2024 EnduroGP World Championship results from round one, day one in Fafe, Portugal where Josep Garcia has blitzed his opponents and tough conditions for the win ahead of Andrea Verona and Steve Holcombe – Rachel Gutish takes maiden Women’s class win.

EnduroGP Rnd1 in Fafe, day 1 in a nutshell:

• Overnight rain then blanket fog made conditions difficult on day one of the 2024 season. Three laps of three challenging tests featured mudholes and typically Portuguese technical rock sections. They tested riding skills and taught some lessons all at once.
• Rain or shine the best riders rise to the top of the time sheets and on day one of the 2024 season it was KTM’s Josep Garcia who led the classification from the start with an impressive display.
• The Spaniard didn’t have it all his own way, just the five of nine tests had his name on top. But crucially Garcia had the measure of everyone on the long enduro test and was consisstant, which helped him clock a half minute advantage by the finish.
• In this company that is a BIG win and though the times were occasionally tight in the tests, scroll down the results sheets below and you’ll see some very talented riders with minutes of time gaps to today’s winner – it’s a measure of both how fast Josep was riding and how tough conditions were in places.  
• “One of my big goals this year was to start the season by pushing and I’m happy because I did it. The last few years I have struggle to start the year with a good result. We did it but tomorrow is a new race day and I will try to keep this motivation.” Josep Explains.
• Second on the day and first in E2 class, Andrea Verona took his GASGAS to just one test win but says he let any chance of the win slip away on the last lap: “I’m quite happy with my riding but I’m not so happy with my last lap. I started ready to push and fight Garcia for the overall but I crashed in the cross test, the enduro test and got stuck in the extreme test so it was not a good last lap but we try again tomorrow.” Explained Verona.
• Defending EnduroGP champion Steve Holcombe started his campaign on the Honda with a P3 overall and P2 in E1 class behind Garcia. The conditions might have suited all the northern European riders and as it got harder in the third lap, Briton Holcombe came on strong to claim the final test win of the day and almost nab P2 from Verona – just 1.73s separated them.
• “I struggled a little bit this morning, I was a little bit nervous and not riding how I know I can but I’m really happy to pull it out of the bag on the last lap and have some really good test times. Garcia was on it today but I’m looking forward to giving him a bit more of a battle tomorrow.”  Steve told.
• If Brad Freeman was suffering with his damaged hand from the Italian Enduro round one (he took the cast off his hand just five days ago), it wasn’t showing too much with some fastest times overall in the tricky extreme test.
• Brad battled with both former and current teammates, Holcombe and Nathan Watson for position. And it is Watson who claims best Beta rider honours in fourth ahead of Freeman who in turn took the E3 class win ahead of Hamish Macdonald.
• Axel Semb made sure Fantic’s domination of the Junior class continues into the new season with a very impressive performance. No doubt the conditions reminded the Swedish rider of home as he clocked in with over one minute on Italians Kevin Cristino and Manolo Morettini in second and third, the pair keeping it consistent where others faltered in the final tests. ’23 Youth champ Cristino takes the J1 class win and P2 overall first time out in the Juniors and now on a 250 4T.
• A trio of Frenchmen dominated the Youth 125 class, two of them from the same family: Maxime and Clement Clauzier who traded the overall lead in class all day with Romain Dagna. Max lost a decent advantage in the final lap to allow Romain his maiden victory in the baby bike class in just his third-ever GP: “I’m really happy. I had a good feeling with my bike and I really like the track, although it was difficult in places. I liked the extreme test though and I am ready for tomorrow.”
• Conditions were difficult for everyone but for the Women’s Enduro World Championship riders, not all of whom are blessed with the longest of legs, it was a hard opening day to their season.
• Rosie Rowett took an early lead but Rachel Gutish got into her stride and put some of her Hard Enduro experience to good use to claw time back. By the third lap (they do the same amount of tests as the men on day one), the American had pulled clear to finish just 22s ahead of Rosie. That makes the on the Kiwi’s Bike Shop Sherco rider the first American female winner in the Enduro World Championship and only the second after Taylor Robert of any gender.
• “I had a good day, a lot of fun but it is harder than the ISDE that’s for sure. It’s tougher, gnarlier and I made one mistake in the extreme test on one lap but I was able to come back from that and take the win. Looking forward to tomorrow.” Rachel said at the podium.
• A good second after a solid opening day, Rowett looks to have had a good winter programme and bettered her Rieju teammate Mireia Badia by half a minute with Nieve Holmes P4 and Marie Holt completing the top five in Women’s class.
• Belgian Tim Louis bagged the Open World Cup class scratch result, and 2T class, for an easy win ahead of 4T winner, British rider Alfie Webb.

2024 GP of Portugal results, EnduroGP overall:

E1 class:

E2 class:

E3 class:

Junior overall:

Youth class:

Women class:

Open class scratch:

Photo Credit: Future7Media | Andrea Belluschi