Italy doubles up as Verona ends Garcia’s five-year ISDE reign

ISDE 2026

Australian hopes were dealt a brutal blow on the opening special test of the 2026 International Six Days Enduro when Korey McMahon’s retirement effectively ended the World Trophy team’s challenge. By the finish in Portugal, however, the women had secured second and the juniors had fought back to fourth with their strongest riding of the week.

Danielle McDonald, Madi Simpson and Jess Gardiner all finished inside the individual women’s top six, while Will Dennett, Kogan Lock and Max Midwinter won day five and backed that up with second in the beach finale at Sines.

Italy retained both the World Trophy and Junior World Trophy at the 100th running of the event, held from October 12–17. Andrea Verona broke through for his first outright individual ISDE victory, ending Josep Garcia’s five-year winning run, and the American women claimed a record seventh title.

Australia’s week also included a women’s day-two victory, second in E1 for Kyron Bacon on day four and Angus Riordan on day five, then class-leading performances from Josh Strang and Dennett in the finale. Riordan added a podium in the Manufacturer’s Team Award with Honda.

Australian hopes unravel on the opening test

The build-up offered reason for optimism. The Australian squad combined European experience, American cross-country form and domestic title winners, with the dry, rocky and sandy terrain around Grândola expected to suit the team.

Bacon arrived after finishing sixth outright at the 2025 ISDE, Riordan had wrapped up the GNCC 250 cc category, McMahon was coming off an Australian E3 title and Strang brought the experience of Australia’s 2018 World Trophy victory. The women fielded Gardiner and McDonald alongside debutante Simpson, while Dennett was joined by first-timers Lock and Midwinter in the junior squad.

McMahon never got the opportunity to put that preparation to use. A faulty fuel pump stopped his KTM in the opening special test, and his attempt to push the bike to the finish ended with him being timed out.

With all four World Trophy riders’ scores counting, Australia’s chances of a competitive team result were gone almost before the race had begun. Bacon, Riordan and Strang continued, but the classification would carry the heavy consequences of McMahon’s retirement throughout the week.

Korey McMahon

“It’s obviously very frustrating but no one is to blame. Stuff happens in motorsport.”

McMahon had particularly fancied the tests compared with those of previous editions. Instead, his focus turned to helping his teammates through the remaining days.

Day one – Italy strikes first, Australian women settle into second

The opening day offered little opportunity to ease into the event, with more than 270 kilometres of riding and six special tests. Dust made visibility a major factor, particularly for riders further down the starting order.

Italy made immediate use of its strong quartet, finishing the day almost a minute and a half ahead of France, with Sweden third. Verona won the opening three tests and established an outright advantage of just under 30 seconds over Josep Garcia.

Australia’s women emerged as the closest challengers to the USA, trailing by just over three minutes but already more than four minutes clear of third-placed Great Britain. McDonald was third individually, Simpson fourth and Gardiner sixth.

Dennett led the Australian juniors to fifth, 48 seconds behind Spain and a little over four minutes off Italy’s lead. It was a sound foundation for a team featuring two ISDE newcomers, although the margins behind them were tight.

Italy’s junior victory on the day came at a cost, with Kevin Cristino injuring his shoulder in a crash. That injury would remain part of the title battle for the rest of the week.

Day two – Australian women take a daily win as juniors hit trouble

The second day brought more dust, deteriorating tests and frequent air-filter changes. It also underlined how quickly an ISDE campaign can unravel: Great Britain lost a rider in each of the three Trophy categories. Jamie McCanney’s senior-team campaign ended with a technical problem on his Triumph.

Australia’s women hit back with a narrow daily victory. Gardiner, McDonald and Simpson combined to beat the USA by 6.41 seconds, reducing their cumulative deficit to just under three minutes.

McDonald remained third in the individual standings, with Simpson fourth and Gardiner fifth. Motorcycling Australia reported a checkpoint penalty for McDonald after a tyre change, another reminder that speed in the tests is only one part of Six Days competition.

The juniors had a tougher time. Dennett and Midwinter both crashed, with Midwinter ending up in a tree, and Australia slipped from fifth to sixth. The Czech Republic moved ahead, leaving the Australians 42 seconds away from reclaiming a top-five position.

Lock provided the steadier contribution and finished the day as the leading Australian junior in the cumulative individual standings.

France took over the Junior World Trophy lead from Italy by 29 seconds. In the senior competition, Italy stretched its advantage over France beyond three minutes, while Garcia won the day outright but recovered less than three seconds from Verona.

Day three – Cancelled sand tests and a difficult halfway point

A new route brought the prospect of fresh tests, but both visits to the Santo André test were cancelled, with the FIM reporting technical timing problems. That left four timed tests, despite a demanding day of trail riding.

For the Australians, losing those sandy tests also meant losing an opportunity to exploit terrain they had been looking forward to.

Jess Gardiner

“I think the Aussies would have done really well on the sand, so that was a shame.”

Gardiner also had a couple of crashes in the tests that remained. Australia reached the halfway point second in the Women’s World Trophy, four minutes behind the USA, while McDonald moved into second individually behind Brandy Richards.

