2021 EnduroGP of Estonia – Day 1 Report

Images by Dario Agrati

Bouncing back from a disappointing performance one week ago at the GP of Estonia, 22-year-old Australian Wil Ruprecht (TM) proved himself to be the rider to beat on day one of the Airmousse GP of Sweden, Round Four of the 2021 Borilli FIM EnduroGP World Championship in Skövde.

With Wil topping the overall EnduroGP results by a healthy 20 seconds, as well as winning the Enduro2 class, the Australian was joined as a class winner by Davide Guarneri (Fantic) in Enduro1, Brad Freeman (Beta) in Enduro3, Laia Sanz (GASGAS) in Enduro Women, and Lorenzo Macoritto (TM) in Enduro Junior. Albin Norrbin (Fantic) claimed a home win in Enduro Youth.

The outright top seven were all on different brands of motorcycle with Ruprecht putting TM on top.

EnduroGP – Ruprecht bounces back

Taking the win on the Friday night Akrapovic Super Test, Wil Ruprecht made his intentions clear right from the start of the Airmousse GP of Sweden. Although only winning by a slender margin, come the end of the first day’s opening lap, Wil was still pushing hard and battling against both Josep Garcia (KTM) and Brad Freeman.

With Freeman losing time on each of the three AcerbisCross Tests, the battle for the EnduroGP class lead was all about Ruprecht and Garcia.

With little to separate the two riders as the day neared its close, the final Champion Enduro Test would prove decisive. For Ruprecht it went well, very well, as the TM mounted rider topped the time sheets to maintain his class advantage and ultimately secure the day’s win. For Garcia, who needed to deliver his best while hoping for a mistake from Ruprecht, things didn’t work out. The Spaniard fell, but still earned a hard-fought runner-up EnduroGP result.

With Freeman rounding out the podium, fourth, fifth, and sixth positions all went to 250F mounted riders – Davide Guarneri, Samuele Bernardini (Honda), and Andrea Verona (GASGAS).

“Yeah, today was good,” said Wil. “The tests were nice to ride, but also a little scary in places – you certainly didn’t want to be making any big mistakes. I just rode a strong but steady pace, hit my marks, and tried not to over ride the bike. I think there’s a little more that I can give, but it was a good day.”

EnduroGP Stage One Results

1. Wil Ruprecht – E2 – TM
2. Josep Garcia – E2 – KTM +20.25s
3. Brad Freeman – E3 – Beta +37.04s
4. Davide Guarnoni – E1 – Fantic +1min01.51s
5. Samuele Bernardini – E1 – Honda +1min14.99s
6. Andrea Verona – E1 – Gas Gas +1min17.74s
7. Hamish McDonald – E2 – Sherco +1min18.74s
8. Jaume Betriu – E3 – KTM +1min31.98s
9. Jamie McCanney – E3 – Husqvarna +1min51.32s
10. Antoine Magain – E1 – Sherco +1min52.81s

Enduro1 – Guarneri claims day win number two

Although delivering a not-so-great time on the opening Akrapovic Super Test, Davide Guarneri hit the ground running at the start of day one, topping the opening Champion Enduro Test before winning a further three tests before the mid-way point of the day.

“I had a really strong opening lap, which meant that I was able to open up a small advantage,” commented Italian Guarneri from the podium. “I made some mistakes, it wasn’t a perfect day from me, but I think everyone was making some mistakes. For myself and Fantic, it’s great to get this second victory of the championship. I was also a little lucky – I had a big crash in the final enduro test, but I was able to get back on my bike quickly.”

It was a great day for Samuele Bernardini who secured his best result of the season with second. Andrea Verona dropped outside the top two for the first time, taking third. Antoine Magain (Sherco) and Mikael Persson (KTM) were fourth and fifth respectively.

Enduro2 – Ruprecht and Garcia lead the way

The Enduro2 class boiled down to a battle between Ruprecht and Garcia for the win. With the duo pushing the pace in the overall EnduroGP standings they pulled clear of their classmates. With Ruprecht holding firm, Garcia would be denied his third race win in a row.

Behind the top two it was another consistent performance from New Zealand’s Hamish MacDonald (Sherco) in third. The reigning Enduro Junior champion is growing stronger with each round and will soon look to bridge the gap to the top two.

Delivering a strong performance on home soil, Sweden’s Albin Elowson (Husqvarna) was fourth with Finland’s Eero Remes (TM) fifth.

Enduro3 – Seven in a row for Freeman

While admitting to not having the measure of Ruprecht and Garcia in EnduroGP, Freeman continued his win streak in Enduro3 to claim his seventh victory of the season.

As ever the battle behind him was a much tighter affair with Jaume Betriu (KTM), Jamie McCanney (Husqvarna) and Daniel McCanney (Sherco) fighting for the remainder of the podium. Betriu placed as runner-up, with Jamie getting the better of his brother Daniel for third. Antoine Basset (Beta) rounded out the top five.

