It was a brutal blow for Steve Holcombe at the opening round of the 2025 FIM EnduroGP World Championship in Portugal, with the Honda Racing RedMoto Enduro Team rider forced to retire from the lead on day two after injuring his left knee.
Holcombe had kicked off his season in strong form, finishing third overall and second in Enduro2 on Saturday. He showed he had the pace to fight for victory and looked even more dangerous on day two. The Brit came out swinging, topping all three special tests on the opening lap to establish a commanding lead early in the day.
He backed it up with second place in both the extreme and motocross tests on lap two, but disaster struck during the enduro test. While navigating a muddy, rocky section at medium speed, Holcombe dabbed his left foot to regain balance and immediately felt something go wrong with his knee. Though he managed to finish the test, he was unable to continue and was forced to withdraw from the event.
Thankfully, early indications are more positive than first feared. Holcombe underwent an initial scan on Sunday night, which revealed no major ligament damage. He’s set to see a knee specialist in Italy on Wednesday for further assessments.
“It goes without saying that this is absolutely not the way I wanted my 2025 EnduroGP season to start,” Holcombe admitted. “Injuries are always frustrating, but right at the start of the championship, it’s just so, so disappointing—not only for myself, but also the team who have put so much work into everything in recent months.”
“Knowing my speed was where it needed to be, and that my riding was good, well, I think that makes things a little easier to take, but it is what it is and I just have to do all I can to be back racing as soon as I can.”
He reflected positively on day one despite some early-season nerves and mistakes, and said day two was shaping up to be even better: “I had an amazing first lap. I was riding well, and the times were exactly where they needed to be. I wasn’t pushing too hard when I hurt my knee—I just got a tiny bit sideways and put my left foot down nearing the end of the enduro test and immediately felt something in my knee wasn’t right. That was the end of my day – from leading EnduroGP to getting a scan!”
Holcombe’s initial scan showed no damage to the main ligaments, and he’s hopeful that further checks this week will give him a clearer picture and path back to racing.
