Weekend of challenges and emotions for Honda Racing RedMoto Enduro Team, in action for the first round of the FIM EnduroGP World Championship. For the second consecutive year, the event was hosted in Fafe, a town located about 70 km from Porto. The race was heavily affected by bad weather and heavy rain, which on Saturday made the route laid out by the Moto Club Natureza Alternativa Associação Cultural Desportiva even more demanding.
Back in E2 after a season in E1, Steve Holcombe (Honda CRF 300 RX Enduro) delivered a flawless and precise performance on Saturday, setting the third-best time in the Overall after an epic battle to the last second against Garcia and Pichon. He also secured second place in his class.
However, his near-perfect start was marred by an unfortunate Sunday. The British rider was leading the race when, in the second Enduro Test, he touched the ground with his left leg, injuring his knee. Forced to withdraw, he was taken to the hospital for further checks.
Moved from E2 to E1, it was a great weekend for Samuele Bernardini (Honda CRF 250 RX Enduro), who secured two impressive second-place finishes in his class after two days of intense battling with the super champion Garcia. To top it off, on Sunday, he also made it into the top five of the EnduroGP, marking a promising start to the season.
It’s a rookie season for Manolo Morettini (Honda CRF 300 RX Enduro), who was competing for the first time in the fiercely contested E2 class. In his debut in the new category, he finished the Portugal round with two promising top-ten results, 9th on Saturday and 7th on Sunday.
Steve Holcombe #70
“The first day went well. The goal was to stay in the mix, fight and finish on the podium. Unfortunately, a big mistake cost me the win, but I was still happy with my results. On Sunday, I started very well and was feeling really good with the bike. However, I touched the ground with my leg and felt pain in my knee. I had to withdraw from the race. Now, I need to undergo some checks and see how to move forward.”
Samuele Bernardini #23
“Positive race. Saturday went so-so, also because of the seconds lost in the Supertest, that penalized me a bit. On Sunday, however, I pushed from start to finish, taking a beautiful one-two.”
Manolo Morettini #38
“Saturday, I started well and set good times, but in the last extreme test, I threw away more than a minute due to a crash. Sunday, I struggled more, but I still improved the final position. Thanks to the whole team for a great job.”