Enduro Women – Laia by a mile

Starting as she meant to continue, Laia Sanz comfortably topped the event opening Akrapovic Super Test before firing out of the blocks early on day one with what would be the first of three wins. Unbeaten on any special test during lap one, and having extended a healthy lead in the process, Laia topped just one of the final lap’s three special tests – the Acerbis Cross Test – yet still ended the day on the top step of the podium and close to 50-seconds ahead of her closest challenger.

Second on day one went to Britain’s Jane Daniels (Fantic) who put together a largely mistake free day, beating Laia on one of the day’s special tests. The only other rider to take a test win off Sanz was Mirea Badia (GASGAS). Like Daniels, Badia wasn’t really able to challenge Laia, placing third overall and 13 seconds down on Daniels. With Britain’s Rosie Rowett (KTM) fourth and Norway’s Marie Vilde Holt (GASGAS) fifth, the best placed home rider was Linnea Akesson (Husqvarna) in sixth.

“I felt like the special tests didn’t really suit me too well, but I’m really happy to have got the win,” explained Sanz at the end of the day. “The day was quite relaxed, no stress, so that was good. I’m sure tomorrow will be tougher, but I hope that I can match this result and not struggle on the second day as I have at some events recently.”

Enduro Junior – Macoritto takes it

As has been the case so far this year, the battle for top honours in Enduro Junior was played out between Lorenzo Macoritto and teammate Matteo Pavoni (TM). Spurred on by his day two win last week in Estonia, Macoritto held off Pavoni by 12 seconds to get the job done. With home support on his side, Sweden’s Max Ahlin (Husqvarna) wasn’t too far away, just 19 seconds behind Pavoni, for third. He’ll look to go better on day two. A strong ride by Fantic’s Jed Etchells saw him beat Ruy Barbosa (Honda) by five seconds for fourth.

Enduro Youth – Home win for Norrbin

Following his win in Italy and double in Estonia, Albin Norrbin is now the rider to beat in Enduro Youth having won today in Sweden. The Swede was a class act taking eight test wins from 10. Kevin Cristino and Harry Edmondson made it a Fantic 1-2-3 in Skövde. Samuli Puhakainen (TM) and Albert Fontova (KTM) completed the top five.

After a physically demanding opening day in Skövde, the Airmousse GP of Sweden concludes on Saturday July 24.

2021 EnduroGP of Estonia – Day 2 Report

Brad Freeman (Beta) has fought back to win day two of the Airmousse GP of Sweden, round four of the Borilli FIM EnduroGP World Championship, in Skövde. After finishing third on day one, a determined effort from the Brit saw him fend off Italy’s Andrea Verona (GASGAS) by four seconds, with Davide Guarneri (Fantic) placing third overall in EnduroGP.

It was double delight for Spain’s Laia Sanz as she secured a day two win in the Enduro Women’s category, while Lorenzo Macoritto (TM) and Albin Norrbin (Fantic) also ended their time in Sweden with double wins in the Enduro Junior and Enduro Youth classes respectively.

EnduroGP class – Four-way battle upfront

The fight for top honours in EnduroGP was a hard-fought one on day two of the Airmousse GP of Sweden with the top four riders separated by just 14 seconds after more than one-hour of timed special test racing. Frustrated by his mistakes on day one, Freeman began day two on a mission, sweeping the first three tests to grab an early lead. But the pace was frantic at the top as Verona, Guarneri and Josep Garcia (KTM) all came to the boil early on lap two. Garcia won the second Champion Enduro Test, while Verona topped the Acerbis Cross Test.

Opening up a slender advantage on lap three, Freeman held some breathing room entering the final test of the weekend, the Acerbis Cross Test. Behind him Guarneri provisionally held second with Garcia one tenth of a second adrift in third. But a blisteringly fast time from Verona leapfrogged him past both riders and into second, finishing just four seconds behind Freeman.

With second slipping from his grasp on the final test, Guarneri held of Garcia by less than one-second for third. Although starting the day strongly, Will Ruprecht (TM) – day one winner – couldn’t maintain that pace and slipped down the order to fifth.

“It’s amazing to get the win, but for me the biggest thing was to turn things around from yesterday,” said Freeman. “I started strong and was able to lead all day. Hats off to Andrea on that final test though, I’m glad I had some breathing room going into it!”

Freeman now leads the EnduroGP standings entering the summer break with the final two rounds of the championship remaining in October.

EnduroGP Stage Two Results

1. Brad Freeman (GBR), Beta,
2. Andrea Verona (ITA), GASGAS, +4.33s
3. Davide Guarneri (ITA), Fantic, +13.64s
4. Josep Garcia (ESP), KTM, +14.52s
5. Wil Ruprecht (AUS), TM, +45.70s
6. Hamish MacDonald (NZL), Sherco +1m29.62s
7. Albin Elowson (SWE), Husqvarna +1min47.08s
8. Jaime Betriu (ESP), KTM, +1min48.37s
9. Joe Wootton (GBR), Husqvarna +1min54.41s
10. Anton Lundgren (SWE), Husqvarna +1min58.27s

