Kyron Bacon wins Junior category at EnduroGP of Portugal

2025 FIM EnduroGP World Championship
Round One – Portugal

Images by Future7Media

The 2025 EnduroGP kicked off in Portugal with a surprise, Poland’s Dominik Olszo battling to the win in front of a packed crowd in Fafe in the torrential rain at the first Akrapovic Super Test of the season.

Taking to the start line in the middle of the EnduroGP pack, Olszowy took a strategic approach to the tricky course. Taking it steady on his first lap, the SuperEnduro ace got a feel for the track then gave his all on the second time around, ultimately taking the lead from early pace-setter Alex Puey by half a second. As the remainder of the riders filtered through, no one could top Dominik’s time and he was crowned winner of the first Akrapovic Super Test of the season.

Dominik Olszowy

“I enjoyed that a lot! It was really difficult with the rain, but I took the first lap easy to get into a rhythm and then I gave it everything. I was sliding in the corners, just on the limit the entire time and it clearly paid off. My SuperEnduro skills definitely helped me tonight!”

Only a handful of riders could get close to Olszowy’s time, with Zach Pichon taking second place just one tenth of a second behind, Hamish Macdonald rounding out the top three after an impressive lap.

Day one then saw Josep Garcia claim the first overall victory in Portugal. Despite returning from injury, the Spaniard put in an impressive performance to take the top step of the podium over Pichon, with Steve Holcombe in third.

On day two Pichon raced to his debut EnduroGP overall victory, while taking an early lead in the championship. Andrea Verona narrowly missed out on the win in second, with Garcia completing the podium in third.

Day One – Saturday

Making his intentions clear from the off, Josep Garcia came out swinging on the opening POLISPORT Extreme Test to win by over two seconds. Close behind him was Steve Holcombe, with Andrea Verona a further five seconds down.

The first ACERBIS Cross Test of the day saw Holcombe top the timesheets and take an early overall lead, with Verona hot on his heels just half a second behind. Zach Pichon came into contention, finishing third on the test and entering the podium battle.

Victorious on the GMOTO Enduro Test, Garcia closed the overall gap to Holcombe to just one second after the first lap of three.

Much like lap one, Garcia topped the POLISPORT Extreme Test second time around to reclaim the overall lead. Pichon had a blistering ride to finish second, edging out Verona by a mere two hundredths of a second.

Settled into a rhythm and clearly playing to his strengths, reigning Enduro2 champion Verona then claimed two consecutive test wins to round out the second lap with an overall lead of seven seconds.

With two laps completed, just two seconds separated Holcombe and Garcia in second and third respectively. Pichon sat a further ten seconds behind. After a series of strong results, Antoine Magain found himself in a close battle for fourth with teammate Hamish Macdonald.

Lap three belonged to Pichon, with the young Frenchman clocking the fastest time on two of the three tests. Holcombe closed out the day’s racing with a victory on the final GMOTO Enduro Test, but it was not enough for the Brit to secure the overall win.

Despite still recovering from a recent injury and surgery, Garcia proved that once again he is the one to beat in EnduroGP, claiming his first victory of the 2025 season by nearly five seconds, across what was an incredibly close day of racing.

Josep Garcia

“It doesn’t feel real! One month ago I was in hospital having surgery on my collarbone, so I didn’t get on the bike until five days ago. My expectations weren’t this high so I’m very pleased, and I know I can do even better as I still made a lot of mistakes today. I’m looking forward to tomorrow as I’m feeling better on the bike with every hour I ride. I’m really happy!”

Thanks to consistent top-three results and his last-lap test wins, Pichon was awarded second place overall on day one, overtaking Holcombe for the honour. The Brit was forced to settle for the final spot on the podium, just three seconds down on Pichon.

Despite clocking two test wins, Verona missed out on a podium finish by over 10 seconds. The GASGAS rider had a comfortable lead over fifth placed Hamish Macdonald, however, who finished the day just under a minute slower than Garcia.

Macdonald’s Sherco teammate Antoine Magain placed sixth, followed by Honda Racing RedMoto Enduro Team’s Samuele Bernardini in seventh and Fantic Factory Racing Team’s Albin Norrbin in eighth. Triumph Factory Racing Enduro Team’s pairing of Mikael Persson and Jamie McCanney finished ninth and tenth respectively.

E1, E2 & E3

In the Enduro3 class, it was a Sherco Factory Racing one-two-three, as 2024 championship runner-up Hamish Macdonald topped the timesheets ahead of teammates Antoine Magain and Julien Roussaly. Reigning Enduro3 champion Brad Freeman narrowly missed a podium finish by half a second.

Hamish Macdonald

“I’m really happy with the E3 win, it’s a solid start to the championship! It was a difficult day, the tests were relentless and I have no doubt tomorrow will be just as tough. I just try to stay as relaxed as possible, so hopefully we can do the same again tomorrow!”

Alongside his overall victory came the Enduro1 class win for Josep Garcia (KTM), with a huge advantage of over one minute. Samuele Bernardini (Honda) took the second spot on the podium, with Triumph Factory Racing Enduro Team’s Mikael Persson rounding out the top three, an impressive feat in the British manufacturer’s debut EnduroGP race.

