Video, rundown and results from the opening day in Fafe, Portugal, round five of the 2026 EnduroGP World Championship, where Josep Garcia was once again the fastest ahead of Andrea Verona, who fought a huge battle with Zach Pichon for second place.

 

Day 1 in a nutshell:

  • Today the paddock got up one hour earlier to avoid the high temperatures experienced last weekend – rounds four and five of the championship both take place in Fafe.
  • Josep Garcia knew what he had to do after tasting defeat last weekend, and the KTM rider delivered once again. Garcia started fast, setting a pace the rest could not match, before controlling the race from the front.
  • Second place went to Andrea Verona, who finally seems to be finding his feet with the KTM 450 EXC-F on this Portuguese terrain. The Italian did not have it easy with Zach Pichon giving him no breathing room, but in the end he was able to take second place by just 0.2s.
  • Pichon was pushed back by a costly moment in the final Extreme Test, where he made several mistakes and ended up 10th in that test. Although he then pushed his TM to the limit in the final two tests, going fastest in both, it was not enough and he had to settle for third place.
  • Steve Holcombe was fourth today, taking the E3 victory and closing the gap to the category leader after the two retirements he has already suffered this season. His teammate Hamish Macdonald rounded out the top five and the E3 podium.
  • In Junior, it was another victory for Leo Joyon, who now seems adapted to the Triumph and the four-stroke engine, taking his second overall win in the category. Romain Dagna was second, with category leader Alberto Elgari in third.
  • Pietro Scardina was once again the fastest in Youth ahead of Valentin Mersin and former motocross rider Simone Cagnoni in third.
  • Two races were enough for Shelby Turner to claim her first World Championship victory. The Canadian flew in the Women category, finishing almost 30 seconds ahead of championship leader Rachel Gutish, with Portugal’s Joana Gonçalves taking her first podium, albeit four minutes back.

 

Results – EnduroGP:

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E1:

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E2:

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E3:

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Júnior:

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Youth:

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Women:

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