Triumph Factory Racing Enduro Team riders Mikael Persson and Jamie McCanney are set to make their FIM EnduroGP World Championship debut this weekend in Fafe, Portugal.

It’s a bit of history this weekend at the opening GP of the 2025 World Enduro Championship season, Triumph Motorcycles will officially debut for the first time in both the manufacturer’s and the sport’s existence.

The Triumph Factory Racing Enduro Team will line up with the newly launched TF 250-E in the Enduro1 category, and under the guidance of four-time world champion and Team Manager Paul Edmondson, are the duo of 30-year-old riders, Jamie McCanney and Mikael Persson.

And it’s been a long time coming for both riders who suffered injury set-backs last year but equally have huge experience and pedigree at the highest level.

Manxman McCanney, a former Youth and Junior World Champion, has secured runner-up finishes in Enduro2 and Enduro1, and was a key contributor in Team Great Britain’s International Six Days Enduro (ISDE) victory in 2022. Last year, McCanney claimed four podiums in the E1 class before an injury cut his season short.

Swedish rider Mikael Persson also brings an abundance of experience to the Triumph Factory Racing Enduro Team having finished as runner-up in the Enduro3 World Championship in 2022 and 2023,  topping the E3 class at the 2022 ISDE in France and was third outright in ISDE Italy in 2021.

Mikael was also badly injured last year with a rupture of his Achilles but is fully recovered and finished final preseason prep with a win at the European Championship last weekend.

Both riders will race the smaller, TF250-E model in E1 class where the British manufacturer finds itself with 50% of the start list.

Check the entry list for Rnd 1 in Portugal here: 2025 EnduroGP World Championship: Official entry list for Rnd 1, Portugal

Jamie McCanney: “I’m really looking forward to the 2025 season and being part of the Triumph Factory Racing Enduro Team! Last year was cut very short for me after injury, but I started riding again in January, and since being back we’ve been working hard together with our testing programme to be ready for the upcoming EnduroGP season.

“I’ve been working with Triumph alongside Paul for over three years now, so it’s great to have gone from the initial testing and durability phase as the bike was being designed, all the way through to now racing the bike in the world championship.

“It’s exciting to be part of something completely new, and to be part of Triumph’s history – and it’s also great for the enduro series. It’s still early days when it comes to racing, but I’m sure we will progress as the season goes on and hopefully get some good results!”

Mikael Persson: “Coming into 2025 with Triumph is really exciting, and pre-season testing has gone really well. We’re looking forward to getting going at the first GP and for everyone to see Triumph’s enduro bike competing in the EnduroGP World Championship.

“From a racing perspective, I’ve been working hard to recover from an Achilles injury while also developing the new bike, but I’m feeling positive and really looking forward to Portugal. It’s hard to set a solid personal goal for this year right now, but we’ll see where we are at come the start of the season and continue to build from there.

“It’s exciting, and I’m really looking forward to not only my home round in Sweden, but also Triumph’s home round in the UK!”

Triumphant debut

Leading the team is Paul Edmondson, an ultra-experienced, former multi-time world champion who has been involved in Triumph’s off-road project from the very beginning.

Triumph Motorcycles recently officially unveiled the new TF 250-E and TF 450-E models which are expected to make a show in demo rides from SuperEnduro vice-champion Jonny Walker and muti-world champion Ivan Cervantes ahead of the Friday super Test in Fafe.

The FIM EnduroGP season opener in Portugal will also host the bike’s first official public unveiling this weekend. The series travels to seven events in total including stops in Spain and Sweden in May. A key highlight will be the team’s home round at the GP of Wales in Rhayader on 1st-3rd August, before the championship heads to France in September, then Italy and Germany to conclude the season in October.

Paul Edmondson – Triumph Factory Racing Enduro Team Manager: “I’m really excited to get going with the new team in EnduroGP and bring my riders along with me.

“Everyone has worked unbelievably hard to be ready, and I must say a big thanks to all involved. Both Jamie and Mikael are the perfect fit for the team, bringing plenty of experience along with rider quality.

“It’s a proud moment for the Triumph programme and to get the enduro project now at the next step. I’m confident the results will arrive early on during this year, especially after our great pre-season test programme.”

Ian Kimber – Triumph Head of Global Racing Programmes: “The step into the EnduroGP championship marks the start of another exciting chapter for Triumph. Bringing in Paul, who has been involved since the start of our off-road development project, to head up our factory racing Enduro team was a natural step with his wealth of knowledge, and he has brought with him two quality riders in Jamie and Mikael.

“This weekend is another historic moment for the brand, as we race the FIM EnduroGP World Championship for the first time with the TF 250-E platform, which was launched to the public last week. There’s been a lot of work going on behind the scenes, and I’m excited to see what both riders can do this year as we continue build the Enduro racing programme.”

Photo Credit: Future7Media | Andrea Belluschi