The Enduro2 category proved to be the most competitive on day one, with just 13 seconds separating the top three. Zach Pichon (TM MOTO) claimed the win ahead of Steve Holcombe (Honda), as Andrea Verona (GASGAS) finished third.

Zach Pichon

“That was a really nice day to open the season! I had a difficult start to the day with a lot of mistakes, but I managed to bring it back by the end of the day and beat a lot of the top guys. I’m really happy to win Enduro2, and it’s my first overall EnduroGP podium ever which is quite special.”

Steve Holcombe

“Today was a bit difficult and one big mistake set me back quite a lot. I would have liked to have finished higher, but getting a podium on the first day of the season is a good position to be in. I definitely felt better on the last lap and I was improving, so overall I’m happy and looking forward to tomorrow.”

EW

The Expotrade FIM Women’s Enduro World Championship saw Francesca Nocera (Honda) race clear to victory, ending day one with five test wins and a lead of over one minute. The Italian held off RIEJU Factory Racing’s Rachel Gutish and Nieve Holmes (Sherco), who both claimed two test wins but finished second and third respectively.

Day one in Portugal marked the first full day of racing for the newly-formed Expotrade FIM Junior Women’s Enduro World Cup. Elizabeth Tett (TM MOTO), Lorna Lafont (Sherco), and Matilda Ahlstrom (Husqvarna) all claimed three test wins each, but it was Tett who ultimately came out on top. Elizabeth finished the day with a two-minute lead over Lafont, with Ahlstrom a further three minutes behind in third.

Junior (EJ) & Youth

The Junior category proved to be as competitive as ever, with five different winners across the nine tests on day one in Fafe. MGR Kawasaki’s Kyron Bacon and Fantic Factory Racing Team’s Kevin Cristino both clocked three wins each, but it was the Tasmanian rider Bacon who ultimately came out on top by just over two seconds. Cristino was forced to settle for second as Leo Joyon (Beta), winner of the opening ACERBIS Cross Test, completed the top three.

Kyron Bacon

“It’s great to get a win at round one, not just myself but for the team too. We’ve worked really hard to get to this point and I’m feeling very comfortable with the bike, my riding is a lot smoother which has helped me make less mistakes. I’m looking forward to getting back out there tomorrow!”

In the Youth class it was Romain Dagna (KTM) who dominated, claiming seven out of nine test wins and building up a lead of half a minute. TM MOTO Boano Factory Enduro Team’s Alberto Elgari ended his day in second, with two test wins in the bag, followed by Fantic Factory Racing Team’s Pietro Scardina in third.

EnduroGP of Portugal – Day One Top 20

Day Two – Sunday

Fired up after Saturday, Steve Holcombe came out all guns blazing on lap one of Sunday. Setting the fastest time in the first POLISPORT Extreme Test, over five seconds faster than day one winner Garcia, Holcombe then went on to comfortably top the following two tests.

After lap one, the Brit enjoyed a 20-second lead over Pichon, with Garcia hot on his heels, Verona was lying in fourth, a further four seconds behind.

Determined to close the gap to rival Holcombe, Garcia won his first and only test of the day on lap two and began to close the gap. However, Pichon found his rhythm after a series of top-three results and went fastest on the ACERBIS Cross Test, narrowly edging out Holcombe for the win.

Heading into the second GMOTO Enduro Test of the day, Holcombe had built up an impressive lead of 30 seconds over Pichon, who had overtaken Garcia to lie in second place. However, Holcombe suffered a knee injury after an unfortunate crash on the test, forcing him to retire and promoting Pichon into the overall lead.

Lap two saw Nathan Watson rise up the leaderboard after a series of strong results, with the Brit lying in fourth ahead of the final lap. Samuele Bernardini was close behind, putting the pressure on in the fight for fourth.

The final POLISPORT Extreme Test of the day on lap three saw a new winner emerge in Sherco Factory Team’s Hamish Macdonald, with teammate Antoine Magain just over a second behind. In a last-ditch effort to overtake Pichon for the lead, Verona blitzed the final two tests of the day to win both, but it was not enough to dethrone the Frenchman.

Zach Pichon secured his first-ever overall EnduroGP victory in Fafe, just a day after earning his maiden senior podium, edging out Verona by two seconds in a thrilling finish. Claiming his second overall podium of the weekend, Josep Garcia followed the pair home in third. After an exciting opening round, Pichon leads the EnduroGP standings by just two points over Garcia, with Verona in third.

Watson steered his Beta to a hard-fought fourth-place finish on day two, proving that he has what it takes to be in the mix at the sharp end of the pack. Bernardini took fifth, a further five seconds back. Macdonald was just four seconds behind for sixth, with Triumph Factory Racing Enduro Team’s Mikael Persson only four hundredths of a second behind the Sherco rider in seventh.

