The 2023 EnduroGP World Championship arrives in Gelnica, Slovakia this week with injuries for protagonists Brad Freeman and Josep Garcia, Steve Holcombe on a roll and an overdue ‘next best’ list each needing results – round five is a crucial weekend in the title chase.

We arrive at the fifth round of the 2023 Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship with almost as much anticipation as we had at round one way back in April. Back then we weren’t sure how the form book would open its pages but, until the last GP in Sweden, a three-way title contest had rapidly revealed itself.

Brad Freeman lead the charge with five day wins on the bounce to top the championship table. Josep Garcia finally got his act into gear in Finland taking two 20-point hauls, on day two in Heinola and day one in Skovde, Sweden.

So far so good, right? Nope. Brad Freeman and Josep Garcia both arrive on the back of serious injuries (if indeed Brad arrives at all) this weekend in Slovakia – Freeman following a crash in the Italian Enduro series where he hit his head and Garcia after he pile-drived the Swedish GP dirt big time.

Holcombe’s chance to capitalise

Consistent through all this and finally grabbing a day win last time out, plus an Italian Championship victory ahead of most these guys, Steve Holcombe has admitted not quite having enough at times this year. But hindsight shows he had the smartest philosophy by not sailing quite so close to the wind as his two main rivals. To finish first, first you have to finish and all that.

Brad is Brad. If he is cleared fit to ride by doctors after two recent crashes resultingin concussions (we understand) the points leader could easily come out all guns blazing and win both days. Take it easy and recover properly? Not this guy when there are world championship points to be had but it might depend on a doctor passing him fit.

Josep? Take a look at his shoulder in bits and no matter how good the surgeon and how impressive he looks on Instagram preparing for this weekend, enduro ain’t for the faint and riding with those injuries (plated shoulder, dislocated elbow), means we’re surely not going to see Garcia at his brilliant best.

Time to shine boys

There’s a short list of four or five riders who haven’t yet taken a win and who are rapidly running out of time to make a dent in three riders’ above them in the standings.

It’s not been the best of title defences for Andrea Verona but he is the only other rider coming close to the overall times of the GP winners. Andrea started well on home soil in Italy but has since struggled to match the intense pace at the top of the timing sheets and since switching up to E2 class and the GASGAS 350 four-stroke hasn’t been quite the same guy.

A couple of weeks away, testing bike set-up and even taking in the Erzbergrodeo could be the reset the champion needed to get back in the hunt. The time is right that’s for sure.  

The rank and file stepped it up with the Scandinavian tour. Nathan Watson, Hamish Macdonald, Theo Espinsasse and Zach Pichon can edge into contention this weekend but they face the same problem in the overall times. At the end of the day the time gaps are still lacking compared to the top of the time sheets.

What could be interesting though, with Garcia and Freeman off the boil, is the open door for one of these riders to jump in and upset the points as well as make their own challenge. 

Behind them you can keep scrolling the list and finding a rider who coulda/shoulda been there by now this season. Daniel Milner, Wil Ruprecht, Matteo Cavallo, Mikael Persson...there are more but we’ll stop here – safe to say we expected more from these guys in ‘23.

Four-way battle building in Junior Enduro

The Junior Enduro World Championship sees Jed Etchells out front with a 16-point lead over Albin Norrbin who put in a shift on home Swedish soil last time out. Norrbin wasn’t just the best in class in Sweden but was among the best outright with a fifth place scratch finishing time.

Jeremy Sydow and Max Ahlin are close too but it is consistency and speed across the different GP terrains so far which have given Etchells the points advantage. If conditions are again similar to the British riders’ home going in Slovakia, this weekend can cement Jed’s title ambitions.

In contrast Fantic’s Kevin Cristino is running away with the Enduro Youth series having won each day so far in 2023, batting away serious challenges from the French duo Thibault Giraudon and Leo Joyon. If those guys want to do anything about the Italian, it has to be this weekend.

2023 EnduroGP of Slovakia complete entry list

Racing begins on Friday as ever with the Super Test, although hopefully it will be a little better than the last GP.

Typically Eastern European events dish up longer and harder days and this weekend sees a total of four special tests ridden for three laps with two seperate Enduro tests, plus the Cross and Extreme test. The weather is forecast warm but it could bring summer showers to spice up this fifth round some more.

Stay tuned as ever for the results, rider reactions and videos across the weekend.

Photo Credit: Future7Media | Andrea Belluschi