2021 EnduroGP of France – Day One
The EnduroGP of France kicked off on Day 1 in Langeac with three champions crowned, Andrea Verona claiming the Enduro1 title, Josep Garcia wrapping up the Enduro2 and Brad Freeman winning the Enduro3.
Garcia was also able to keep his EnduroGP title hopes alive with a victory on the day, despite Brad Freeman setting the early pace. Laia Sanz edged closer to the Enduro Women’s title, with a victory.
Enduro1
With hopes of wrapping up the Enduro1 title with a day to spare, Andrea Verona (GASGAS) began his GP of France in a determined mood. Fastest Enduro1 rider in the AKRAPOVIC Super Test, he won the opening CHAMPION Enduro Test and NERVE by JUST1 Extreme Test to take an early lead.
Faced with a strong challenge from both Matteo Cavallo (TM) and Theophile Espinasse (Honda) during the middle part of the day, Espinasse held the Enduro1 lead entering the final lap.
Picking up his pace, the Italian raced his way back into contention to claim an important win and with closest rival Davide Guarneri (Fantic) in fourth, he became the 2021 FIM Enduro1 World Champion.
Andrea Verona
“It feels amazing to win the Enduro1 world championship! It wasn’t an easy day for me today, but in the end, I did what I needed to do to take the E1 victory. It’s been a really good season, we’ve been strong at all the rounds, in all the different conditions, so I’m really happy with that. I want to thank the whole GASGAS Factory Racing team, everyone puts in a lot of work, so this win is for them. It’s great to celebrate, but there’s still one more day to go, so I’ll come back tomorrow and fight for the last day.”
Signing for GASGAS Factory Racing at the beginning of the season, Verona had one major goal – to successfully defend his Enduro1 title – and what a season he’s had! So far, with one day left to go, the 22-year-old has won nine of the 11 days of racing and never finished off the podium.
Andrea can’t relax just yet though, as the EnduroGP World Championship is still undecided, and with him lying third, just one point ahead of the fourth-placed rider, the fight for third place on the EnduroGP championship podium will go right down to the wire on the final day in France.
Enduro1 Standings
| Pos | Rider | Nat | Man | Points |
| 1 | VERONA Andrea | ITA | Gas Gas | 212 |
| 2 | GUARNERI Davide | ITA | Fantic | 189 |
| 3 | BERNARDINI Samuele | ITA | Honda | 139 |
| 4 | MAGAIN Antoine | BEL | Sherco | 129 |
| 5 | SORECA Davide | ITA | Husqvarna | 120 |
| 6 | R CRIVILIN Bruno | BRA | Honda | 89 |
| 7 | CAVALLO Matteo | ITA | TM | 64 |
| 8 | TINKLER Kade | CAN | KTM | 57 |
| 9 | ESPINASSE Theophile | FRA | Honda | 55 |
| 10 | CHARLIER Christophe | FRA | Beta | 43 |
Enduro2
With his win in EnduroGP, Garcia also topped Enduro2. But adding to the occasion, his victory allowed him to claim the Enduro2 championship honours with one day remaining. After a three-year absence from the championship, clinching the Enduro2 crown was an important and emotional milestone in the Spaniard’s career.
Josep Garcia
“It’s been a perfect day for me. I’m so happy to win the title here in France. All day things were going through my head, but in the end, it was all good. To come back to the series after three years away and win the Enduro2 title is a dream come true. I had a good day today and did all I could by winning the overall, so I need to stay focused now for tomorrow and keep fighting right to the end.”
Racing his way back to speed and fitness, Steve Holcombe was on flying form in France. Clearly enjoying the classic French tests, the Beta rider topped three tests to finish 13 seconds behind Garcia in second.
Will Ruprecht took third. Putting in a solid performance, Joe Wootton (Husqvarna) ended his day nine seconds behind Ruprecht in fourth, while Thomas Oldrati (Honda) was fifth.
Enduro2 Standings
| Pos | Rider | Nat | Man | Points |
| 1 | GARCIA Josep | ESP | KTM | 201 |
| 2 | RUPRECHT Wil | AUS | TM | 174 |
| 3 | HOLCOMBE Steve | GBR | Beta | 153 |
| 4 | MACDONALD Hamish | NZL | Sherco | 142 |
| 5 | WOOTTON Joe | GBR | Husqvarna | 92 |
| 6 | REMES Eero | FIN | TM | 92 |
| 7 | OLDRATI Thomas | ITA | Honda | 82 |
| 8 | EDMONDSON Jack | GBR | Sherco | 68 |
| 9 | ELOWSON Albin | SWE | Husqvarna | 58 |
| 10 | LUNDGREN Anton | SWE | Husqvarna | 55 |
Enduro3
As it has been all season so far, Enduro3 was again all about Brad Freeman. The Beta rider was untouchable as he also fought for overall EnduroGP honours. Comfortably powering his way to an incredible 11th consecutive win, he successfully defended his Enduro3 crown to become a six-time FIM Enduro World Champion.
Brad Freeman
“It feels great to wrap up the Enduro3 title and back up what I won last year. I really love riding this 300 two-stroke and the bike never missed a beat all season. I’m really happy to have brought another title to the team because they work so hard for this. Hopefully tomorrow we can go on to win the big one and get that EnduroGP crown.”
Jaume Betriu (KTM) was runner-up to Freeman, while Daniel McCanney (Sherco) took third. Jamie McCanney (Husqvarna) and Antoine Basset (Beta) completed the top five.
