Pichon and Garcia share EnduroGP of Sweden wins

2025 FIM EnduroGP World Championship
Round Three – Sweden

Zach Pichon raced to a dominant victory on day one of round three in the Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship at the POLISPORT GP of Sweden, conquering the rugged, rocky, and stony terrain with precision. On a day marked by frequent mistakes, it was those who could best limit their errors who rose to the top.

Josep Garcia bounced back to win day two, as a further drop in temperatures brought a wintery chill, making conditions even tougher. Riders were pushed to their limits through a series of brutal, beaten-up special tests, with Garcia emerging as the strongest of the day.

EnduroGP of Sweden – Day One – Saturday

Feeling quietly confident in his abilities on the unforgiving Swedish terrain, Zach Pichon hit the ground running on Saturday morning by winning the opening GMOTO Enduro Test, ahead of Andrea Verona, with Josep Garcia third fastest.

As they exited the first ACERBIS Cross Test, won by Garcia, Verona still led overall, but only 0.57 seconds separated Verona, Garcia and Pichon.

Closing out lap one with the POLISPORT Extreme Test, it was home favourite Mikael Persson who took a historic first EnduroGP class special test win for the Triumph Racing Factory Enduro Team. With Pichon placing second to Persson, the Frenchman moved himself into the race lead as they headed out on lap two of three.

Fastest again on the GMOTO Enduro Test, Pichon strengthened his advantage to 14 seconds over Garcia in second, with Hamish Macdonald up to third. Persson had slotted into fourth, pushing Verona back to an uncomfortable fifth. Closing out lap two with the fastest time in the POLISPORT Extreme Test, Pichon was beginning to pull clear of his rivals on the most demanding of terrain.

Making it four wins from four starts in the day’s GMOTO Enduro Test, Pichon completed the third and final lap of day one at the POLISPORT GP of Sweden with a remarkable 48-second margin of victory in EnduroGP. Consistent all day, but unable to find the measure of Pichon’s pace, Garcia had to be content with second.

Macdonald, Verona and Persson were never far away from Garcia, with only 16 seconds separating second to fifth. Battling his way onto the podium, Macdonald took third by less than two seconds over Verona in fourth. Finishing just under four seconds shy of claiming a podium result on home soil, Persson could be pleased with his efforts in fifth, but will aim for more tomorrow.

EnduroGP of Sweden E1, E2 & E3

Garcia continued his unbeaten run of form in Enduro1 to secure his fifth class win of the season. However, he didn’t have an easy ride to victory. Pushing him all the way, Persson topped all three special tests on the final lap to finish 16 seconds adrift as runner-up. Nearly three minutes back, Honda Racing RedMoto Enduro Team’s Samuele Bernardini rounded out the top three in Enduro1.

Josep Garcia

“Today feels like a win. I haven’t been able to ride properly after my crash at the GP of Spain, so it was a challenging race for me. Honestly, I’m happy with this result. Tomorrow, we will try for more!”

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Thanks to his EnduroGP win, Pichon also won the Enduro2 class for the fourth time in 2025. Unable to match the pace of the Frenchman, Verona ended his day in second, while Beta Factory Enduro Team’s Nathan Watson was third.

Zach Pichon

“I’m really happy with my day and my riding to get this win. I felt great on the Enduro Test and didn’t really make any mistakes. That was the key to today. With the rocks and roots, it was tricky. Hopefully, we can repeat this again tomorrow.”

Capping off an excellent ride at the POLISPORT GP of Sweden, Macdonald secured his fourth win of the season in Enduro3. Making it a Sherco 1-2, Antoine Magain joined him on the podium in second. Taking third, TM MOTO Boano Factory Enduro Team’s Leo Le Quere denied Sherco a clean sweep of the rostrum on day one in Sweden.

Hamish Macdonald

“I’ve been working so hard to get to this moment and this EnduroGP podium. I think the conditions were my style today. I feel comfortable in the stones and my preparation in the past really helped a lot for today. Honestly, I’m over the moon and lost for words on this result. Thanks to my team, sponsors and family for the support!”

