Wednesday July 29, 2026 at 11:28am
Nieve Holmes continued her impressive defence of her British Enduro Championship title with a double victory at rounds seven and eight in Brechfa, Wales, on July 25-26. Racing for ET James Sherco in the Elite Championship Women class, Holmes secured back-to-back wins to extend her advantage at the top of the standings to 18 points, with four days of racing across two rounds remaining.
Saturday delivered close racing throughout the day, with three varied special tests providing a strong challenge and valuable preparation ahead of the upcoming EnduroGP of Wales. Nieve posted solid times across the Cross and Extreme Tests, but it was in the Enduro Test where she made the difference, consistently producing some of her strongest performances of the day to gain valuable time on her rivals. Her speed there proved decisive, helping her pull clear to secure the round seven victory by 20 seconds.
With a full day of experience on the Brechfa tests behind her, Holmes returned even stronger on Sunday. Once again, the Enduro Test proved key to her performance, with impressive times on every lap allowing her to build a greater advantage over the course of the day. Improving across the weekend, Holmes eventually secured her second victory by 37 seconds to complete a perfect 1-1 weekend.
The double win further strengthens Nieve’s position at the head of the British Enduro Championship standings after eight rounds and continues a hugely positive title defence for the reigning champion. Now holding an 18-point advantage with four days of competition across the final two rounds remaining, Holmes is well placed as she looks to secure a second consecutive British title. The Brechfa event also provided valuable preparation for her next challenge, the final round of the 2026 Expotrade FIM Women’s Enduro World Championship on home soil in Rhayader, Wales, on August 7-9.
Nieve Holmes: “It was a really good weekend and I’m happy to come away with another two wins. Saturday was close, but I had really good times in the Enduro Test on every lap and that was where I was able to make up the time on the other girls and eventually take the win. Sunday was even better once I knew the tests and I was able to build a bit more of a gap. The three tests were also really useful preparation for the GP of Wales, so it was a productive weekend all round. I’ve now got an 18-point lead in the British Championship with four days of racing left, which puts us in a good position, but there’s still plenty of racing to go. I’m feeling good on the bike and looking forward to carrying this momentum into my home GP.”