E1, E2 & E3

Despite being forced to settle for third overall, Josep Garcia still proved his speed in the Enduro1 category, taking the win over runner-up Samuele Bernardini. Marking a successful debut weekend for Triumph Factory Racing Enduro Team, Mikael Persson completed the podium for the second time in Portugal.

Josep Garcia

“I’m so pleased with how this first round of EnduroGP has gone. From being injured and requiring surgery just one month ago, to coming here and taking the overall win on day one feels incredible. For sure, I had to really fight for it and I truly gave my all yesterday. As I’m not quite 100 percent, it meant I struggled a little bit today, I had some pain in my shoulder but was able to still fight for the podium. To leave Portugal with a double win in E1 and lying second in EnduroGP is amazing. I have a little time now before the second round and I know what I need to work on to improve my performance overall. It will give me some more time to heal too. The next round is held just one hour from where I live, so it really is a home round for me. I can’t wait.”

Thanks to his overall victory, the Enduro2 win was also secured for Zach Pichon. The French rider beat the reigning Enduro2 champion Andrea Verona by two seconds, with Nathan Watson completing the top three.

Zach Pichon

“That was a tough day! I stayed focused all day and put in some good times, which clearly paid off. We’ve worked really hard this winter training and getting the bike set up perfectly, and as soon as I got on the bike this weekend I felt the difference. I was surprised to win, but I know that my speed and fitness are up there with the top guys now which is exciting. This win has been a few years in the making, since I stepped up from Junior, so I’m really happy and feeling confident.”

Andrea Verona

“End of the first round here in Portugal and I’m really happy with the weekend. I really settled in a lot better on day two and was able to come away with second in E2 and second in EnduroGP, just two and a half seconds off the win. It’s a bit frustrating to miss out by such a small amount, but I know I gave everything out there. I was losing a little time to the others on the extreme test, but then making it back up in the enduro test, which is important. I know what I need to work now and we’ll try again in Spain in a few weeks’ time.”

Mirroring their podium lockout on Saturday, Sherco Factory Team took over the Enduro3 category again on day two with Hamish Macdonald securing a second consecutive victory. Antoine Magain was close behind in second, just four seconds down on the Kiwi, with Julien Roussaly rounding out the podium in third.

Hamish Macdonald

“I’m happy to get another strong finish today in Enduro3, I struggled a bit this morning but found my groove in the afternoon and managed to push for some good overall times. I’m feeling good with my riding and we’ve made some small changes to the bike which have worked well. I’m stoked!”

EW

The Expotrade FIM Women’s Enduro World Championship saw Francesca Nocera back up her day one victory with a win on day two. Narrowly beating Rachel Gutish to the top spot by two seconds proved just how tight today’s racing was.

Francesca Nocera

“I had another really good day today! I struggled a bit on the first test and lost some time, but I was determined to fight for the win again and go home as the championship leader. I felt really comfortable with the bike and was able to find my rhythm, so it has been a perfect start to the season.”

The American Gutish had a strong start to the day, but it wasn’t enough to fend off Nocera as she topped every test on lap two. Nieve Holmes steered her Sherco to another podium result, with two test wins on day two also marking an impressive weekend for the Brit.

In the Expotrade FIM Junior Women’s Enduro World Cup, Elizabeth Tett emerged victorious again with a margin of 40 seconds over second placed Lorna Lafont. Sweden’s Matilda Ahlstrom finished third.

Elizabeth Tett

“The racing was a lot closer today, but I’m really happy to have still managed to take the win. The weather definitely helped today, as well as doing one less lap. I was only hoping for a podium coming into the first round, so to come away with two wins is amazing. The next round is a home race for me in Rhayader, and I can’t wait!”

Junior (EJ) & Youth

The Junior class saw some incredibly close battles on day two, but it was MGR Kawasaki’s Kyron Bacon who triumphed again. With three test victories under his belt and three runner-up results, the Tasmanian proved that consistency is key, taking the win by close to 16 seconds and setting himself as the championship frontrunner.

Kyron Bacon

“I’ve had a really good start to the championship and it’s great to get two wins this early on. It’s a long season and anything can happen, but the bike feels great and I’m really happy with my riding. I stayed consistent all day and made a lot less mistakes, so I managed to get into the top 10 overall on a few of the tests. I’m looking forward to the next round already!”

Leo Joyon ended his day in second. Despite topping the timesheets on four of the nine tests, Fantic Factory Racing Team’s Kevin Cristino was forced to settle for third after a costly error on the second GMOTO Enduro Test.

In the Youth category, Alberto Elgari dominated day two in Portugal to take the victory, after narrowly missing out on Saturday. Victorious in all but two special tests, the young Italian finished with a 28-second lead over runner-up Fantic Factory Racing Team rider Pietro Scardina. Day one victor Romain Dagna completed the podium in third.

EnduroGP of Portugal – Day Two Top 20

The 2025 Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship continues in one months’ time for the GP of Spain in Oliana on 2-4 May.

EnduroGP Standings

E1 Standings

E2 Standings

E3 Standings

FIM Junior Enduro Standings

FIM Women Enduro Standings