Dennett recovered some momentum after his bruising second day, but Lock lost time with clutch trouble that he addressed during service. Australia remained sixth in the Junior World Trophy, now a minute and a half behind the Czech Republic.

Bacon and Riordan were almost inseparable in the tests, Riordan edging his teammate by less than half a second across the day. Their individual contest continued to give the senior Australian campaign a competitive focus despite the team’s position.

France extended its junior lead to 42 seconds, while Italy retained control of the World Trophy. The USA made the biggest move in the senior podium battle, closing to within 12 seconds of third-placed Sweden.

Garcia won the day outright again, this time taking a little under 12 seconds out of Verona. The Italian’s early cushion was steadily disappearing.

Day four – Bacon shines as France’s junior challenge ends

Organisers shortened day four to one lap and three special tests, with additional liaison time and revised starting procedures helping to improve visibility.

Bacon made the most of the clearer conditions. He finished seventh outright for the day and second in E1, edging Axel Semb by just 0.12 seconds. Riordan was also strong, placing 13th outright on the day.

The biggest team development came before the opening test, when mechanical problems forced French junior Thibault Giraudon out. France’s 42-second lead counted for nothing once it lost a rider, handing the initiative back to Italy.

Australia moved up to fifth, but also made genuine progress against the Czech Republic. The Australians took more than 36 seconds out of their rivals across the shortened day, reducing the gap to 54 seconds.

The women remained second, now just over five minutes behind the USA. Simpson lost time with a crash in the second test, while McDonald again finished runner-up to Richards individually.

Italy’s senior lead grew slightly to three minutes and 40 seconds. Behind it, the American challenge for third suffered when Steward Baylor stopped in the final test with a mechanical problem. Sweden’s advantage over the USA expanded from seconds to more than two and a half minutes.

Day five – Australian juniors win the day

The final full day of enduro competition produced Australia’s standout junior team performance. Across five special tests, Dennett, Lock and Midwinter combined to beat the USA by 17 seconds, Spain by 52 seconds and Italy by more than a minute.

Dennett led the Junior World Trophy field individually for the day, setting up back-to-back daily victories across the final two days. Lock also supplied a highlight in his ISDE debut, topping the junior times in the opening special test at Pinhal do Concelho.

Crucially, they also gained just over two minutes on the Czech Republic. Australia began the morning 54 seconds behind its immediate rival and finished it a minute and nine seconds ahead, moving into fourth overall.

That was a position earned on the clock. The podium remained a substantial target, with Spain still five and a half minutes ahead, but the Australians had turned a difficult first half into a much stronger finish.

Riordan also enjoyed his best day of the week to that point, finishing second in E1 behind Garcia and 12th outright. Bacon placed 16th outright and Strang 23rd, giving the remaining senior riders a solid collective showing.

McDonald was again second among the women, but the USA gained another minute on Australia in the team contest. The gap heading into the beach finale was six minutes and 13 seconds.

Spain won the World Trophy classification for the day and moved ahead of the USA into fourth overall. France reduced Italy’s lead to just under three minutes, while Zachary Pichon claimed the outright day win.

Verona still led Garcia overall, but by only 9.95 seconds. After five days, the individual title remained very much alive.

Day six – Dennett and Strang finish strongly on the beach

The final cross test on Praia Vasco da Gama beach at Sines provided a spectacular setting and another productive day for Australia’s juniors.

Dennett was the fastest Junior World Trophy rider in the final-day classification. His 13m22.14s effort helped Australia finish second on the day, 26 seconds behind Italy and ahead of both the USA and Spain.

Australia gained just over a minute on Spain, although that was not enough to overhaul the podium deficit. Dennett, Lock and Midwinter finished fourth overall, four and a half minutes behind Spain and two minutes and 24 seconds clear of the Czech Republic.

Dennett’s late recovery carried him to ninth in the junior individual standings, with Lock 11th and Midwinter 23rd. Dennett and Lock were separated by only 4.34 seconds after six days.

Italy’s Alberto Elgari, Manuel Verzeroli and Cristino retained the Junior World Trophy by three minutes and 49 seconds over the USA. Cristino’s shoulder injury and Verzeroli’s arm injury made completing the week a significant part of that success, while Elgari finished as the leading junior individually.

Strang also saved one of his best performances for the finish. The Beta rider was ninth outright on the final day and fastest in E3, ending the event sixth in that class and 28th outright.

Riordan overturned an 11.72-second deficit to Bacon in the final test to finish as the leading Australian outright. The Honda rider placed 19th overall and seventh in E1, with Bacon 23rd overall and ninth in E1.

Australia was classified 16th in the World Trophy, a result dominated by the retirement scores attached to McMahon’s opening-day exit.

Women claim second as USA breaks the title tie

McDonald, Simpson and Gardiner secured Australia’s fourth successive runner-up finish in the Women’s World Trophy, finishing nine minutes and 24 seconds behind the USA and more than 58 minutes clear of France.

