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Garcia hits 50 as Verona and Holcombe seal world titles in Wales

Josep Garcia completed a dominant 2026 season with his 50th EnduroGP victory as Andrea Verona and Steve Holcombe secured world titles at the Welsh finale.

Trev by Trev
August 10, 2026
in Enduro / Rally, Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing

FIM EnduroGP 2026

Round Seven – EnduroGP of Wales

After Josep Garcia wrapped up both the EnduroGP and Enduro1 World Championships a round early in France, the 2026 Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship headed to Rhayader for a Welsh finale with plenty still to be decided.

Andrea Verona and Josep Garcia

The Enduro2 and Enduro3 crowns remained up for grabs, as did the Junior and Youth championships, while the final round of the Women’s series would settle the minor championship placings behind already-crowned World Champion Rachel Gutish.

A 121-rider entry added some extra spice to the season finale, with five-time SuperEnduro World Champion Billy Bolt joining the EnduroGP field as a Husqvarna wildcard, while Jonny Walker lined up on a Triumph TF 450-E fresh from Red Bull Romaniacs.

For Garcia, meanwhile, the championships might already have been secure, but there was another significant target in sight. The Spaniard arrived in Wales with 48 career EnduroGP day wins, putting a landmark 50th within reach if he could complete a perfect weekend.


Akrapovic Super Test

Zach Pichon opened the Welsh weekend on top, the TM MOTO rider producing the fastest run in Friday evening’s Akrapovic Super Test.

Billy Bolt briefly held the benchmark on his wildcard appearance before Pichon went 0.96 seconds quicker. Garcia then split the pair, finishing only 0.42 seconds behind Pichon in second, which was enough for the KTM rider to secure the 2026 Akrapovic Super Test Series.

Bolt was pushed back to third, while another British wildcard, Jonny Walker, took fourth on the Triumph ahead of Andrea Verona.

Jonny Walker

There was immediate Australian interest in Junior, where Will Dennett finished only 0.33 seconds behind Manuel Verzeroli to take second in the Super Test. Alex Puey completed the Junior top three.

Elizabeth Tett was quickest among the Women ahead of Lorna Lafont and Nieve Holmes, while Fraiser Lampkin topped the Youth times ahead of championship leader Pietro Scardina and Riccardo Pasquato.


EnduroGP – Garcia closes on 50 with dominant Saturday

With both of his championships already in the bag, Garcia was free to attack on Saturday and wasted little time doing so.

Josep Garcia

The KTM rider won the opening POLISPORT Extreme Test to establish an early three-second advantage over Pichon, then went quickest through both the GMOTO Enduro Test and EXPOTRADE Cross Test to complete the opening lap almost 13 seconds clear.

From there Garcia continued to stretch the field, ultimately winning by 34.19 seconds and recording the 49th EnduroGP victory of his career.

Pichon was unable to threaten Garcia for the outright win but had plenty at stake elsewhere, with his second-place finish putting enormous pressure on Verona in both the EnduroGP runner-up battle and, more importantly, the Enduro2 championship.

Nathan Watson produced a late charge for Beta to steal the final outright podium position from Steve Holcombe. Watson ended the day just 0.29 seconds ahead of the Sherco rider, with Verona fifth.

Verona’s Saturday had started badly when a crash in the opening test cost him considerable time. He steadily worked his way back through the order but could do no better than fifth outright and third in E2. That reduced his six-point Enduro2 championship advantage over Pichon entering Wales to just a single point with one race day remaining.

EnduroGP – Day One

Pos Rider Bike/Class Time/Gap
1 Josep Garcia (ESP) KTM E1 1:13:16.70
2 Zach Pichon (FRA) TM MOTO E2 +34.19
3 Nathan Watson (GBR) Beta E2 +56.85
4 Steve Holcombe (GBR) Sherco E3 +57.14
5 Andrea Verona (ITA) KTM E2 +1:10.86

Enduro1

Garcia’s outright victory naturally brought with it another Enduro1 win, extending a remarkable unbeaten season in the class.

Josep Garcia

Triumph filled the remaining podium positions, Morgan Lesiardo finishing second in E1 ahead of Jeremy Sydow. Axel Semb was fourth for Husqvarna and Jack Edmondson fifth on KTM.

Lesiardo’s result also strengthened his grip on second in the championship, while Sydow continued the strong late-season run that had seen him become a regular E1 podium contender after missing the opening round through injury.


Enduro2 – Pichon sets up winner-takes-all Sunday

Pichon’s second outright translated into a crucial Enduro2 victory, with Nathan Watson second and Verona third.

Verona had arrived in Wales six points ahead of Pichon, but Saturday’s result slashed that advantage to a solitary point. It meant the equation heading into the final race day of 2026 could hardly have been simpler – whichever of the two title rivals finished ahead on Sunday would be World Champion.

Andrea Verona

Hamish Macdonald finished fourth in E2 on Saturday, with Max Ahlin fifth.


Enduro3 – Holcombe strikes first

Steve Holcombe entered the finale holding only a six-point Enduro3 advantage over fellow Brit Brad Freeman, and the Sherco rider made Saturday count.

Holcombe won the class by 41 seconds in front of his home crowd, with Fantic’s Theo Espinasse second and Freeman third.

It gave Holcombe some valuable breathing room heading into the final day, although with the title still not mathematically secure there was little opportunity to relax.


Women – Rowett dominates opening day

Rosie Rowett produced one of the most emphatic rides of Saturday, racing to victory in the Women’s class by one-minute-and-eight-seconds.

Already-crowned World Champion Rachel Gutish recovered from a relatively slow opening to finish second for RIEJU, while Nieve Holmes made it two British riders on the podium in third.

Holmes won three tests during the day but could not overcome Rowett’s commanding pace through the Cross Tests. Mauricette Brisebard and Justine Martel completed the top five, while Elizabeth Tett took Junior Women honours.


Junior – Joyon keeps title fight alive

Leo Joyon continued his excellent second half of the season with victory in Junior, the Triumph rider winning five tests and finishing inside the top three on every other test on his way to a 19-second victory.

Championship leader Alberto Elgari was second for TM MOTO, with team-mate Manuel Verzeroli third.

Romain Dagna finished fourth, a result that was enough for the Frenchman to secure the Junior2 Enduro World Cup.

Leo Joyon

Joyon’s win prevented Elgari from wrapping up the outright Junior title on Saturday and ensured the championship would also go through to the final race day.


Youth – Scardina crowned World Champion

Pietro Scardina became the first new World Champion crowned during the Welsh weekend.

Valentin Mersin won Saturday’s Youth competition by 16 seconds, but second place was all Scardina needed to put the championship beyond reach and secure his first world title.

Yago Dominguez completed the day-one podium in third.


Class Podiums – Day One

Class 1st 2nd 3rd
Enduro1 Josep Garcia Morgan Lesiardo Jeremy Sydow
Enduro2 Zach Pichon Nathan Watson Andrea Verona
Enduro3 Steve Holcombe Theo Espinasse Brad Freeman
Junior Leo Joyon Alberto Elgari Manuel Verzeroli
Youth Valentin Mersin Pietro Scardina Yago Dominguez
Women Rosie Rowett Rachel Gutish Nieve Holmes

Garcia signs off with career win number 50

Garcia had already achieved almost everything he could have asked from 2026, but there was no easing off on the final Sunday of the championship.

Josep Garcia

The Spaniard won three of the opening four tests and established a 12-second advantage over Verona by the end of lap one.

“It was a really different weekend for me because, for the first time, everything was already decided before the final round. But my goal was still the same: to fight for the top step of the podium and try to win both the overall and Enduro1 class. I wanted to finish the season in the best way possible, and it was great to achieve that. I just want to thank my team, my mechanics, the whole team around me, my family, and my friends. This has been a really incredible season.” – Josep Garcia

Verona and Pichon continued to push as their own title battle intensified behind him, but Garcia remained in control. He carried a 13-second cushion through lap two and managed the increasingly battered tests to win the final EnduroGP day of the season by 13.93 seconds.

It was the 50th EnduroGP victory of Garcia’s career and completed a Welsh double for the already-crowned World Champion.

Verona finished second outright, with Pichon only 6.12 seconds further back in third. Nathan Watson was fourth and Morgan Lesiardo produced his best EnduroGP result of the season with fifth.

Garcia also completed a perfect Enduro1 campaign, winning all 14 race days across the seven rounds. His final championship tally stood at 280 points in E1 and 266 in EnduroGP.

EnduroGP – Day Two

Pos Rider Bike/Class Time/Gap
1 Josep Garcia (ESP) KTM E1 1:11:45.67
2 Andrea Verona (ITA) KTM E2 +13.93
3 Zach Pichon (FRA) TM MOTO E2 +20.05
4 Nathan Watson (GBR) Beta E2 +47.41
5 Morgan Lesiardo (ITA) Triumph E1 +51.09

Verona wins Enduro2 title in final-day showdown

With just one point separating Verona and Pichon on Sunday morning, Enduro2 effectively became a winner-takes-all contest.

Andrea Verona

Verona responded superbly to the pressure. After struggling on Saturday, the Italian looked transformed on Sunday and built an advantage of around 16 seconds over Pichon across the opening two laps.

Andrea Verona

Pichon refused to surrender and launched a late attack, but Verona had done enough. The KTM rider crossed the line 6.12 seconds ahead of his rival to win Enduro2 and secure his third consecutive championship in the category.

“It hasn’t been an easy weekend. We came here with a small advantage, and I knew I needed to win one of the two days to secure the World Championship. After struggling a little on the first day and finishing third, I went into the final day with just one point separating us, so I knew I had to give everything. I’m really happy with how I managed the pressure and the situation today. I rode really well, pushed from the beginning, and was able to get the win when it mattered most. This title means a lot to me. It’s never just one rider who achieves something like this – there is always a whole team behind you, and I’m really lucky to have such a great group around me. A huge thanks to everyone involved.” – Andrea Verona

The title was the ninth FIM Enduro World Championship of Verona’s career, while his second outright also lifted him above Pichon in the final EnduroGP standings by a single point, 208 to 207.

Watson completed the Sunday E2 podium, with Max Ahlin fourth.

Australia’s Kyron Bacon saved one of his better results for the final day, taking fifth in Enduro2 on the MGR Enduro Kawasaki, 1m46.96s behind Verona.


Holcombe seals tenth world crown

The Enduro3 championship also went down to the final day, and it was Steve Holcombe who emerged with the title.

Sunday did not begin smoothly for the Sherco rider, but Holcombe recovered sufficiently through the day to protect his championship advantage over Brad Freeman.

The result secured Holcombe his 10th FIM Enduro World Championship and delivered Sherco consecutive Enduro3 world titles, following Hamish Macdonald’s success for the French manufacturer in 2025.


Gutish finishes championship season with a win

Rachel Gutish had secured the Women’s World Championship back in Portugal, but the American finished the job in style by winning the final race day of the season.

Gutish won the opening three tests and eventually finished 53 seconds clear of Saturday winner Rosie Rowett.

Rowett had to work hard for second, beating Nieve Holmes by only 8.89 seconds. That order also reflected the final championship positions, with Gutish World Champion, Rowett runner-up and Holmes third.

Lorna Lafont won the Junior Women class on Sunday and, with it, secured the 2026 Junior Women Enduro World Cup.


Elgari crowned Junior Champion despite Joyon double

Leo Joyon could hardly have done more in Wales.

The Frenchman backed up Saturday’s Junior victory with an even stronger Sunday performance, winning nine tests and racing clear to a 38-second victory.

Kevin Cristino finished second, edging Manuel Verzeroli for the position, while Australia’s Will Dennett produced a strong final day to take fourth.

Alberto Elgari rode with the championship rather than the race win in mind and brought his TM MOTO home fifth. That was enough to secure his first FIM Junior Enduro World Championship.

Elgari also collected the Junior1 Enduro World Cup, while Dagna had already sealed the Junior2 crown on Saturday.

Leo Joyon

“I am really happy after this weekend. I was riding really well, I felt so good on the bike; the team and the mechanics have done a really good job to give me this package. I finished first in scratch both days, and this was a fantastic way to end the championship. To take the second place in the standings in scratch and class was not my goal for the season to be honest, but we have to be positive and pleased with the work we have done. I started the season a little bit slowly, but we continued to make improvements, and the results have shown that. Now we go to the French Championship, which will be a great way to finish off the year.” – Leo Joyon

Joyon’s Welsh double left him second in the overall Junior Championship on 220 points, just nine behind Elgari, while he also finished runner-up to Elgari in Junior1 by only four points.


Scardina completes Youth season with Sunday win

Having secured the Youth World Championship one day earlier, Scardina celebrated by taking victory in the final race of the season.

The TM MOTO rider took control by the end of lap one and went on to win by 22 seconds from Yago Dominguez. Riccardo Pasquato completed the podium in third.


Australian interest – Dennett and Bacon

Will Dennett began the weekend by showing his speed with second in the Junior Super Test on Friday night, only 0.33 seconds away from fastest man Manuel Verzeroli.

The Johansson MPE Triumph rider then finished the season on a strong note with fourth in Junior on Sunday and concluded his 2026 campaign third in the Junior2 Enduro World Cup standings.

Kyron Bacon also ended the season positively. The Tasmanian took fifth in Enduro2 on Sunday aboard the MGR Enduro Kawasaki, recording 1:13:45.56 for the day.


Triumph caps strong second EnduroGP season

Wales also completed only Triumph’s second season in the FIM EnduroGP World Championship, with the British manufacturer finishing the year with vice-championship results in both Enduro1 and Junior.

Morgan Lesiardo

Morgan Lesiardo secured second in the final Enduro1 standings after finishing runner-up to Garcia on both days in Wales, while Joyon took second in both Junior and Junior1.

“We just finished the GP here in Wales, and for me it was the best one of the season. Today we took fifth overall in EnduroGP and second in class, while yesterday we could claim the title of vice World Champion, which makes me so proud and the team proud of all the work we did this season. Today the goal was to enjoy the riding and to go after a result in the EnduroGP standings, which we also achieved. It has been a really good season so far, we still have one more race in the Italian championship in September, but we are really enjoying everything this year. With the bike we made some improvements from last year and it has really paid off, I really enjoy it a lot. I’d like to say a big thanks to Triumph Italia and all of the sponsors, as well as Triumph Racing for the support they give me, we have an unbelievable bike and it has been good to surprise everybody with our success.” – Morgan Lesiardo

Across Triumph’s factory and supported teams, the manufacturer recorded 62 podium finishes and 15 victories during the 2026 EnduroGP season.

Jeremy Sydow added third-place Enduro1 results on both days in Wales and completed the championship fourth in E1 despite missing the opening round through injury.

Jeremy Sydow

“The season has now finished in Wales. Today was positive and I felt good, although some mistakes cost me some time. I have also been a little unwell all weekend, which hasn’t helped. Overall, I am happy with my season; it wasn’t the best start with my injury and missing the first round, but I think I showed what I am capable of. Since Finland I was on the podium every weekend in my class and I think we can be happy with that. The season is over really early, but this gives us a lot of time to prepare for next year where I really hope to continue to improve and see what we can achieve.” – Jeremy Sydow

The home finale also brought a couple of interesting wildcard appearances. Hard Enduro and SuperEnduro star Jonny Walker finished seventh in Enduro2 on Saturday and eighth on Sunday aboard the TF 450-E, while World Supersport racer Tom Booth-Amos swapped his Street Triple 765 RS for a TF 250-E and finished 18th and 17th in the National class during his first timecard enduro.

“We just finished up day two at the EnduroGP in Wales. Honestly, I’ve had a mad weekend! Yesterday was so good, and today was even better; the track was super-rough. I’m pretty happy with the results, and it was amazing to see the fans around the track. I could hear them cheering us on as we were going around, and overall it was just a great experience. I enjoyed riding the TF 450-E and it was mega. I hope to come back and do some more races in the future!” – Jonny Walker


2026 EnduroGP World Champions

Category 2026 Champion Machine
EnduroGP Josep Garcia KTM
Enduro1 Josep Garcia KTM
Enduro2 Andrea Verona KTM
Enduro3 Steve Holcombe Sherco
Junior Alberto Elgari TM MOTO
Junior1 Alberto Elgari TM MOTO
Junior2 Romain Dagna KTM
Youth Pietro Scardina TM MOTO
Women Rachel Gutish RIEJU
Junior Women Lorna Lafont Husqvarna

Championship Standings After Round Seven

Class Champion Second Third
EnduroGP Josep Garcia – 266 Andrea Verona – 208 Zach Pichon – 207
Enduro1 Josep Garcia – 280 Morgan Lesiardo – 221 Antoine Magain – 173
Enduro2 Andrea Verona – 253 Zach Pichon – 249 Hamish Macdonald – 207
Junior Alberto Elgari – 229 Leo Joyon – 220 Romain Dagna – 186
Junior1 Alberto Elgari – 262 Leo Joyon – 258 Clement Clauzier – 186

2027 FIM EnduroGP World Championship Calendar

Rnd Event Location Date
1 GP of Spain Valverde del Camino April 2-4
2 GP of Spain II Oliana April 23-25
3 GP of Portugal Fafe June 11-13
4 GP of Portugal II Fafe June 18-20
5 GP of Italy Carpinetti July 2-4
6 GP of Isle of Man Douglas July 30-August 1
7 GP of Greece TBA October 15-17
8 GP of Greece II TBA October 22-24

 

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Motojourno - Founder of MCNews.com.au - Australia's leading resource for motorcycle news, reviews and race coverage for over 20 years.

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