Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Josep Garcia has got his 2024 FIM EnduroGP World Championship campaign off to a victorious start at round one in Fafe, Portugal. The Spaniard was on winning form at the season-opener, claiming victories in both EnduroGP and Enduro1 on day one. Backing it up with a closely fought runner-up result in each class on day two, Josep completed round one as the early points leader in the EnduroGP championship.
Eagerly awaiting round one of the new EnduroGP season, Garcia was keen to start the defense of his Enduro1 crown while also fighting for overall EnduroGP honors. Immediately making his presence felt, the KTM 250 EXC-F mounted rider clocked the fastest time in the competitive Friday night Super Test.
Continuing his strong pace on day one on Saturday morning, Garcia won the opening cross test and enduro test to establish an early lead. Collecting a further three test wins as the day progressed, the KTM rider built a lead that wouldn’t be caught. Winning EnduroGP by a very healthy 32 seconds, he also secured the Enduro1 class win.
A solid start to day two saw Garcia take over the EnduroGP race lead at the end of the second special test. However, an unfortunate mistake on the slippery rocks in the extreme test saw him lose 10 seconds to his rivals. Forced to play catch up, the race was on for the Spaniard.
Attacking hard for the remaining two laps and six special tests, Garcia came within four seconds of taking victory on his KTM 250 EXC-F. But despite his best efforts, he had to settle for the runner-up result in both EnduroGP and Enduro1.
Naturally disappointed with his mistake, but pleased with his overall performance and speed, Josep heads to round two next weekend with an early lead in EnduroGP, while remaining tied on points for the lead in Enduro1.
The FIM EnduroGP World Championship continues with round two in Valpacos, Portugal on April 12-14.
Josep Garcia: “I’m very happy with how the weekend has gone and it feels good to get the championship underway with strong results like this. Day one was perfect. I hardly made a mistake and won by quite a lot. Day two started good, but I had a big crash in the first extreme test that cost me a lot of time. I pushed hard and made most of the time back. It was frustrating to miss the victory by so little, but it shows just how tight the racing is. Overall, with a 1-2 result in EnduroGP it’s been a very strong start to the season. Next weekend I’ll give it my all again.”
Results – 2024 FIM EnduroGP World Championship – Round 1, Portugal
EnduroGP - Day 1
1. Josep Garcia (ESP), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 56:17.60
2. Andrea Verona (ITA), GASGAS Factory Racing, 56:49.70
3. Steve Holcombe (GBR), Honda, 56:50.87
EnduroGP - Day 2
1. Steve Holcombe (GBR), Honda, 53:32.40
2. Josep Garcia (ESP), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 53:36.79
3. Nathan Watson (GBR), Beta, 53:41.95
4. Andrea Verona (ITA), GASGAS Factory Racing, 53:54.45
Enduro1 - Day 1
1. Josep Garcia (ESP), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 56:17.60
2. Steve Holcombe (GBR), Honda, 56:50.87
3. Zach Pichon (FRA), Sherco, 58:07.57
Enduro1 - Day 2
1. Steve Holcombe (GBR), Honda, 53:32.40
2. Josep Garcia (ESP), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 53:36.79
3. Jamie McCanney (GBR), Husqvarna, 54:52.68
Championship Standings (After round 1)
EnduroGP
1. Josep Garcia (ESP), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 37pts
2. Steve Holcombe (GBR), Honda, 35pts
3. Andrea Verona (ITA), GASGAS Factory Racing, 30pts
Enduro1
1. Steve Holcombe (GBR), Honda, 37pts
2. Josep Garcia (ESP), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 37pts
3. Jamie McCanney (GBR), Husqvarna, 28pts