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Round Five – EnduroGP of Portugal II
The second of two consecutive EnduroGP weekends in Fafe delivered a perfect haul for Josep Garcia, a tightened Enduro3 title fight, and the first world championship crown of the 2026 season.
Josep Garcia and the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team celebrateGarcia swept both days of the GP of Portugal II for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, winning EnduroGP and Enduro1 on Saturday and Sunday to further strengthen his championship lead with two rounds remaining.
Behind him, Andrea Verona, Zach Pichon, Steve Holcombe and Hamish Macdonald all had their moments across another hot, dusty and demanding Portuguese weekend, while Australian Kyron Bacon finished the round strongly with eighth outright and fourth in Enduro2 on Sunday.
Andrea VeronaIn Women’s Enduro, Rachel Gutish wrapped up the Expotrade FIM Women’s Enduro World Championship with a round to spare, but Shelby Turner was the rider on top of the podium both days, giving Triumph its first Women’s EnduroGP victory before completing a perfect weekend.
Akrapovic SuperTest
The weekend again began in the centre of Fafe with the Akrapovic SuperTest, using the same night-time test venue as the previous weekend before riders moved onto an otherwise fresh course for round five.
Garcia again set the benchmark on Friday night, topping the EnduroGP SuperTest ahead of Zach Pichon, while the result helped set up another weekend-long fight between the championship’s leading contenders.
Leo JoyonTriumph’s Leo Joyon was also immediately in the Junior mix, backing up his breakthrough from the previous weekend and carrying that momentum into Saturday’s full day of racing.
EnduroGP
Garcia holds firm on Saturday
Saturday brought a fresh course and a new set of special tests around Fafe, with riders again facing dry, dusty and increasingly rough conditions across the day.
Josep GarciaGarcia made the early move by winning the opening Polisport Extreme Test, but Verona quickly responded by topping the Gmoto Enduro Test and Expotrade Cross Test to close the margin to just over a second at the end of lap one.
Pichon then brought himself into the fight with a strong second Extreme Test, while Holcombe also had the pace to challenge. Heading into the third and final lap, Garcia, Verona, Holcombe and Pichon were separated by only 11 seconds.
Garcia responded when it mattered, winning the final Polisport Extreme Test to build enough of a buffer to control the final two tests and claim the day-one EnduroGP victory.
Josep GarciaVerona held second, but only just. Pichon won the final two tests of the day and missed the runner-up position by just two-tenths of a second. Holcombe finished fourth, with Macdonald completing the top five.
Garcia clears off on Sunday
Sunday was more emphatic. Garcia built momentum as the tests deteriorated and ended the day 31.58 seconds clear to complete the EnduroGP double.
Macdonald produced one of his best rides of the season, coming from fifth after the opening lap to second by the start of the final lap. A win on the final Polisport Extreme Test helped him keep Pichon and Holcombe behind him, while the final Expotrade Cross Test was cancelled due to the condition of the course.
Pichon completed the podium in third, just over three seconds ahead of Holcombe. Verona recovered from a slow start to finish fifth, ahead of Albin Norrbin, Brad Freeman and Bacon.
Bacon’s Sunday result was a strong one for MGR Kawasaki, the Australian finishing eighth outright and fourth in Enduro2.
Enduro1
Garcia’s perfect Enduro1 season continued in Portugal II, with the Spaniard taking class victory on both days and extending his 2026 E1 record to 10 wins from 10 days raced.
Josep GarciaSaturday’s E1 podium was completed by Triumph pairing Morgan Lesiardo and Jeremy Sydow, with Lesiardo holding off Sydow by just over 10 seconds.
The same three filled the podium again on Sunday. Garcia was again clear out front, while Lesiardo beat Sydow to second place in the Triumph battle.
Jeremy SydowSydow’s weekend continued his strong return from injury, giving him another pair of Enduro1 podium finishes and moving him to fifth in the class standings.
Enduro2
Enduro2 was much tighter on Saturday, with Verona edging Pichon by just 0.20 seconds after a day-long fight.
