The 2023 Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship is up and running with the AKRAPOVIC Super Test kicking things off on the sands of San Remo in Italy.
Lighting up round one of the new season in exciting style, the GP of Italy saw Junior upstart Axel Semb topping the outright classification over EnduroGP category regulars Matteo Cavallo and Brad Freeman.
Officially bringing the off-season to a close, a bumper entry of enduro-hungry competitors arrived in San Remo, all eager to make their mark on the opening round of the 2023 FIM EnduroGP World Championship.
As is customary, the Super Test helped the GP of Italy roar into life. Held on the San Remo seafront, conditions favoured those hungry to hang it out in the soft sand.
Helped in part by an early Junior class start position, Sweden’s Axel Semb set a surprise benchmark time, which ultimately no one could match. The Husqvarna mounted rider lit up the course to not only top the FIM Enduro Junior World Championship category but also win the Super Test outright. And by a sizeable one and a half seconds.
Behind him, the EnduroGP contingent was split by fractions of a second as they filled the remainder of the top 10. Astonishingly, only 1.1 seconds separated Cavallo in second and his teammate Daniel Milner in ninth.
Disappointed not to clinch the overall Super Test win on home soil, Cavallo was still more than happy with his performance, as he leads the EnduroGP category heading into tomorrow’s racing. Defending Enduro3 champion Brad Freeman was just eight-hundredths of a second behind Cavallo in third.
Reigning Enduro Junior World Champion Zach Pichon has stepped up to the senior ranks in style, with the CH Racing Sherco rider fourth fastest. RedMoto Honda Racing’s Nathan Watson completed the top five.
With Semb on cloud nine having topped the overall classification, he also provisionally leads the FIM Enduro Junior World Championship classification heading into day one by almost four seconds. Sergio Navarro was runner-up, with Max Ahlin third.
Kevin Cristino was quickest in Enduro Youth, with Thibault Giraudon and Aleix Saumell completing the top three.
In the FIM Women’s Enduro World Championship, Francesca Nocera gave her home crowd a lot to cheer about, clocking in the fastest time while Australian Jess Gardiner was fourth fastest.
