who’d studied their homework in the tests and Wil looked like he’d earned this one.
• Behind, a battle was already unfolding for the podium places as Nathan Watson put increasing pressure on Andrea Verona during day two. Both admitted to having a better start to the day but so too were the rest of the top 10 who chopped and changed all day. Oldrati, Persson, Milner, Larrieu, Le Quere, Blanjoue, Pavoni, Freeman, Cavallo, Magain…it was a long list fighting for fifth to 15th places.
• Come the final test, Verona nailed a “much more confident day” to finish P2 and 12 seconds ahead of Watson who said much the same as he claimed his first scratch podium of the season. Thomas Oldrati came home fourth was second in E1 and Daniel Milner rounded the top five as yesterday, plus got third in E1.
• With Ruprecht taking the E2 class win and Verona topping E1, and after his maiden E3 victory yesterday, Mikael Persson took the double this weekend despite a crash in the extreme test. And this also despite the hot conditions which Mikael’s father told Enduro21, “we are not used to” (it was the understatement of the day for the Swedish family).
• The Junior class began with a different French rider at the top of the times today. Luc Fargier held a lead and it looked, for the first time this year, we might potentially see a new winner.
• But come the final scores, it was that man Zach Pichon who took his sixth day win of the season after his countryman threw it away on the long enduro test on lap two. Fargier picked it back up and finished second, 29s behind with Max Ahlin third.
• The Youth class saw a real ding-dong battle all day between four riders: day one winner Harry Edmondson, Leo Joyon, Kevin Cristino and Thibault Giraudon. They traded test times and were always within fractions of each other but yet another Frenchman, Giraudon rose to the top in the final tests, four seconds faster than Edmondson with Cristino third. The Sherco rider’s victory was the first time in an absolute age a Fantic rider didn’t win, and Thibault’s first overall. The young French riders are coming…
• The Open class belonged to Harry Houghton this weekend who took the double day win in convincing style. Confident, big gaps in time taken in the important big tests (enduro and extreme tests gave the British Beta rider a deserved victory scratch and Open 2T. Alejandro Ceballos was second scratch and took the Open 4T class win.
• A.O.B.: Notable retirees today were Steve Holcombe and Theo Espinasse. The Frenchman went out after a crash in the by now notorious enduro test. Holcombe however had done the damage yesterday, re-injuring his shoulder and was unfortunately forced to retire today.
• It was yet more woes for Beta although, after struggling with his not long broken hand yesterday, Brad Freeman was much faster today to finish P11 and almost grab an E3 podium.

GP of Italy day 2 results – EnduroGP scratch:

GP of Italy day 2 results – E1:

GP of Italy day 2 results – E2:

GP of Italy day 2 results – E3:

GP of Italy day 2 results – Junior:

GP of Italy day 2 results – Youth:

GP of Italy day 2 results – Open (scratch):

Photo Credit: Future7Media | Andrea Belluschi