The fifth and penultimate day of racing at the 2022 FIM International Six Days Enduro (ISDE) saw Great Britain put a virtual hand on the World Trophy competition trophy.
Almost seventy years since they last won the FIM ISDE, back in 1953, Great Britain hold a four minute and twenty-two second lead in the race with just the final Day Six remaining.
Spain gained more time on Italy today to see them head into tomorrow’s Final Cross Test in second overall with a forty-five second advantage over the Italians.
As per FIM ISDE tradition, Day Five marked the final day of racing for competitors in the mountains ahead of tomorrow’s Final Cross test.
However, it was still a tough day at the office for most with a new set of special tests to master. Competitors completed the Airoh special test in the morning and evening, with three tests inducing the technical MOTUL special test during the afternoon.
World Trophy
Continuing their run of unbeaten form since Day Two, Great Britain again topped the World Trophy classification. A smaller margin of thirteen seconds indicates that they are now beginning to think about managing their overall lead.
Spain and Italy continued their fight as both nations tried to improve their chances for the runner-up position heading into Day Six. Spain had the edge, pulling clear to place second, with Italy third.
Enjoying one of their best days of the FIM ISDE, France also applied pressure on Italy throughout the day. Finishing just five seconds behind in fourth, they were pleased with their effort as they protected their position of fourth overall.
Sweden was fifth best on Day Five, ahead of the United States and Finland. In the overall classification, the United States will have to keep a watchful eye on Sweden as they only hold a fifty-one second advantage over them.
Josep Garcia and Andrea Verona fought a close battle for the day’s fastest rider honors. Garcia led the way all day until a small mistake on the final stage allowed Verona to snatch the win by under a second. However, the Spaniard leads the individual overall standings by close to one minute ahead of tomorrow’s final motocross test.
Junior World Trophy
Finland enjoyed their first Junior World Trophy day win with a victory on Day Five.
Finally breaking Italy’s win streak, it was the turn of Finland to end a day at the top of the time sheets. After getting agonisingly close to toppling the Italians on Day Four, the Finns powered clear to a thirty-three second margin of victory on the penultimate day of the FIM ISDE.
“Italy have been super strong this week, so it’s nice to finally get a win ahead of them,” told Finland’s Roni Kytonen (Honda). “It’s been a really good FIM ISDE so far with some amazing special tests. We’re looking forward to ending it on a high tomorrow.”
Australia also had a good outing, finishing behind Finland as runners up. Although forced to settle for third today, Italy still controls the Junior World Trophy overall race lead. The defending champions are a healthy one minute and forty-seven seconds in front of Finland heading into tomorrow’s Day Six Final Cross Test.
Australia remains third in the overall classification with a four minute plus advantage over Great Britain in fourth. Spain completes the top five.
Women’s World Trophy
The penultimate day ended with Great Britain firmly placed to claim a historic Women’s World Trophy win.
Winning Day Five to extend their overall lead to almost fourteen minutes over nearest rivals France, Great Britain are now odds on favourites to secure a debut Women’s World Trophy win, along with a debut modern era World Trophy FIM ISDE victory.
Day Five was another tough day of racing at the FIM ISDE. Continuing to push the Women’s World Trophy competitors to their limits, a new course served up a fresh set of special tests in the mountains, while also completing the Airoh special test located close to the paddock twice.
Determined to put a virtual grasp on the winner’s trophy, Great Britain saw Jane Daniels top the individual classification to help them to a two minute and twenty-eight second win over France. Australia fended off Sweden to place third.
“It feels good to reach the end of Day Five,” said Daniels. “It’s been a tough week both mentally and physically, but the end is almost in sight. It’s hard to think of the win just yet, so let’s just get through Day Six safely and see what happens.”
The ninety-sixth edition of the FIM ISDE concludes with the traditional Day Six Final Cross test.
Day 5 Scratch Results