Enduro3 Standings
| Pos | Rider | Nat | Man | Points |
| 1 | FREEMAN Brad | GBR | Beta | 220 |
| 2 | BETRIU ARMENGOL J | ESP | KTM | 185 |
| 3 | MCCANNEY Daniel | GBR | Sherco | 159 |
| 4 | MCCANNEY Jamie | GBR | Husqvarna | 145 |
| 5 | BASSET Antoine | FRA | Beta | 108 |
| 6 | SANS Marc | ESP | Husqvarna | 100 |
| 7 | WILKSCH Andrew | AUS | Husqvarna | 76 |
| 8 | MARINI Thomas | SMR | TM | 56 |
| 9 | FRANCISCO Enric | ESP | Sherco | 48 |
| 10 | MORONI Rudy | ITA | KTM | 24 |
EnduroGP
The EnduroGP class is set to go down to the wire as Josep Garcia (KTM) claimed victory on day one to keep his title hopes alive. A revelation in this second half of the season, Garcia backed up his winning form from last weekend in Portugal with a closely fought win today.
While it was Thomas Oldrati (Honda) who won Friday’s AKRAPOVIC Super Test, Garcia did himself no favours with a crash, which saw him 16th as he began on Saturday. But setting the fastest times on the opening ACERBIS Cross Test, CHAMPION Enduro Test and NERVE by JUST1 Extreme Test, Garcia looked ominous behind early leader Brad Freeman (Beta).
However, Freeman stood his ground and kept control of the lead up until the final lap. Topping the last CHAMPION Enduro Test, Garcia found his way into the lead and despite Freeman winning the final NERVE by JUST1 Extreme Test, the Spaniard claimed victory for the day. Runner-up for Freeman positions him as champion elect, holding a 16-point advantage over Garcia heading into the final day.
While eyes were on Garcia and Freeman, outgoing EnduroGP champion Steve Holcombe (Beta) enjoyed one of his strongest rides this year, showing signs of a rider who’s returning to form. Ending his day 10 seconds behind Freeman, Holcombe made a welcome return to the EnduroGP podium with third. Jaume Betriu (KTM) secured his best result of the season with fourth, while Will Ruprecht (TM) was fifth.
EnduroGP Standings
| Pos | Rider | Nat | Man | Points |
| 1 | FREEMAN Brad | GBR | Beta | 197 |
| 2 | GARCIA Josep | ESP | KTM | 184 |
| 3 | VERONA Andrea | ITA | Gas Gas | 140 |
| 4 | RUPRECHT Wil | AUS | TM | 139 |
| 5 | GUARNERI Davide | ITA | Fantic | 117 |
| 6 | HOLCOMBE Steve | GBR | Beta | 108 |
| 7 | BETRIU ARMENGOL J | ESP | KTM | 98 |
| 8 | MACDONALD Hamish | NZL | Sherco | 87 |
| 9 | MCCANNEY Daniel | GBR | Sherco | 51 |
| 10 | BERNARDINI Samuele | ITA | Honda | 38 |
Enduro Women
The EnduroGP of France saw the Enduro Women back in action for the final time this season. Picking up where she left off in Sweden, Laia Sanz (GASGAS) took the win. Although second to Jane Daniels (Fantic) in the AKRAPOVIC Super Test, Sanz took control straight away on Saturday to win every special test. With a 54-second margin of victory, Sanz now has a comfortable 12-point lead over Daniels with one day remaining.
Laia Sanz
“It was an important day to win to help my championship hopes. I didn’t feel like my speed was perfect, but I had no major mistakes and was able to remain consistent. I have a nice points gap heading into tomorrow, but I still need a strong result to get the job done!”
Finishing as runner-up to Sanz on day one, Daniels now moves ahead of Mireia Badia (GASGAS) – third on day one – in the fight for vice-champion. However, only one point separates the duo, meaning tomorrow is all to play for. Justine Martel (KTM) and Rosie Rowett (KTM) completed the top five.
Enduro Women Standings
| Pos | Rider | Nat | Man | Points |
| 1 | SANZ Laia | ESP | Gas Gas | 95 |
| 2 | DANIELS Jane | GBR | Fantic | 83 |
| 3 | BADIA Mireia | ESP | Gas Gas | 82 |
| 4 | ROWETT Rosie | GBR | KTM | 56 |
| 5 | GONCALVES Joana | PRT | Husqvarna | 49 |
| 6 | HOLT Vilde marie | NOR | Gas Gas | 40 |
| 7 | VIEIRA Rita | PRT | Yamaha | 40 |
| 8 | MARTEL Justine | FRA | KTM | 39 |
| 9 | ANTUNES Bruna | PRT | Gas Gas | 35 |
| 10 | BORG NILSSON Emelie | SWE | KTM | 25 |
Enduro Junior
Enduro Junior saw Jed Etchells (Fantic) take victory. His first win of the season, the Manxman battled right to the final test with Bernat Cortes (GASGAS) to top the podium by just over two seconds. In the fight for this year’s title, championship leader Matteo Pavoni (TM) had a mixed day at the office finishing third. But with closest rival and teammate Lorenzo Macoritto placing fourth, Pavoni holds a 17-point advantage with one day remaining and looks to be the champion elect.
Enduro Youth
Already clinching Enduro Youth title honours last weekend in Portugal, Albin Norrbin (Fantic) enjoyed a victory lap on day one in France, securing a comfortable win. The Swede was fastest by 44 seconds. Sherco’s Thibault Giraudon placed second, with Harry Edmondson (Fantic) in third. Leo Joyon (Beta) and Kevin Cristino (Fantic) were fourth and fifth respectively.
The championship wraps up with day two.
Source: MCNews.com.au