EnduroGP of Sweden – Day One – E1 / E2 / E3

Juniors & Youth

Quickly putting a disappointing AKRAPOVIC Super Test behind him, Fantic Factory Racing Team’s Axel Semb got to work on day one of the POLISPORT GP of Sweden. The rocks, stones and roots favoured the young Swede, and immediately he proved himself as the rider to beat in the Junior class.

Unmatched, the Fantic rider topped the opening seven special tests of the day to establish a one-minute-and-16-second lead over MGR Kawasaki’s Kyron Bacon in second. A small crash on the final Cross Test lost him some time, but never enough to unsettle his pace. Holding firm, he took a much-deserved home win in the Junior class.

Axel Semb

“I got a good feeling in the tests straight away and pulled a big gap on lap one. Unluckily, in the final Cross Test I had one crash and lost some time. But it’s been a great day, with lots of home support.”

Kyron Bacon

“P2 overall Junior and J2 for day one in Sweden! Started the day off really slow and lost a lot of time to the front guys and couldn’t get in a nice flow! After that I felt good and put in some solid times and got back up to second.”

Back on pace after an illness-hit GP of Spain, Bacon returned to the Junior podium with second position. The Australian improved greatly as the day progressed and will aim to start day two even stronger.

In the battle for the final step of the podium, Kevin Cristino edged out Ox  Leo Joyon by less than three seconds to claim third, thanks to a win on the final GMOTO Enduro Test. With Joyon pushed back to fourth, Thibault Giraudon completed the top five.

The celebrations were high in the TM MOTO Boano Factory Enduro Team camp at the end of day one, with Alberto Elgari winning the Youth class to add to the team’s EnduroGP win with Pichon. The Italian was fast from the off this morning, topping both the opening GMOTO Enduro Test and ACERBIS Cross Test to establish an early eight-second lead over Romain Dagna in second.

By the beginning of the third and final lap, Dagna had reduced the gap to just four seconds, but Elgari wasn’t ready to let the victory slip away. Increasing his rhythm, he steadily extended his advantage to win by 20 seconds.

Alberto Elgari

“From lap two until the finish, I found my groove and was able to increase my rhythm and take the win. It’s my second win of the season and the feeling on the bike is getting better all of the time.”

A strong final lap by Pietro Scardina saw Dagna’s second place come under threat. An incredible run on the final GMOTO Enduro Test, resulted in Scardina overhauling Dagna to take second, pushing the Frenchman back to third.

EnduroGP of Sweden – Day One – Junior

EnduroGP of Sweden – Day One – Youth

EnduroGP of Sweden – Day Two – Sunday

Regrouping overnight, Garcia was determined not to finish as runner-up for the second day running. Re-walking the GMOTO Enduro Test, ACERBIS Cross Test and POLISPORT Extreme Test quickly paid off for the Spaniard. Fastest in all three opening special tests, the defending EnduroGP champion ended lap one of three with a confidence-boosting nine-second lead.

Also on the move, Verona held second, with day one winner Pichon two seconds behind Verona in third. Persson was fourth on home soil, withHamish Macdonald and Antoine Magain just behind in fifth and sixth, respectively.

There were no major changes to the leaderboard on lap two, with Garcia adding another two test wins to his collection to extend his advantage over Verona to 16 seconds. Controlling his lead, Garcia rode on to claim a strong win in EnduroGP.

Verona placed 15 seconds behind as runner-up, while Pichon, unsettled by a couple of mistakes, had to settle for third. Macdonald got the better of Persson to claim fourth, pushing the Swede back to fifth in his home race.

EnduroGP of Sweden – Day Two – E1, E2 & E3

Despite missing out on the overall EnduroGP win, Verona could be pleased with claiming the top step of the Enduro2 podium. Pichon followed him home for second, albeit 31 seconds adrift. A great ride by Sherco Racing Factory’s Theo Espinasse saw him take third.

Andrea Verona

“Day two here in Sweden has been really positive for myself and the team getting the Enduro2 win and second overall. I didn’t make any big mistakes and I felt a lot faster than I did yesterday. The Enduro Test was the key today and I finally figured out how to settle into it. The overall win would have been nice, but I’m happy with my results and I know what I need to work on in the weeks between now and the GP of Wales.”

