Weekend digest from round five of the 2024 Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship in Slovakia where awesome tests, a new flying Tassie, riders tied on times and Kawasakis are among the hottest topics.

Round five of the Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship was a hot one at the POLISPORT GP of Slovakia. Intense heat, challenging special tests and a great atmosphere made for a memorable weekend’s racing in Gelnica. Here are some of the hot topics everyone was talking about post-race…

Enduro Test of the year? 

The GP of Slovakia laid on a strong contender for the Enduro Test of the year award. At six kilometres long, it had everything a true enduro test demands: Long, technical and predominately forest-based, it wove its way through the forest trails and demanded riders tobring their A-Game.

For those that could balance speed, precision and technique, it was where the a lot of time could be gained. For those who got caught out by it, the consequences were high.

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Tassie Talent

A late addition to the championship at the POLISPORT GP of Italy, Johansson MPE’s Kyron Bacon stamped his authority on Enduro Junior class in Slovakia by securing a debut Enduro Junior victory on day one, backing it up with another win on day two.

The downer for the young rider from down under is he won’t make any more rounds of the championship in 2024 as he’s already committed to racing in Australia. From Tasmania, and neighbour to four-time champ Matt Phillips, it would be awesome to see this young Tassie talent return full-time in 2025 – we’re pretty sure Team Johansson would love that too!

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Tied on time

We’re used to seeing riders posting incredibly tight test times and the weekend in Slovakia proved that when you study the time sheets. But the Friday Super Test delivered super tight racing and a bit of a rare treat – almost a historical one at that.

The head-to-head shootout on Friday saw Beta Factory Racing’s Nathan Watson and CH Racing Sherco’s Zach Pichon doing something pretty rare by setting the exact same time.

The 1:42.31 was provisionally fast enough to tie them for the overall lead with four riders remaining. However, Watson’s teammate Brad Freeman beat the duo by two hundredths of a second to deny them a historic outcome.

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Ice, ice, baby!

With temperatures up in the mid-30s from early morning, riders were feeling the heat in Gelnica. Hydration was key, along with staying cool as much as possible.

Honda Racing RedMoto Enduro Team’s Steve Holcombe wore ice packs at the end of special tests and service checks to help regulate his temperature. With an Enduro1 class win on Saturday, it worked for the Brit.

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Elgari exit opens goal for Verzeroli

The Enduro Youth category was dealt a shocker early on Sunday morning when title contender, TM MOTO’s Alberto Elgari, retired on the opening ACERBIS Cross Test with a leg injury.

Elgari’s exit sees Team KTM Pro Racing Sport’s Manuel Verzeroli head to the penultimate round in Wales with a 43-point championship lead over Sherco’s Romain Dagna, who inherited second. We might just witness Verzeroli crowned the first FIM Enduro World Champion of 2024 in Wales if everything goes his way.

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Czech riders charging hard

Although not a home Grand Prix, Czech Republic riders Matej Skuta and Krystof Kouble found plenty of supporters making the short trip across the border to Gelnica to cheer them on.

It was worth their combined efforts too with Skuta putting his KBS Team Beta on top of the Enduro Junior classification in the Super Test. He would race hard for fourth both days, just missing the podium by two seconds on day one. However, he did claim second both days in Enduro2. His best performance of the season moves him up to third in the Junior2 standings.

Former ISDE Club scratch individual winner Kouble also clocked in with two top-20 overall finishes.

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Team Green vibes

For Team Green fans it’s brilliant to see Kawasaki present in the GP paddock this year with Italian-based MGR Team fielding riders this season including Davide Soreca in Enduro1 and Herman Ask in Enduro Junior. Let’s hope this programme expands in the years to come.

The Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship continues with the penultimate round of the 2024 season at the FORSITESERVICES GP of Wales on August 2-4.

 

Photo Credit: Future7Media | Andrea Belluschi