The fifth round of the Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship in Vila de Rei, Portugal, delivered two days of intense, dusty racing, with Andrea Verona and Josep Garcia sharing the EnduroGP victories, while the Expotrade FIM Women’s Enduro World Championship saw the championship lead swing dramatically between Rachel Gutish and Francesca Nocera.
Dry and challenging conditions greeted riders on day one, with rough, rutted terrain putting both stamina and skill to the test. In the EnduroGP class, all eyes were on the trio of Garcia, Verona, and Zach Pichon to see who would claim the early advantage.
Garcia set the pace from the outset, winning the AKRAPOVIC Super Test and responding immediately to challenges from Verona, who had edged ahead by 1.44 seconds in the opening ACERBIS Cross Test. Garcia then claimed the POLISPORT Extreme Test and GMOTO Enduro Test on lap one, gradually building a lead that proved unassailable. By the final lap, the Spaniard had extended his advantage to 16 seconds, ultimately winning day one by 18 seconds over Verona, with Pichon completing the podium in third. Garcia said, “It was a good day of racing for me. The times in the Cross Test and Extreme Test were very tight, but I was able to open a gap in the Enduro Test, which made the difference today.”
Verona, meanwhile, secured Enduro2 honours on the opening day, reflecting on his performance: “Day one has been a positive day, second overall and winning in Enduro2. I had a good feeling on the bike, without making too many mistakes. I found the Enduro Test the most challenging.”
Hamish Macdonald fought back from ninth to finish fourth overall and take the Enduro3 class win, while Triumph Italia Racing’s Morgan Lesiardo completed the EnduroGP top five and finished runner-up in Enduro1 behind Garcia, with Sherco Racing Factory’s Jeremy Sydow claiming his first podium of the season in third.
The Women’s Enduro class provided its own drama, with Rachel Gutish taking her first win of the season. The American built a commanding lead of 1:07 over teammate Rosie Rowett, while Team KBS Sherco’s Nieve Holmes edged Norway’s Marie Holt to take third. The biggest story of the day was the retirement of championship leader Francesca Nocera (Honda) due to a mechanical issue, opening the door for Gutish to take over the points lead. “I’m really happy to get the win here. But to be honest, the dusty conditions were not to my strengths. So to win is very rewarding,” said Gutish.
The Junior Enduro categories also saw tight battles. Kevin Cristino and Leo Joyon exchanged the lead several times, with Cristino holding on to win day one by just 1.86 seconds over France’s Thibault Giraudon, and Joyon in third. In the Junior Women’s Enduro World Cup, Lorna Lafont (Sherco) claimed the win, followed by Elizabeth Tett and Delun Davies.
Day two brought more drama on the shortened Portuguese track, with EnduroGP honours this time going to Verona. Championship leader Garcia was keen for a second win, but a determined Verona capitalised on mistakes by Garcia and Pichon to take victory by over six seconds on the final GMOTO Enduro Test. “I’m super happy to win EnduroGP and Enduro2. I felt really good on the bike today, and throughout the weekend. Many thanks to the team for all their hard work. Now I can look forward to my home race in two weeks,” said Verona. Garcia secured second in EnduroGP and continued his unbeaten streak in Enduro1, reflecting: “It was a good fight today, but it’s second for me in EnduroGP, with the win in Enduro1. I am happy with my riding, I just had too many mistakes in the second Enduro Test. After this race, it’s time to rest a little and come back ready for the Italian GP.” Pichon rounded out the podium in third.
Day two also saw strong performances from Macdonald, finishing fourth overall, and Mikael Persson, improving from 12th on day one to fifth. Lesiardo ended sixth, while the Enduro2 top honours again went to Verona, with Pichon second and Sherco Racing Factory’s Theo Espinasse third. Macdonald completed a strong weekend with another Enduro3 victory.
The Women’s Enduro race saw Nocera bounce back from her day one retirement with a dominant win by 1:12. Gutish took second, while Norway’s Vilde Holt claimed third, enjoying her best performance of the season. Nocera said, “After yesterday’s disappointment, I woke up today and told myself I was going to win. I managed to do that by more than one minute, which is great. I was able to push hard all day and I was happy with my pace. I’m looking forward to going to the last round now in a good place.”
In the Junior Enduro category, Cristino made it two wins from two and claimed the championship lead with a 21-second victory, while Joyon and Giraudon battled for runner-up positions. Alberto Elgari topped the Youth Enduro field, winning three of the day’s six special tests. “I had a good feeling all day and started fast from the beginning. It’s nice to have the win here. I’m looking forward to the next race now,” said Elgari.
Day two of the GP of Portugal was shortened due to safety protocols surrounding an isolated forest fire, which was quickly extinguished. Despite the challenges, the weekend provided thrilling racing across all classes, with Garcia maintaining a 29-point EnduroGP lead over Verona and Gutish holding a narrow advantage in the Women’s Enduro standings over Rowett and Nocera, setting the stage for the penultimate round at the POLISPORT GP of Italy in Darfo Boario Terme from 26-28 September.
EnduroGP Championship Standings (after round five of seven):
1st – Josep Garcia (KTM) 186 Points
2nd – Andrea Verona (GASGAS) 157 Points
3rd – Zach Pichon (TM MOTO) 155 Points
4th – Hamish Macdonald (Sherco) 116 Points
5th – Mikael Persson (Triumph) 96 Points
6th – Antoine Magain (Sherco) 87 Points
7th – Samuele Bernardini (Honda) 79 Points
8th – Morgan Lesiardo (Triumph) 57 Points
9th – Albin Norrbin (Fantic) 55 Points
10th – Nathan Watson (Beta) 53 Points
Expotrade Women’s Enduro Standings (after round three of four):
1st – Rachel Gutish (RIEJU) 105 Points
2nd – Rosie Rowett (RIEJU) 94 Points
3rd – Francesca Nocera (Honda) 90 Points
4th – Nieve Holmes (Sherco) 73 Points
5th – Vilde Holt (KTM) 67 Points
