The second round of the 2026 Spanish Enduro Championship, held in Badajoz, delivered a weekend with contrasting conditions and Josep Garcia once again the benchmark ahead of Antoine Magain and Marc Sans battling for the overall podium.

The second round of the 2026 Spanish Enduro Championship demanded a lot from riders in Valdecaballeros with different conditions between Saturday and Sunday, but with one name at the forefront: Josep García.

The KTM rider took the overall and E1 victories on both days, in a race characterized first by mud and then by more favorable terrain, although with the same short, challenging, and demanding special stages.

Saturday began with particularly tricky conditions following the previous night's rain. Mud, hidden rocks, and short, narrow, and technical special stages turned every section into a trap. The forest section and the extreme section were the most challenging parts of the course, with logs, tyres, and slippery jumps that prevented many riders from finding a consistent line. Only the cross test, on a harder, flatter surface with a section of bumps, offered a bit more fluidity.

Day 1:

Crashes were commonplace, and no one managed to get through cleanly, not even García, who nevertheless demonstrated once again why he remains the benchmark. The reigning EnduroGP World Champion took the victory on Saturday by almost half a minute, despite not feeling entirely comfortable throughout the weekend. “The second round of the Spanish Championship in Valdecaballeros was a technical weekend. Overall, it was a positive weekend in terms of results, as we managed to win both days, both in the scratch category and in Enduro 1. It is true that physically I didn't quite feel 100%,” the Catalan rider explained after the event.

The battle for second place was fierce between Marc Sans and Antoine Magain, who finished separated by a mere 0.170 seconds. Sans delivered a very solid performance on the TRT Motorcycles KTM 450, the team he will ride for in the Spanish National Championship this season, while in the World Championship he will represent Stark OXMoto on the electric bike.

The Catalan rider was very pleased with his weekend, especially for having been able to compete head-to-head with world championship riders: “The truth is, the weekend went incredibly well and I’m very, very happy… battling with world championship riders like Josep and Magain, I’m leaving very satisfied.” He also wanted to highlight the team’s work: “I’m super happy with how the bike is performing and with the whole TRT team, who have helped me tremendously.”

Day 2

On Sunday, with the track considerably drier, the race felt completely different. Even without being at 100%, Josep García once again set the pace to take another victory, this time 15 seconds ahead of Antoine Magain. The Belgian rider improved on the second day to finish second overall, while Marc Sans completed the podium 20 seconds behind the KTM rider, also taking the win in E2.

The final result was clearly positive for García, who leaves Extremadura with a stronger lead in both the overall and E1 standings before focusing all his attention on the start of the EnduroGP World Championship, scheduled for April 10-12 in Custonaci, Italy. “Now it’s time to rest a bit, because in three weeks we start the World Championship in Italy,” he summarized.

Sans also left Valdecaballeros with a much-improved performance, not only in terms of results, but also in terms of how he felt. His second place on Saturday and third on Sunday confirm that he will be in the fight for the National Championship, while combining his Spanish program with the EnduroGP World Championship on the Stark. 

Behind him, Yago Martínez repeated his fourth-place finish overall and once again delivered a very solid performance. Albin Elowson and Àlex Puey also swapped positions from Saturday, while Jaume Betriu, winner again in E3, Alejandro Navarro, and Albert Fontova completed the day's top 10.

Class acts

In Junior Open, Albert Fontova also took the victory on Sunday, joined on the podium by Lluís Gonfaus, second overall for the weekend, and Aleix Saumell.

In the 125cc 2-stroke class, Wiggo Lifvendahl took the overall victory, turning the tide of the competition on the second day after overtaking Pol Guerrero, with José Manuel Pellicer completing the podium.

In the National Trophy, Juan Rey repeated his victory and once again climbed to the top step of the podium, this time joined by Santiago Hernández and Mario Romero.

In the Women's category, María San Miguel secured another win in Valdecaballeros, with Mireia Rabionet and Aitana Peña rounding out the top three.

Valdecaballeros Enduro 2026 Results – Scratch Day 2:

Valdecaballeros Enduro 2026 Results – Scratch Day 1:

Resultados completos y categorías aquí: www.cronoffroad.com

Fotos: Nicki Martínez | Enduro21