The final day of racing at round four of the Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship in Wales saw Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Josep Garcia fend off TM MOTO Boano Factory Enduro Team’s Zach Pichon for victory.
Garcia and Pichon battle hard for EnduroGP victory
Rowett wins again in Expotrade Women’s Enduro
Rain closes in on Forsiteservices GP of Wales on day two
Garcia wins EnduroGP following epic battle with Pichon
With a change of weather on day two, some wondered if it would result in a change of the leaderboard in EnduroGP. On the opening ACERBIS Cross Test, TM MOTO Boano Factory Enduro Team’s Zach Pichon clocked the quickest time to establish an early lead.
But Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Josep Garcia was not far behind in second, and the Spaniard was unfazed by the Welsh rain. Winning both the opening POLISPORT Extreme Test and GMOTO Enduro Test, before closing out lap one with a win on the ACERBIS Cross Test, Garcia was now in the driving seat for top honours.
Double delight for Rowett in Expotrade Women’s Enduro
From claiming her debut victory in EnduroGP on day one, RIEJU Factory Team’s Rosie Rowett backed it up by taking the Expotrade Women’s Enduro win on day two in Wales. The Brit was determined to deliver another win for her home crowd and didn’t disappoint.
Rosie Rowett (RIEJU): “It’s an amazing feeling to come to my home round and win both days like this. I was training hard for this weekend and wanted to give myself the best chance for this result. It’s been a tough event here, but I’ve enjoyed it a lot and loved all the home support.”
However, it was her teammate Rachel Gutish who started out strongest with a win on the opening ACERBIS Cross Test, ahead of Team KBS Sherco’s Nieve Holmes and Rowett. Holmes then won the opening POLISPORT Extreme Test to move into the lead, with Rowett three seconds back in second as Gutish lost major time and slipped back to sixth.
Ending lap one, Rowett led by eight seconds over Holmes, with HRC Honda’s Francesca Nocera in third, as Gutish recovered to fourth. On their second and final lap, Gutish was fastest in the POLISPORT Extreme Test and closed the gap, but Rowett responded by winning the final two special tests to secure the win over Gutish in second and Nocera third. Justine Martel (Beta) worked her way into fourth, while Holmes dropped back to fifth at the finish.
The Expotrade FIM Junior Women’s Enduro World Cup saw a new winner emerge with Lorna Lafont (Sherco) racing to victory on day two. Electraction TM’s Elizabeth Test placed second, with local Delun Davies (Fantic) completing the top three. Article credited to DirtHub – for the full story, visit www.dirthub.co.uk
Words and images by endurogp