Steve Holcombe and Nathan Watson share Greek EnduroGP wins
Josep Garcia took the Enduro 2 Day 1 win, while Jamie McCanney bounced back to win Day 2
Matthew Phillips took two sevenths and sits fifth overall, while Daniel Sanders took two eighths and is sixth overall in Enduro 2. Ben Kearns also took 15th and 13th in the two Enduro Junior category races.
FIM EnduroGP of Greece – Day 1
The opening day of competition at the Maxxis FIM EnduroGP of Greece in Grevena ended with EnduroGP championship leader Steve Holcombe (Beta) claiming his second victory of 2017, having battled against extreme heat and an on-form Nathan Watson (KTM).
Fighting his way to Enduro 2 class victory Josep Garcia (KTM) secured his fifth win of the year despite a big crash on the event’s final motocross test.
EnduroGP – Day 1
In the EnduroGP class Steve Holcombe (Beta) ended the first full day of competition just as he finished the Friday night Super Test – winning. Up beat following his first Super Test win of 2017, Steve quickly made his intentions know as he faultlessly completed the opening extreme test to extend his lead.
Despite the stifling heat and increasingly demanding extreme test, Holcombe ended the day 12 seconds ahead and picking up his second day win of the series to date.
Steve Holcombe
“I think it’s been the same for all riders – this has been a really challenging day because of the heat. It wasn’t the longest day, it wasn’t the most technical day, but it was tough. There was no escaping the heat, but I felt good throughout the day. The extreme test went really well for me. I knew that I might not be the fastest on the motocross test, so I focused on the extreme and enduro tests. I couldn’t have asked for a better result.”
Continuing his impressive form from the GP of Hungary, Nathan Watson (KTM) ensured a British one-two result as he delivered the strongest and most consistent challenge to Holcombe. Fast on both the motocross and enduro tests, the extreme test was Watson’s undoing as mistakes on the technical, rock littered test ultimately prevented him from challenging for the win.
Loic Larrieu (Yamaha) rounded out the podium in the EnduroGP class with the Frenchman delivering yet another impressive ride to place nine-seconds behind Watson.
Alex Salvini (Beta) put his disappointing day one Hungarian result behind him to place fourth with Christophe Nambotin (KTM) fifth. Jaume Betriu (KTM) claimed his best result of the season to date with a sixth-place result and finishing only 0.22 of a second behind Nambotin.
Matt Phillips (Sherco), Mathias Bellino (Husqvarna), Cristobal Guerrero (Yamaha) and Giacomo Redondi (Honda) rounded out the top 10.
EnduroGP – Day 1 Results
- Steve HOLCOMBE – United Kingdom
- Nathan WATSON – United Kingdom
- Loïc LARRIEU – France
- Alex SALVINI – Italy
- Christophe NAMBOTIN – France
- Jaume BETRIU – Spain
- Matthew PHILLIPS – Australia
- Mathias BELLINO – France
- Cristobal GUERRERO RUIZ – Spain
Giacomo REDONDI – Italy - Deny PHILIPPAERTS – Italy
- Billy BOLT – United Kingdom
- Ramon QUER MOLGO – Spain
- Vasilios SIAFARIKAS – Greece
Enduro 2 – Day 1
Securing his fifth Enduro 2 class day win of 2017, Josep Garcia (KTM) earned an 18-second margin of victory, finishing ahead of Jamie McCanney (Yamaha). Winning four of the days’ special tests, even with a fall on the final motocross test Garcia once again proved too fast for his rivals.
Josep Garcia
“I had a good day,” explained Garcia. “For me the dry conditions were perfect. Yes, it was hot but I didn’t have any problems with the heat. Apart from one special test everything went well, getting another victory is great for the championship. It’s going to be a long, hard day tomorrow.”
The battle for the runner-up result was between Jamie McCanney (Yamaha) and Davide Guarneri (Honda), with McCanney eventually finishing second and finishing just under three seconds ahead of the Italian Guarneri.
In finishing in third Guarneri claimed his first podium result of 2017. Some 26 seconds behind Guarneri, Pascal Rauchenecker (Husqvarna) finished fourth but close to 30 seconds adrift. Eero Remes (TM) eventually ended day one in fifth ahead of countryman Henric Stigell (Husqvarna) who claimed his best result of the year to date, outside that of his home GP.
Danny McCanney (Husqvarna) finished seventh with Lorenzo Santolino (Sherco), Daniel Sanders (KTM) and Jonathan Barragan (Gas Gas) rounding out the top 10.