Andrea VeronaPichon applied heavy pressure late in the day, winning the final two tests, but Verona held on for another important E2 victory. Macdonald finished third, ahead of Max Ahlin and Bacon.
On Sunday, Macdonald turned the tables. The New Zealander’s second outright result also gave him the Enduro2 win, 10.14 seconds ahead of Pichon.
Verona completed the Sunday podium in third, while Bacon was fourth in class and eighth outright.
Verona still leads the Enduro2 standings, but Pichon has closed to within 13 points with two rounds remaining.
Enduro3
Holcombe swept Enduro3 in Portugal II to bring himself right back into the championship fight.
On Saturday, the Sherco rider led a Sherco 1-2 in class ahead of Julien Roussaly, while Norrbin completed the podium just six seconds behind Roussaly.
Holcombe backed that up on Sunday with another E3 victory, this time ahead of Norrbin and Freeman.
The result has compressed the Enduro3 championship dramatically. Freeman still leads, but only one point separates him from Norrbin, with Holcombe just two points off the lead.
Junior
Joyon continued Triumph’s strong Junior run with victory on Saturday, his second overall Junior win of the season and another Junior1 class win.
Leo JoyonThe Frenchman had to work for it, with Romain Dagna returning to the podium in second and Alberto Elgari third. Kevin Cristino and Alex Puey completed the top five.
Leo JoyonOn Sunday, Elgari responded with a narrow Junior win. Joyon pushed him hard through the final lap, winning the last Extreme Test and trimming the gap again in the Enduro Test, but the cancellation of the final Cross Test left Elgari 4.83 seconds clear.
Thibault Giraudon completed the Sunday Junior podium.
Joyon now sits third in the Junior standings, only five points behind Dagna for second, while Elgari continues to lead. In Junior1, Elgari leads Joyon by 12 points.
Youth
Pietro Scardina continued his winning streak in Putoline Oil Youth Enduro, completing a perfect Fafe double-header.
The Italian won Saturday after an early fight with Valentin Mersin, Yago Dominguez and Simone Cagnoni, eventually stretching clear to beat Mersin by nine seconds. Cagnoni finished third.
Scardina was more comfortable on Sunday, winning by 44 seconds from Mersin, with Cagnoni again completing the podium after getting the better of Dominguez.
Women
Shelby Turner made EnduroGP history in Portugal II, first with a breakthrough Saturday victory, then with a repeat win on Sunday.
The Canadian had impressed on debut the previous weekend with a pair of runner-up results, but on Saturday she was the rider to beat. Turner built a large advantage early and had enough in hand to withstand a late charge from Gutish, taking victory by 28 seconds.
Gutish finished second on Saturday, with Portuguese rider Joana Goncalves third for Sherco on home soil.
Sunday was again a Turner versus Gutish battle. Gutish won the opening two tests, before Turner made the decisive move in the first Cross Test. Gutish closed the gap late in the day, but Turner held on to win again.
Second place was more than enough for Gutish to secure the Expotrade FIM Women’s Enduro World Championship with one round remaining. It is the American’s second Women’s Enduro world title.
Rosie Rowett completed the Sunday podium, denying Goncalves a second home podium by just over a second.