The final margin grew after McDonald and Simpson tangled and crashed early in the beach test. The Americans gained another three minutes and 11 seconds across the finale, with Gardiner the quickest Australian home.

Despite that late setback, McDonald’s work through the week secured a career-best second in the individual women’s classification.

Richards won outright by five minutes and 40 seconds over McDonald, with Korie Steede third, Simpson fourth, New Zealand’s Rachael Archer fifth and Gardiner sixth. McDonald retained second by 53 seconds over Steede.

For Simpson, fourth individually and second with the team, it was an impressive ISDE debut. Australia placed all three riders in the top six, but Richards’ pace gave the USA a decisive advantage.

Gardiner contested her 14th ISDE, bringing considerable experience to a line-up that paired Simpson’s debut with McDonald’s best individual result.

Jess Gardiner

“I am super proud of how Madi went in her first ISDE, Danielle absolutely smashed it, and I had a lot of fun in my 14th event. The final moto on the beach was super special.”

Richards, Steede and Rachel Gutish secured a seventh Women’s World Trophy for the USA, breaking its tie with Australia on six titles. France completed the podium ahead of New Zealand and the FIM Latin America team.

Italy doubles up as Verona ends Garcia’s outright run

Italy’s senior quartet of Verona, Morgan Lesiardo, Samuele Bernardini and Matteo Cavallo converted its lead into a second consecutive World Trophy victory. France finished three minutes and 34 seconds behind, with Sweden completing the podium.

The Americans made a serious final-day charge. Dante Oliveira won the final test, with Verona, Grant Davis and Johnny Girroir completing a top four covered by less than a second and a half.

That lifted the USA back ahead of Spain and almost caught Sweden, but the Swedes held third by 23.16 seconds.

For Sweden’s Mikael Persson, the podium capped a demanding comeback. Having missed the entire EnduroGP season through injury, he returned for the Six Days and finished eighth in E1. A crash just after the start of the beach finale added another obstacle before Sweden secured third.

Fellow Triumph rider Leo Joyon stepped up from the junior ranks to help France finish second, placing sixth in E1 and 15th outright. With Lesiardo in the winning Italian team, Triumph machinery featured in all three World Trophy podium line-ups.

Verona’s second place in the finale was enough to settle his duel with Garcia. He gained another 31.61 seconds on the Spaniard to win outright by 41.56 seconds, ending Garcia’s run of five consecutive individual ISDE victories.

Garcia had won days two, three and four to erode Verona’s opening-day advantage, but finished eighth in the final-day classification. The Spaniard said the heat made the decisive test more difficult.

Josep Garcia

“The heat made things more difficult today and I suffered a little bit out there, but I gave it my best.”

Verona, meanwhile, made a good start and settled into second. He had led the individual standings throughout the week, but only secured the title after absorbing Garcia’s sustained challenge.

Andrea Verona

“But to win my very first overall, and also win the World Trophy with Italy, is amazing.”

Pichon finished third outright, followed by Davis and Lesiardo. Garcia won E1 and Verona E2, while the E3 title produced the closest finish of all: Brad Freeman beat Julien Roussaly by just 0.42 seconds after six days.

Riordan helps Honda onto the manufacturer podium

Riordan’s contribution also brought a team podium in the Manufacturer’s Team Award, where he joined Italy’s Bernardini and Sweden’s Max Ahlin in the third-placed Honda Racing entry.

The Red Bull KTM combination of Verona, Garcia and Davis won by more than 13 minutes. TM Moto Boano Factory finished second with Pichon, Cavallo and Elgari, only 37 seconds ahead of Honda after six days.

Strang was part of the fifth-placed Beta team alongside Freeman and Nathan Watson, adding another Australian contribution to the manufacturer standings.

Australian club riders also make their mark

Dandenong Australia 2 was the highest-placed of the six Australian club teams, with Scott Noble, Marley Camp and Billy McCulloch finishing 15th.

Their week contained its own recovery story. They climbed from 15th to 11th over the opening two days, dropped to 21st after day three, then worked back to 17th on day four and 15th on day five before holding that position through the finale.

Dandenong Australia 3 finished 22nd, Oyster Bay 42nd, Dandenong Australia 1 78th, T&E Western Australia 84th and Dungog 90th.

Dylan McDonald was the leading Australian in the club individual standings, finishing 12th outright and fourth in C1. He also placed second in the Dunlop GEOMAX Challenge, behind Simone Cagnoni. William Price finished 14th outright in the club competition, with McCulloch 29th.

Team Rabaconda won the Club Team Award ahead of Missouri Mudders and GTBN, with Hough Legacy Racing completing an American sweep of the first four places. Manolo Morettini won the club individual classification.

The next edition of the ISDE is scheduled for Wales, Great Britain, from September 13–18, 2027.

2026 ISDE – Final team results

*Australia’s World Trophy classification includes retirement scores following Korey McMahon’s day-one withdrawal. All gaps are to the relevant class winner.

Australian Trophy riders – Final individual results

Men’s overall positions are from the combined individual classification, including World Trophy and Junior World Trophy riders. Women’s positions are within the women’s classification.

Full 2026 ISDE results

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