The 2024 FIM EnduroGP World Championship witnessed an epic weekend of racing at round three, the GP of Romania proved a corker across all classes in Bacau. Here are some hot post-race talking points…

A welcome return to Romania

After an 11year absense the FIM EnduroGP World Championship returned to Romania for round three of the 2024 season. Bacau delivered a superb mix of terrain and tests challenging riders with a traditional forest-based Enduro Test, very much of the Romania style, and a full-gas Cross Test plus the Extreme test which doubled up as the Super Test on Friday night.

Matteo Cavallo steals Super Test

It’s always good to see a new winner in a season and the Friday Super Test delivered a fresh face and a new manufacturer.

Although it only counts as one test, the first of the Saturday accumulation in fact, the Super Test carries bragging rights and so far this season Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Josep Garcia has claimed won both wins at rounds one and two in Portugal.

Step up TM MOTO’s Matteo Cavallo to take the top spot on a test which was different to normal Super Tests in being longer, had less man-made obstacles and frankly was less mickey mouse than some.

The experience Italian has claimed Super Test wins before but not for a while in an era of Garcia and Brad Freeman and their all-out riding styles. Matteo was millimetre-perfect and moves up to third in the AKRAPOVIC Super Test standings behind Garcia and Andrea Verona.

Fantic Factory Racing

Take a walk through the paddock and it’s clear to see that Fantic Factory Racing has a strong presence in almost all classes, pushing hard to reach the top of EnduroGP.

However, it’s in the Enduro Junior and Enduro Youth categories where they often excel the most with reigning world champions in Junior, Youth and Women with Jed Etchells, Kevin Cristino and Jane Daniels respectively.

Investments in youth pays off, ask any sport academy and last year’s dominant Juniors, including Albin Norrbin, are currently finding their feet and speed in the senior ranks. 

They also continue to dominate the Junior category with Axel Semb with 2023 Enduro Youth champion, Kevin Cristino third in points. Meanwhile, their academy rider Pietro Scardina carded his best result of the year in Enduro Youth in Romania with second overall.

Brad Freeman getting back to his best

Day two of the GP of Romania saw Beta Factory Racing’s Brad Freeman return to the podium after a long hiatus. The nine-time world champion has endured a rough start to the year with a hand injury and illness, adding to a injury-troubled 2023 season.

But in Romania, the old Brad looked to be emerging, challenging for test wins, bettering his teammate (rule number one, right?) and claiming a day two scratch podium alongside Garcia and Verona.

We’re used to seeing Brad begin the season with a bang, in recent years only for that to falter with crashes and injuries. Maybe ’24 will be the other way around and although he lies 32 points behind the top three in the EnduroGP standings, an on-form Freeman fighting to claw that back will add to the spice of this season.

Garcia goes for gold

Honda Racing RedMoto Enduro Team’s Steve Holcombe arrived at the GP of Romania with the EnduroGP gold plate but wasn’t hitting the same high notes as he did at rounds one and two.

Time costly crashes for both Freeman and Holcombe at the start of the final lap meant things could easily have been different but the net results was a 3-4 scorecard for Steve while Garcia and Verona traded the day wins and the gold plate changed hands.

Garcia will hold the leader’s plate at round four in Italy with Verona moving to second ahead of Holcombe – it’s that close in the points!

Every split-second counts

At every round of the season so far, we are being treated to incredible battles for victory in the EnduroGP. Consistently, special tests are being won by tenths of a second. On Sunday’s second POLISPORT Extreme Test the top three riders were separated by just five tenths of a second.

And don’t talk to us about how close it gets fighting for the top 10 and individual class podium places, it’s nuts how close these guys are on the time sheets!

It’s high intensity at the top, always, but it seems more than ever that those who can best manage their mistakes are the ones who have the best chance of reaching the podium.

The Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship continues with round four’s POLISPORT GP of Italy on June 21-23.

Photo Credit: Future7Media | Nicki Martinez