EnduroGP Day One Top Ten
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| Pos | Rider | Gap | ||||
| 1 | GARCIA Josep (E1) | 54:57.49 | ||||
| 2 | VERONA Andrea (E2) | +8.64 | ||||
| 3 | PICHON Zachary (E2) | +8.84 | ||||
| 4 | HOLCOMBE Steven (E3) | +30.83 | ||||
| 5 | MACDONALD Hamish (E2) | +49.86 | ||||
| 6 | ROUSSALY Julien (E3) | +1:19.43 | ||||
| 7 | NORRBIN Albin (E3) | +1:25.74 | ||||
| 8 | FREEMAN Brad (E3) | +1:43.91 | ||||
| 9 | AHLIN Max (E2) | +1:48.15 | ||||
| 10 | LESIARDO Morgan (E1) | +1:50.76 | ||||
EnduroGP Day Two Top Ten
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| Pos | Rider | Time/Gap |
| 1 | GARCIA Josep (E1) | 48:20.89 |
| 2 | MACDONALD Hamish (E2) | +31.58 |
| 3 | PICHON Zachary (E2) | +41.72 |
| 4 | HOLCOMBE Steven (E3) | +44.97 |
| 5 | VERONA Andrea (E2) | +1:11.55 |
| 6 | NORRBIN Albin (E3) | +1:18.34 |
| 7 | FREEMAN Brad (E3) | +1:26.29 |
| 8 | BACON Kyron (E2) | +1:28.88 |
| 9 | LESIARDO Morgan (E1) | +1:40.18 |
| 10 | ROUSSALY Julien (E3) | +1:50.46 |
Class Podiums – Day One
| Enduro1 | Josep Garcia | Morgan Lesiardo | Jeremy Sydow |
| Enduro2 | Andrea Verona | Zach Pichon | Hamish Macdonald |
| Enduro3 | Steve Holcombe | Julien Roussaly | Albin Norrbin |
| Junior | Leo Joyon | Romain Dagna | Alberto Elgari |
| Women | Shelby Turner | Rachel Gutish | Joana Goncalves |
Class Podiums – Day Two
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | |
| Enduro1 | Josep Garcia | Morgan Lesiardo | Jeremy Sydow |
| Enduro2 | Hamish Macdonald | Zach Pichon | Andrea Verona |
| Enduro3 | Steve Holcombe | Albin Norrbin | Brad Freeman |
| Junior | Alberto Elgari | Leo Joyon | Thibault Giraudon |
| Women | Shelby Turner | Rachel Gutish | Rosie Rowett |
Championship Standings After Round Five
| EnduroGP | Josep Garcia – 189 | Andrea Verona – 155 | Zach Pichon – 138 |
| Enduro1 | Josep Garcia – 200 | Morgan Lesiardo – 157 | Antoine Magain – 127 |
| Enduro2 | Andrea Verona – 186 | Zach Pichon – 172 | Hamish Macdonald – 152 |
| Enduro3 | Brad Freeman – 156 | Albin Norrbin – 155 | Steve Holcombe – 154 |
| Junior | Alberto Elgari – 166 | Romain Dagna – 151 | Kevin Cristino – 146 |
| Women | Rachel Gutish – 141 | Rosie Rowett – 100 | Nieve Holmes – 93 |
Enduro GP Standings after Round Five
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| Pos | Rider | Total |
| 1 | GARCIA J. (ESP/KTM) | 189 |
| 2 | VERONA A. (ITA/KTM) | 155 |
| 3 | PICHON Z. (FRA/TM) | 138 |
| 4 | HOLCOMBE S. (GBR/SHE) | 108 |
| 5 | MACDONALD H. (NZL/SHE) | 103 |
| 6 | FREEMAN B. (GBR/BET) | 94 |
| 7 | NORRBIN A. (SWE/HUS) | 79 |
| 8 | LESIARDO M. (ITA/TRI) | 70 |
| 9 | AHLIN M. (SWE/HON) | 63 |
| 10 | ROUSSALY J. (FRA/SHE) | 61 |
| 11 | MAGAIN A. (BEL/SHE) | 55 |
| 12 | ESPINASSE T. (FRA/FAN) | 37 |
| 13 | SYDOW J. (GER/TRI) | 34 |
| 14 | WATSON N. (GBR/BET) | 34 |
| 15 | BACON K. (AUS/KAW) | 31 |
| 16 | CAVALLO M. (ITA/TM) | 22 |
| 17 | SEMB A. (SWE/HUS) | 17 |
| 18 | BERNARDINI S. (ITA/HON) | 14 |
| 19 | ELOWSON A. (SWE/HUS) | 3 |
| 20 | KYTONEN R. (FIN/HUS) | 2 |
| 21 | BAYLOR S. (USA/KAW) | 1 |
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