The 2022 FIM EnduroGP World Championship opened with a short but intense Friday evening Super Test, where riders got their first taste of international competition after the winter break.
Followed by two full days of special-test racing in warm and dry conditions, both Saturday and Sunday challenged competitors with three laps of a 75-kilometre route. Racing nine special tests each day, the event proved to be a suitably challenging start to the series.
2022 FIM EnduroGP World Championship
Under a bit of pressure to get his Enduro2 title defence off to a strong start at his home round of the series, Josep Garcia recorded a cautious opening few tests on Saturday, with a crash in the first Cross Test costing him several valuable seconds.
Determined to finish strongly, the KTM 350 EXC-F rider increased his pace as the day progressed, and by topping two of the final three tests, he secured his place on the E2 podium in third.
Determined to improve his day one results, Josep put his slightly disappointing opening day performance behind him as the Red Bull KTM star threw down the gauntlet to his rivals by winning the opening three special tests in the Enduro2 class.
Maintaining his strong pace, Josep delivered fast, consistent test times throughout the day, ultimately posting five overall winning times to dominate the E2 category and take the overall EnduroGP victory by 18 seconds.
At the close of the two days of racing in Spain, Garcia currently lies top of the Enduro2 category and second in EnduroGP.
Josep
Josep Garcia: “The first GP of the season is done, and I’m thrilled with how things ended here in Spain; taking the overall win in front of so many fans felt terrific. Things didn’t start so well on Saturday – I had a crash in the first Cross Test, which lost me some time.
We made a few changes to the bike, and after that, I felt more comfortable pushing and was able to gain some time back on the final lap. Sunday went much better – I felt firm and was able to push from the first test to the last one. The team worked terrifically, and all-in-all it was a perfect day.
Hopefully, I’m looking forward to Portugal more of the same.”
The 2022 FIM EnduroGP World Championship heads to Portugal for round two on May 13-15.
Results – 2022 FIM Enduro World Championship – Round 1, Spain
Day 1
Enduro 2
- 1. Steve Holcombe (GBR), Beta, 59:27.76
- 2. Wil Ruprecht (AUS), TM, 59:27.92 +0.16
- 3. Josep Garcia (ESP), KTM, 59:30.17 +2.41
- 4. Nathan Watson (GBR), Honda, 59:40.09 +12.33
- 5. Hamish MacDonald (NZL), Sherco, 1:00:10.06 +42.30
Other KTM
- 8. Hugo Blanjoue (FRA), KTM, 1:01:24.25 +1:56.49
EnduroGP
- 1. Andrea Verona (ITA), GASGAS, 59:24.16
- 2. Steve Holcombe (GBR), Beta, 59:27.76 +3.60
- 3. Wil Ruprecht (AUS), TM, 59:27.92 +3.76
- 4. Josep Garcia (ESP), KTM, 59:30.17 +6.01
- 5. Nathan Watson (GBR), Honda, 59:40.09 +15.93
Day 2
Enduro 2
- 1. Josep Garcia (ESP), KTM, 58:11.12
- 2. Wil Ruprecht (AUS), TM, 59:10.45 +59.33
- 3. Hamish MacDonald (NZL), Sherco, 59:15.64 +1:04.52
- 4. Nathan Watson (GBR), Honda, 59:39.23 +1:28.11
- 5. Daniel Milner (AUS), Fantic, 1:00:29.65 +2:18.53
Other KTM
- 8. Hugo Blanjoue (FRA), KTM, 1:00:58.13 +2:47.01
EnduroGP
- 1. Josep Garcia (ESP), KTM, 58:11.12
- 2. Andrea Verona (ITA), GASGAS, 58:29.44 +18.32
- 3. Wil Ruprecht (AUS), TM, 58:33.58 +22.46
- 4. Brad Freeman (GBR), Beta, 58:33.58 +22.46
- 5. Hamish MacDonald (NZL), Sherco, 59:15.64 +1:04.52
Championship Standings (After Round 1)
Enduro 2
- 1. Josep Garcia (ESP), KTM, 35 points
- 2. Wil Ruprecht (AUS), TM, 34 pts
- 3. Steve Holcombe (GBR), Beta, 30 pts
- 4. Hamish MacDonald (NZL), Sherco, 26 pts
- 5. Nathan Watson (GBR), Honda, 26 pts
EnduroGP
- 1. Andrea Verona (ITA), GASGAS, 37 points
- 2. Josep Garcia (ESP), KTM, 33 pts
- 3. Wil Ruprecht (AUS), TM, 28 pts
- 4. Brad Freeman (GBR), Beta, 22 pts
- 5. Hamish MacDonald (NZL), Sherco, 21 pts
via KTM