Enduro 2 – Day 1 Results
- Josep GARCIA – Spain
- Jamie MCCANNEY – United Kingdom
- Davide GUARNERI – Italy
- Pascal RAUCHENECKER – Austria
- Eero REMES – Finland
- Daniel MCCANNEY – United Kingdom
- Lorenzo SANTOLINO – Spain
- Daniel SANDERS – Australia
- Jonathan BARRAGAN – Spain
- Thomas OLDRATI – Italy
- Henric STIGELL – Finland
- Victor GUERRERO – Spain
- Manuel MONNI – Italy
- Romain DUMONTIER – France
Enduro Junior – Day 1
Brad Freeman (Beta) was again the rider to beat in the Enduro Junior class, finishing ahead of championship leader Davide Soreca (Honda). Second during the Friday night Super Test, Freeman topped three of the day’s tests in the junior class to claim a hard-fought victory.
Brad Freeman
“That was so, so difficult. I felt good on the first lap but on the second lap I just had no energy, I thought I was going to struggle to finish the day,” admitted Brad. “But thankfully I felt better again on the final lap and managed to finish the day with a really good enduro test. I gave it everything, but man that was a tough day.”
250F mounted riders Davide Soreca (Honda) and Mikael Persson (Yamaha) rounded out the junior podium, with Soreca finishing 12 seconds behind Freeman and Persson a further 27 seconds adrift. Tosha Schareina (Husqvarna), Albin Elowson (Husqvarna) and Enric Francisco (KTM) rounded out the top six.
Andrea Verona (TM) claimed his seventh day win of the series with a convincing victory on day one in Grevena, pacing 45 seconds ahead of Leo Le Quere (TM) with Alonso Fernandez finishing third.
Enduro Junior – Day 1 Results
- Brad FREEMAN – United Kingdom
- Davide SORECA – Italy
- Mikael PERSSON – Sweden
- Tosha SCHAREINA – Spain
- Albin ELOWSON – Sweden
- Enric FRANCISCO – Spain
- Kirian MIRABET – Spain
- Matteo BRESOLIN – Italy
- Mirko SPANDRE – Italy
- Emanuele FACCHETTI – Italy
- Matteo CAVALLO – Italy
- Alexis BEAUD – France
- Antoine MAGAIN – Belgium
- Marc SANS SORIA – Spain
- Ben KEARNS – Australia
Youth Cup – Day 1 ResultsYouth Cup – Day 1 Results
- Andrea VERONA – Italy
- Leo LE QUERE – France
- Alonso TRIGO HIJON – Spain
- Hugo SVARD – Finland
- Ruy BARBOSA – Chile
FIM EnduroGP of Greece – Day 2
Securing his first EnduroGP class win of 2017, Nathan Watson (KTM) was the big winner on day two of the Maxxis FIM EnduroGP of Greece where the British rider finished 23 seconds ahead of championship leader Steve Holcombe (Beta) at the end of a second hot and demanding day of racing in Grevena.
Runner-up to Holcombe on day one, Watson topped five of the second day’s nine special tests to earn a well-deserved first win of the season.
In the Enduro 2 class Jamie McCanney (Yamaha) topped the result as he did on day two of the GP of Hungary, having come out on top of a two-rider battle for the win with Enduro 2 championship leader Josep Garcia (KTM). In the Enduro Junior class Sweden’s Mikael Persson (Yamaha) claimed the win.
EnduroGP – Day 2
Just as on day one in Grevena, day two of the EnduroGP of Greece saw riders battle against scorching temperatures. But for Nathan Watson (KTM) the day couldn’t have gone any better. Fighting for the win on day one, on day two he delivered his best performance of the year to claim victory and his first podium topping result of the year.
Nathan Watson
“Winning on day two here in Greece is a great way to end the back-to-back GPs we’ve had in Hungary and Greece. Hungary was a turning point for me – before that it seemed like I’d had nothing but bad luck. But I carried a lot of confidence into this weekend and made a good start to the first day. I felt really good all weekend, really comfortable on my bike, and I’ve got my confidence back. Day two went well. I still wasn’t overly comfortable on the extreme test, but I managed to stay ahead during the day and get my first EnduroGP class win of the year.”
Unable to match the pace of winner Watson, Steve Holcombe (Beta) nevertheless further extended his EnduroGP championship lead with a runner-up result. Fast around the technical extreme test, Steve placed six-seconds ahead of Loic Larrieu (Yamaha), who worked his way back from seventh following a mistake on the second motocross test.
