Cycle News Staff | October 3, 2020
Factory Beta riders Brad Freeman and Steve Holcombe traded wins at the EnduroGP of Italy in Spoleto, September 26-27.
Steve Holcombe won again in EnduroGP, but it wasn’t a perfect weekend. Photo: Future7Media
Reigning World Champion Freeman delivered a perfect performance on Saturday. From the start of the day, the Brit took the lead and never relinquished it. Consistent and quick all day, he always kept his opponents at least 30 seconds behind him. He won all three special tests on the first lap and remained in the top three for all the rest. Freeman therefore won the day by more than 45 seconds ahead of his teammate and rival, Holcombe, who won both rounds the previous week.
“I started with the wrong setup and some bike issues,” said Holcombe. “So, I couldn’t relax and my riding style was therefore not like it usually is.”
Third on the day was Italian Thomas Oldrati (Honda).
Rain and chilly weather greeted the racers on Sunday. As a result, the organizers were forced to make changes to the course, and the cream rose to the top. This time, Holcombe dominated this day. Even in the middle of the deluge, Holcombe remained master of his discipline. His bike problems of the day before were forgotten, and the Brit was able to relax into a strong rhythm. He nevertheless had to keep a close eye on Freeman.
The 2019 EnduroGP World Champion, Freeman, was threatening during the first lap, the gap between the two even dropping below half a second at times. But Freeman was forced to let victory slip through his fingers, losing a few seconds to Holcombe in each of the tests on the last laps. He had to settle for second.
Third on Sunday was Frenchman Loic Larrieu (TM), who was more than a minute behind the British duo.
2021 Enduro World Championship Provisional Calendar Announced
The following is a press release from EnduroGP…
The FIM has released the provisional calendar for the 2021 Enduro World Championship. After a troubled 2020 season, next year looks set for a wider spread across Europe with a more traditional feel to it which includes heading back up north to Estonia and Sweden, a stop-over in Zschopau, Germany before a conclusion in France during October.
The start date in June appears to show caution as the sporting world still strives to accommodate the effects of Coronavirus. The distance between some of the venues will also mean plenty of kilometres clocked for riders and teams. Valpacos to Edolo is close to 2000km for the opening back-to-back weekends with rounds five and six 1200km apart.
The Enduro World Championship will come under the wing of the FIM in 2021, moving away from the long-standing promoters of the series, ABC (who remain at the helm of the SuperEnduro World Championship).
