Josep Garcia claims double class win at GP of Italy & tops Enduro 2 World Championship

Rnd 3, EnduroGP 2017 – Spoleto, Italy

Establishing himself as the rider to beat during the first day’s competition, Josep surprised even himself with his speed. Faced with less than perfect preparation he nevertheless battled his way to the top of the E2 class results to claim a well-deserved win over Jamie McCanney and Pascal Rauchenecker. Day two saw Josep lead at the end of the first of three laps, before a costly mistake on the extreme test dropped him to second. Giving his all during the closing lap he worked his way back into the lead to claim victory. With it he moves to the top of the Enduro 2 World Championship standings. 

Garcia: “I’m very, very pleased with my results here in Italy. I was sick before the GP, so I had to delay my arrival at the race. That wasn’t the perfect way to prepare for the event so I really didn't know what to expect going into day one. But things went great. To win again after my first victory at the GP of Spain was more than I expected. Then I made a really positive start to day two and managed to open up a small advantage at the top of the results. But I made a mistake in the second extreme test and lost 15 seconds. That made things very close between myself and Jamie McCanney. Thankfully, I managed to get the win again and complete a perfect GP. Things have gone much, much better than I expected so far this year. I always saw this year as a learning season – my first year out of the junior class – but to be winning is amazing. With many GPs ahead of us I know things can change but I want to stay focused on training hard and continue to do all I can to fight for the Enduro 2 title.” 

Christophe Nambotin also ended the GP of Italy on the podium, third in the EnduroGP class on day two. Like many riders, Nambo’ saw a number of mistakes prevent him from earning a better result but nevertheless the Frenchman once again showed impressive speed aboard his KTM 300 EXC. 

Nambo: “It’s been a very good GP – a really long and demanding, and typically Italian, race. Generally, I can say that I am happy with my results. Of course I wanted to be fighting for the podium on both days but day two was better for me – apart from one mistake in the extreme test on the second lap. I didn’t have the speed to fight for the win, but I was having a good battle for second before my mistake.” 

Forced to withdraw from the GP of Spain with tendonitis in his wrist, despite being unable to ride for five weeks ahead of the Italian GP Nathan Watson finished ninth on day one before improving to fifth on day two. Just 10 seconds from the podium on day two Nathan showed impressive speed despite his forced layoff from riding. 

Nathan: “I always knew that the GP of Italy would be difficult for me. I’ve not ridden since the GP of Spain because of my wrist, so my bike fitness isn't where it needs to be. I really found the second day difficult, but to be just 10 seconds from the podium is really encouraging. Considering I’ve not ridden since Spain my speed was good, which I’m pleased with. It’s frustrating for both myself and the team as we both worked really hard before the championship started, but injuries can happen in this game and I just need to keep working to get myself back to where I know I’m capable of finishing.” 

Competing alongside Garcia in the Enduro 2 class Daniel Sanders finished in seventh and 11th over the two days of competition. 

Next Round: July 23-25, 2017 – EnduroGP of Hungary 

Results – 2017 FIM Enduro World Championship, Round 3 

Day 1 

EnduroGP 
1. Steve Holcombe (Beta) 58:53.49 
2. Alex Salvini (Beta) 59:04.60 
3. Loic Larrieu (Yamaha) 59:14.93 
4. Giacomo Redondi (Honda) 59:18.44 
5. Christophe Nambotin (KTM) 59:36.98 
Other KTM 
8. Jaume Betriu (KTM) 1:00:24.47 
9. Nathan Watson (KTM) 1:00:57.72 
12. Marco Neubert (KTM) 1:02:34.71 
14. Nicolo Mori (KTM) 1:03:22.45 
19. Paolo Lucci (KTM) 1:10:32.34 

Enduro 2 
1. Josep Garcia (KTM) 59:06.79 
2. Jamie McCanney (Yamaha) 59:12.06 
3. Pascal Rauchenecker (Husqvarna) 59:21.28 
4. Thomas Oldrati (Husqvarna) 1:00:09.23 
5. Manuel Monni (TM) 1:00:16.85 
Other KTM 
7. Daniel Sanders (KTM) 1:00:49.12 
12. Rudy Moroni (KTM) 1:01:29.79 

Day 2 

EnduroGP 
1. Loic Larrieu (Yamaha) 58:19.65 
2. Steve Holcombe (Beta) 58:52.66 
3. Christophe Nambotin (KTM) 59:06.95 
4. Alex Salvini (Beta) 59:11.00 
5. Nathan Watson (KTM) 59:17.35 
Other KTM 
8. Jaume Betriu (KTM) 1:00:05.07 
11. Nicolo Mori (KTM) 1:02:25.68 
17. Paolo Lucci (KTM) 1:08:13.35 

Enduro 2 
1. Josep Garcia (KTM) 58:53.34 
2. Jamie McCanney (Yamaha) 59:00.05 
3. Pascal Rauchenecker (Husqvarna) 59:25.75 
4. Jonathan Barragan (Gas Gas) 59:52.40 
5. Danny McCanney (Husqvarna) 59:54.03 
Other KTM 
9. Rudy Moroni (KTM) 1:00:48.83 
11. Daniel Sanders (KTM) 1:01:00.98 

Championship Standings (After Round 3) 

EnduroGP 
1. Steve Holcombe (Beta) 127pts 
2. Loic Larrieu (Yamaha) 106 
3. Matthew Phillips (Sherco) 102 
4. Christophe Nambotin (KTM) 91 
5. Antti Hellsten (Husqvarna) 84 
Other KTM 
7. Nathan Watson (KTM) 79 
12. Jaume Betriu (KTM) 53 
16. Nicolo Mori 

Enduro 2 
1. Josep Garcia (KTM) 129pts 
2. Eero Remes (TM) 123 
3. Jamie McCanney (Yamaha) 119 
4. Pascal Rauchenecker (Husqvarna) 107 
5. Daniel McCanney (Husqvarna) 80 
Other KTM 
8. Daniel Sanders (KTM) 76 
13. Rudy Moroni (KTM) 39 
15. Roni Nikander (KTM) 34 
17. Jiri Leino (KTM) 24 
22. Markus Michelsson (KTM) 16 
24. Johan Gasquez (KTM) 6 
27. Niko Aitta (KTM) 6

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