Steve Holcombe
“I couldn’t have asked for much more this weekend. To win the first day and finish second on day two, it’s been a near perfect GP for me. Like a lot of riders I was still feeling the effects of pushing hard during last weekend’s GP of Hungary, so I knew this weekend was going to be tough. I went for it in the super test and managed to get the fastest time there, which gave me a real boost heading into the first day. I felt really good on the extreme test, and my times there really helped me get the win. It was hard for me to match the speed of guys like Watson and Larrieu on the motocross test, so I was just trying to limit my losses there. Day one went really well. I had a reasonable opening lap on day two but on the second lap Nathan stepped it up and I couldn’t match him. Second was the best I could do, which I’m happy with.”
Continuing to ride well Alex Salvini (Beta) placed just over two seconds behind Larrieu, with Spaniard Jaume Betriu (KTM) only a further three seconds behind in fifth.
With Mathias Bellino (Husqvarna) sixth, Matt Phillips (Sherco) placed seventh ahead of Cristobal Guerrero (Yamaha) eighth and Christophe Nambotin (KTM) ninth following a big crash on the opening enduro test. Giacomo Redondi (Honda) rounded out the top ten.
Mathias Bellino
“Coming back from injury half way through the season was never going to be easy, but I feel like I am slowly finding my speed and improving. Racing in the heat on day one was really difficult for me, I really suffered with that. I kept pushing because I know that is the only way I will improve. I really wanted to do a strong first lap on day two, because I knew that I didn’t have the fitness yet to push all of the day. The first motocross test was good, but I made a small mistake in the extreme test and crashed. In terms of results there’s nothing really positive yet, but I was fighting not too far from the podium and I am very happy about that.”
Christophe Nambotin
“Sometimes you have a good feeling with the terrain, and this weekend I didn’t have that. I had too many crashes on the first day and again on day two I had a big crash on the first enduro test. After that I just rode safely with no mistakes.”
EnduroGP – Day 2 Results
- Nathan WATSON – United Kingdom
- Steve HOLCOMBE – United Kingdom
- Loïc LARRIEU – France
- Alex SALVINI – Italy
- Jaume BETRIU – Spain
- Mathias BELLINO – France
- Matthew PHILLIPS – Australia
- Cristobal GUERRERO RUIZ – Spain
- Christophe NAMBOTIN – France
- Giacomo REDONDI – Italy
- Ramon QUER MOLGO – Spain
- Deny PHILIPPAERTS – Italy
- Billy BOLT – United Kingdom
- Vasilios SIAFARIKAS – Greece
EnduroGP Standings – Top 10
- Steve HOLCOMBE – 214
- Loïc LARRIEU – 186
- Christophe NAMBOTIN – 169
- Nathan WATSON – 164
- Matthew PHILLIPS – 160
- Giacomo REDONDI – 129
- Cristobal GUERRERO RUIZ – 121
- Alex SALVINI – 112
- Jaume BETRIU – 108
- Deny PHILIPPAERTS – 92
Enduro 2 – Day 2
Just like at the EnduroGP of Hungary where he claimed the win on day two after finishing as runner-up on day one, Jamie McCanney (Yamaha) again bounced back from a second-place result to win in Greece on day two.
Locked in a close battle with Josep Garcia, less than two seconds separated the two riders entering the final special test with Jamie securing an eventual win of nine seconds.
Jamie McCanney
“I had a few small issues on day one and made a few small mistakes, which knocked my confidence a little on the extreme test but I’m more than happy with how things have ended up on day two. Just like in Hungary last weekend there was only a few seconds between myself and Josep Garcia going into the final test of the day, and I managed to get the win. The enduro test was long, around 10 minutes, and I was able to push hard all the way to the finish. There’s a lot of racing still to do this year but I’m really looking forward to continuing to fight for the top of the podium.”
Second to McCanney having won on day one, Josep Garcia (KTM) continues to lead the Enduro 2 championship, once again showing impressive speed but crashing on more than one occasion.
Josep Garcia
“It’s been another really good GP for me. Day one was great. The extreme test was difficult in some places and it was easy to make a mistake there, and the heat made things harder. I crashed twice in the final motocross test but generally the day went very well. In many ways it’s been very much like last weekend in Hungary – fighting with Jamie McCanney and getting a 1-2 result. On day two I had a little crash in the second enduro test and made a few mistakes but Jamie was really fast so I’m pleased with second. Things are very positive as we start the second half of the championship. This was supposed to be my learning year, my first out of the juniors, but to be leading the championship is really good. I’m looking forward to the rest of the series.”
Davide Guarneri (Honda) showed that his day one result was certainly no fluke by again finishing third, and just 14 seconds behind Garcia. Putting in winning rides on both the motocross and enduro tests, had he been faster on the extreme test the Italian might have been able to challenge for the class win.