Mikael Persson

“That’s my home race done at the GP of Sweden! I’ve had two really great days finishing second in class and fifth overall. I pushed as hard as possible, even when the rain was making it difficult to stay on pace. I’m super happy overall and looking forward to the GP of Wales. We have a break now for a few weeks, and the team will really focus on building momentum ahead of the second half of the season.”

The Enduro1 class once again saw a flawless performance by Garcia to claim a commanding margin of victory. Enjoying a strong ride in his home race, Persson placed as runner-up. Morgan Lesiardo improved on his day one result of fourth to take third.

Josep Garcia

“I’m really happy with how the whole weekend has gone here in Sweden. On Saturday, it was the first time I had ridden properly since my crash in Spain. I hadn’t been able to train or ride at all, so I knew I wouldn’t quite be on the pace. To be able to take the win on Sunday, especially in such tough conditions, feels far more than just a win for me. It’s incredible – the weeks leading up to this round have been hard and with a lot of pain, but I stayed focused. So to take the victory today, and now head to the next round of the championship with a bigger points lead, is amazing.”

Beginning to establish himself as the rider to beat in Enduro3, Macdonald took his second class win of the weekend in Skövde. Teammate Antoine Magain joined Macdonald in a Sherco 1-2, while Leo Le Quere completed the podium with third.

EnduroGP of Sweden – Day Two – E1 / E2 / E3

EnduroGP of Sweden – Day Two – Juniors & Youth

Capping off a remarkable POLISPORT GP of Sweden home race, Axel Semb secured his second victory of the weekend in the Junior class. Another dominant ride by the young Swede saw him win by 41 seconds.

From the opening special test there was simply no stopping Semb today. Racking up six consecutive fastest times, he had established a 34-second lead at the end of the second POLISPORT Extreme Test. With just the final lap remaining, he controlled his advantage to take home a well-deserved win.

MGR Kawasaki’s Kyron Bacon was once again the next-best rider to Semb in Sweden. The Australian showed he’d got the measure of the rocky Swedish terrain, picking up the fastest time on the final GMOTO Enduro Test, to complete his day as runner-up.

Axel Semb

“For sure, I wanted this result, but you never know how it can go. To go 1-1 is something I’m more than super happy about. It’s great to have this lead heading into the summer break, but there is still a long way to go in the championship.”

The battle for the final step of the podium came right down to the wire between Thibault Giraudon and Leo Joyon. The French duo both wanted third, but it was Giraudon who sealed the deal with a better time on the final POLISPORT Extreme Test. With Joyon finishing just two seconds behind in fourth, Kevin Cristino completed the top five.

The fight for supremacy in the Youth class was once again fought out between Pietro Scardina, Alberto Elgari and Romain Dagna.

Day one winner Elgari initially led the way, thanks to a fastest time on the opening GMOTO Enduro Test, with Scardina and Dagna second and third, respectively. Scardina went on a charge thereafter, winning the next three special tests, building a five-second lead over Elgari.

As the day roared on, Scardina and Elgari pulled clear of Dagna. Scardina led Elgari by 27 seconds as they exited the final GMOTO Enduro Test. But the TM MOTO rider fought back, winning the final two special tests in Sweden.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough, and Scardina held on to claim victory by 12 seconds over Elgari. Over one minute further back, Dagna completed the top three. Entering the summer break, it’s Elgari who now takes over the championship lead in the Youth class.

Pietro Scardina

“I’m super happy with the win today. I had a great fight all day with my friend Alberto Elgari. We pushed each other hard, which was nice.”

EnduroGP of Sweden – Day Two – Junior

EnduroGP of Sweden – Day Two – Youth

EnduroGP Standings

E1 Standings

E2 Standings

E3 Standings

Manufacturer Standings

FIM Junior Enduro Standings

FIM Youth Enduro Standings

The Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship continues with round four at the Forsiteservices GP of Wales, on 1-3 August.

2025 Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship