Enduro21 catches five with Steve Holcombe, live and direct from Portugal, as he puts finishing touches to his 2025 Honda RedMoto Enduro Racing Team CRF300RX, in final preparation for the EnduroGP World Championship season.

Pre-season photoshoots for sponsors, teams, and manufacturers always make fascinating viewing for those of us who love a bit of bike porn. It doesn’t get much saucier than a Honda and in EnduroGP that means the factory team of Honda RedMoto Racing.

In 2024 it was all change for Steve Holcombe as he switched to the Italian RedMoto squad for a fresh start in red after claiming the ‘23 world crown. For 2025, most things are more constant as the British rider enters a new world championship campaign better prepared, fully acquainted and more gelled with the bike and team.

One change, however, is the upgrade from the CRF250RX to the 300 model and a change of world championship class back into the ultra-competitive E2 category – the CRF300RX is one of the models RedMoto develop with Honda for enduro use alongside the 250, 400 and 450.

Enduro21 catches five minutes with Steve, already in Portugal ahead of the opening GP of the 2025 season next weekend (April 5-7), to find out more about his pre-season, how he sees the ‘25 championship and learn more about that saucy, new CRF300RX.

Hi Steve, it looks like you’ve had a busy off-season with testing, training, getting used to the new bike and much of it in Italy?

Steve Holcombe: “Hi, yeah a fairly busy off-season. I spent a lot of my time actually in Italy just Francesca (Nocera), to be closer to the team and it’s a bit easier because the tracks are a lot better to train on in the winter than back home in the UK.

“I would like to say it’s been drier but Italy the weather’s been pretty bad lately! Bu, yeah, I’ve just been enjoying being closer to the team, working on things, training well and we spent about 10 days in Spain which was good getting some good riding in too.”

Has it been a different winter period from your side or has it been a fixed programme building up to round one in Portugal next week?

“Fairly standard I would say. I didn’t have as much time off as last offseason and I tried to keep a better base fitness level this year and work a bit more on my strength programme. That’s one thing I’ve improved this year and I feel it’s giving me a really good benefit especially during races and late on in the race days.

“Other than that I’ve tried to get a decent amount of bike time and like I said, spent a little bit more in Italy where the tracks are a little bit less weather dependant.

“We have some great riding back in the UK but as everybody there knows in the January, February and March months the terrain is generally wet and it’s yeah bit of a pain to keep on training, maintain and keep on top of bike prep and everything.

“So being in Italy, closer to the team and being able to just have some decent terrain, some stony, rocky enduro tests, extreme tests and things more like I expect to find in the EnduroGP tests has been a really good benefit for the start of 2025.”

Steve started a vlog this offseason, check it out his onboard on the CRF300RX in Italian Enduro:

Second season in Honda RedMoto, how are things in the team? How does it compare to one year ago when everything was new?

“Things are great within the team and I’m definitely a little bit more settled. We couldn’t really do anything until January 1st last year so this time last year I would have only had three months on the Honda whereas now I’ve had getting on to 14/15 months on it and that makes a big difference.

“The team hasn’t changed, my teammates are the same and the only difference is we are on the updated 2025 Honda now which is not huge difference but it is different.

“We’ve just been trying to figure out the 2025 chassis and work out what setup works best. We were off a little bit for the first Italian championship but we kind of resurrected that during that first weekend and definitely found a better setup moving forward and for the last Italian chairmanship, to go 1-1 was a good sign that we’re in the right direction.”

On the bike, you moved up a class and model in the RedMoto stable. How is the 300 and what are you enjoying about it?

“Yep, we’re running the 300 this year and was kind of my decision to go on to the 250 last year because E1 category is the only category that I haven’t won, so it was a big push to try and win that.

“But we came up just a little bit short, unfortunately Josep was riding really well and consistent last year so yeah we came up a little bit short. I think if it if it was any other year it I would have been potentially Enduro 1 or GP champion but yeah that’s the way it falls.

“Overall, my riding was good and I enjoyed the 250 but especially for a guy who enjoys a bit more power and a bit more torque it was definitely a challenge for me on the 250. We found some really good things later on the year but it was a little bit too late.

“This year we collectively as a team decided to go on the 300 it’s still a small bike but the torque that the 300 gives over the 250 is quite considerable so I feel like we’re on a little bit more of a fairer playing field against the other guys in the championship now.

“I’m really enjoying it and the 2025 bike hasn’t changed too much and the negatives with a bigger capacity bike, like you feel more inertia, are outweighed by the positives.”

We saw you on the 400 at ISDE and a couple of other places, what made you opt for the middle ground CRF300RX and not the 250 or the 400?

“2025 was actually a year of trying different bikes! I used the 400 at an Italian championship round and the Six Days, which probably would have been better if I jumped on the 300 if I’m being honest. The 400 was the little bit much of an animal for for the Six Days tests especially when the weather is a bit iffy.

“I jumped on the then very new 2025 250 for the last Italian championship round which, probably again wasn’t the best idea as far as the championship goes. But we’ve definitely learned quite a bit from jumping in the deep end which has been great for this year.

“The 400 was just a bit too big really for me and for the kind of way I think the EnduroGP tests are gonna be this year. The 250 would be perhaps a little bit underpowered against my competitors and that’s never a good place to be before you even started a race.

“The team were really open and kind of pushing to try the 300 at least. We did some tests at the beginning the year, just a couple of back-to-backs and I was a little bit quicker the 300. So it’s hard to not choose the bike your quicker on and that was it. We decided to make the swap and have been progressing and working on things ever since.”

We know from the past you’ve worked hard to adapt you riding to get the best out of a new bike – how have you had to “change” for the 300 or haven’t you?

“I wouldn’t say I’ve had to change my riding style for the 300 because it’s not a huge difference compared to the 250. With the 250 I just had to hold it wide and get on with it. Whereas the 300 has a little bit more power so you can’t really hold it wide open like that.

“The extra torque helps me a lot in the first three or four metres exiting the corner, that’s where I think I make all my time. I’m generally a rider that likes to ride a bike in the torque part of the power, so having a bit more there obviously helps me. I feel like I can ride a little bit more like my old self and there’s a few times where you can stay in a gear longer and it’s definitely a good improvement.

“Like I say, how I rode in the last Italian championship round, where there was a really good mix of terrain that perhaps didn’t suit a smaller bike, I was able to put in some decent times against likes of Andrea (Verona) on a 450 was pretty decent. So I was quite pleased with that and it shows we’ve been working well towards the first GP.”

It will mean you’re back in E2 class, how are you looking at the competition for the world championship in that class?

“[Laughs], yeah, I’m back in this familiar E2 class with it feels like everybody else! It seems like whichever class I’m in it seems to be the most about competitive.

“That’s just the way it is. E2 has always been renowned for being strong and I think the mostly because of the range of bikes that you get in that class.

“At the end of the day the EnduroGP championship is the goal and the classes are obviously important but I want to be the best and win EnduroGP so I’ve gotta race whoever’s racing.

Naturally it is very competitive in the EnduroGP, scratch class, and we expect no difference in 2025. Do you expect to meet the same rivals at the top of the time sheets and the podiums?

“It’s hard to discount obviously Garcia who starts as the favourite being the last years champion. I think it’s going to be interesting to see if he’s continued on the form of last year. I have seen that he’s had a couple of injuries and which is not too unfamiliar for him but he was definitely the best last year the most consistent so I think like you say being the favourites coming into this year.

“Andrea’s riding the 450 this year which is a bit of a surprise to me but he’s been kind of a bit hot and cold on it, especially in the first turn Italian rounds but Andrea tends to find his feet quickly so I think he’s going to be strong.

“I was quite excited to see Zach [Pichon] ride the TM ‘cause I thought it would be a good a good step up for him. He seems to have taken to it well and I think he’s made a jump up to be fighting with us guys so it will be interesting to see how he gets on.

“As far as the other guys, as for Brad I’m not sure. I haven’t heard or seen much of him since I know he had a quite a bit of an injury at the minute and the same with a couple of other guys.

“I think most other people have been a little bit quiet in the preseason but ultimately we’re gonna see where everybody is after the first GP.”

You’re already in Portugal, how is it looking? Will you race over or get yourself set for next weekend?

“We will have been here about 10 days before the first GP. The terrain’s a little bit particular in Portugal and I like to come here to ride. I really enjoy Portugal in general and training here anyway. I just like to arrive early before the first EnduroGP generally, be close to where the race is and to spend a bit of time to kind of just get myself familiar, focus a little bit more riding the bike.

“The main part of our training and build up for the season’s already happened so the last 10 days leading into it’s just going through the motions, getting the last bits dialled and see how the bike feels in different terrain – you can get familiar with the way you ride normally and can feel great but it’s nice to ride a couple of different places, different terrain.

“I’m not going to race too many other events because I’m focused on my main objectives which are obviously EnduroGP world championship in Italian championship. Anything around that, race-wise, needs to fit in with the season.

“But we’re feeling good, the sun’s out here in Portugal and we’re ready to get ripping.”

Photo Credit: Future7Media | Andrea Belluschi