Eero Remes (TM) finished fourth, 36 seconds behind winner McCanney. Dropping one position from his day one result, Pascal Rauchenecker (Husqvarna) placed fifth.
Pascal Rauchenecker
“The weekend started perfectly when I got the fastest time in the super test on Friday night. I was really looking forward to carrying that momentum into the first day. I struggled a little, had some crashes, but all-in-all it was a decent day and I was happy to finish fourth. Day two was good, I was fighting for the podium at the half way point. I crashed twice in the second lap, which was disappointing as it dropped me to fifth. I gave everything in the final enduro test but I wasn’t able to finish higher than fifth. But I’m pleased with that – two top five results is good. It wasn’t easy with the heat, but it’s been a good GP.”
Jonathan Barragan (Gas Gas) missed out on a top five result by less than three seconds as the Spaniard delivered the best two-stroke Enduro 2 class result. Danny McCanney (Husqvarna), Daniel Sanders (KTM) and Manuel Monni (Yamaha) rounded out the top 10.
Enduro 2 – Day 2 Results
- Jamie MCCANNEY – United Kingdom
- Josep GARCIA – Spain
- Davide GUARNERI – Italy
- Eero REMES – Finland
- Pascal RAUCHENECKER – Austria
- Jonathan BARRAGAN – Spain
- Daniel MCCANNEY – United Kingdom
- Daniel SANDERS – Australia
- Henric STIGELL – Finland
- Manuel MONNI – Italy
- Thomas OLDRATI – Italy
- Lorenzo SANTOLINO – Spain
- Gianluca MARTINI – Italy
- Romain DUMONTIER – France
Enduro 2 Standings – Top 10
- Josep GARCIA – 223
- Jamie MCCANNEY – 211
- Eero REMES – 199
- Pascal RAUCHENECKER – 170
- Daniel MCCANNEY – 139
- Daniel SANDERS – 127
- Davide GUARNERI – 125
- Henric STIGELL – 123
- Thomas OLDRATI – 119
- Jonathan BARRAGAN – 117
Enduro Junior – Day 2
In the Enduro Junior class Swede Mikael Persson (Yamaha) earned his first ever class victory after coming out on top of a two-rider battle with day one winner Brad Freeman (Beta).
Mikael Persson
“I’m so, so happy to get the class win on day two. I’ve been fighting for this result even since the second round of the series in Spain. What makes it more rewarding is that I had a really big fight with Brad Freeman, who won on day one. We were both pushing to the limit throughout the day.”
Second and just 10 seconds behind Persson, Brad Freeman (Beta) was the only other rider to challenge for the win as he finished more than one-minute ahead of third placed Davide Soreca (Honda). Albin Elowson (Husqvarna), Matteo Cavallo (Beta) and Kirian Mirabet (Sherco) rounded out the top six.
In the 125cc Youth class Andrea Verona (TM) claimed yet another class win, ahead of Leo Le Quere (TM) and Chilean Ruy Barbosa (Husqvarna).
Enduro Junior – Day 2 Results
- Mikael PERSSON – Sweden
- Brad FREEMAN – United Kingdom
- Davide SORECA – Italy
- Albin ELOWSON – Sweden
- Matteo CAVALLO – Italy
- Kirian MIRABET – Spain
- Enric FRANCISCO – Spain
- Matteo BRESOLIN – Italy
- Mirko SPANDRE – Italy
- Emanuele FACCHETTI – Italy
- Marc SANS SORIA – Spain
- Antoine MAGAIN – Belgium
- Ben KEARNS – Australia
Enduro Junior Standings – Top 10
- Davide SORECA – 204
- Brad FREEMAN – 187
- Mikael PERSSON – 186
- Matteo CAVALLO – 139
- Kirian MIRABET – 135
- Enric FRANCISCO – 112
- Tosha SCHAREINA – 97
- Albin ELOWSON – 90
- Antti HANNINEN – 87
- Matteo BRESOLIN – 64
Youth Cup – Day 2 Results
- Andrea VERONA – Italy
- Leo LE QUERE – France
- Ruy BARBOSA – Chile
- Hugo SVARD – Finland
- Alonso TRIGO HIJON – Spain
Youth Cup Standings – Top 5
- Andrea VERONA – 227
- Leo LE QUERE – 165
- Hugo SVARD – 162
- Ruy BARBOSA – 160
- Alonso TRIGO HIJON – 111
The 2017 Maxxis FIM EnduroGP World Championship moves on to Portugal in three weeks time, to Castelo Branco on July 21-23.