EnduroGP Championship Standings

1. Brad Freeman (GBR), Beta, 146 points
2. Josep Garcia (ESP), KTM, 124 pts
3. Wil Ruprecht (AUS), TM, 120 pts
4. Andrea Verona (ITA), GASGAS, 102 pts
5. Davide Guarneri (ITA), Fantic, 92 pts
6. Hamish MacDonald (NZL), Sherco, 74 pts
7. Steve Holcombe (GBR), Beta, 72 pts
8. Jaime Betriu (ESP), KTM, 67 pts
9. Samuele Bernardini (ITA), Honda, 37 pts
10. Daniel McCanney (GBR), Sherco, 37 pts

Enduro1 – Verona steals the show

Fresh from his Enduro1 clean sweep last weekend in Estonia, Andrea Verona arrived in Sweden focused on delivering more winning rides. Perhaps a little too eager to continue from where he left off, the Italian frustratingly hit the deck multiple times early on during day one. Relying upon his impressive pace to bring him back up to the sharp end of the results by the end of the day, Andrea would ultimately claim third in E1.

Hitting the reset button ahead the second day of racing, Verona was back to his best. On pace with his rivals from the start, more importantly he kept things rubber side down with the 22-year-old engaged in a day-long battle with countryman Davide Guarneri for overall victory. With the outcome of day two coming down to the results of the final test of the weekend, Verona dug deep to take the win and top the Enduro1 class by just over nine seconds. In doing so he also claimed a runner-up EnduroGP result.

Andrea Verona

“I’m super happy with how my weekend ended. On day one I had too many crashes but despite that, I still wasn’t too far from the win. To turn it around on the second day and take the win, this was really huge for me to bounce back like that. With it going down to the last test, I had nothing to lose and I gave it full gas. I gave it everything and to take the day win after a close battle all day feels amazing. My speed put me on the podium in EnduroGP as well, so for me this second day was really special after a difficult opening day.”

Behind the top two, Honda’s Samuele Bernardini took third, albeit over two minutes behind the leaders. Sweden’s Mikael Persson (KTM) finished fourth, with Canada’s Kade Tinkler (KTM) fifth.

Enduro1 Stage Two Results

1. Andrea Verona (GASGAS)
2. Davide Guarneri (Fantic) +9.31s
3. Samuele Bernardini (Honda) +2min13.24s
4. Mikael Persson (KTM) +2min23.51s
5. Kade Tinkler (KTM) +2min43.57s

Enduro1 Championship Standings

1. Andrea Verona (GASGAS) 152
2. Davide Guarneri (Fantic) 142
3. Samuele Bernardini (Honda) 109
4. Antoine Magan (Sherco) 99
5. Davide Soreca (Husqvarna) 85

Enduro2 – Garcia ahead of Ruprecht

The second of two back-to-back rounds held in the north of Europe, the EnduroGP of Sweden gave riders very little in terms of rest between events due to its Thursday-to-Saturday schedule. Delivering a mixture of terrain, including forest tracks, open grass tests, and dusty hardpack, one thing that remained constant was the weather – hot, dry conditions punished the riders even further, with fitness and endurance proving key to a strong result, especially on the second day.

Following an intense two-rider fight for the win that raged throughout day one, Garcia went into the ninth and final test of the day trailing leader Wil Ruprecht by just over 11 seconds. Giving his all, Josep looked like he might be able to claw back the time needed, but a small mistake mid-test cost the Spaniard the seconds he required, and he was forced to settle for second overall on day one behind the Aussie.

On day two the fight was contested by a number of riders, with the top five separated by just over 20-seconds after eight of the nine special tests. Josep secured the Enduro2 class win, but missed out on the EnduroGP podium by just 0.88 seconds. His results over the two days were enough for him to successfully maintain his second place in the outright EnduroGP standings and close in on Ruprecth for the points lead in Enduro2, where the KTM 350 EXC-F rider now trails TM’s Ruprecht by just five points.

Another third place for Kiwi Hamish MacDonald (Sherco) on day two, while Albin Elowson (Husqvarna) and Joe Wootton (Husqvarna) were fourth and fifth respectively.

Josep Garcia

“It’s been an excellent event here in Sweden, but of course another tough one. Day one went well, I was fighting with Wil (Ruprecht) the whole day and in the end, it came down to the final test. I gave it my all, but a small mistake just lost me too much time, but it was good to finish second in EnduroGP. Day two went well for me, I had a crash on the second Cross Test and that cost some seconds, but I was still in the fight for the win. In the last lap we were all together, really close on time. I pushed as always but I just missed out on the EnduroGP podium by a tiny amount. I’m happy with the E2 class result, but in the overall I know it could be better, but this is racing, and I know I did my best.”

Wil Ruprecht

“That’s a wrap from Sweden! Solid riding both days with some fast company. Happy with the outright speed going into the summer break but it’s clear I’m coming up a little bit short late Sunday. As with all challenges I’ve faced this year I will dedicated all of my energy towards cleaning up this area and hopefully have something to show for it come the back half of the season. A big thanks to the team for a big 2 weeks of support.“

1. Josep Garcia (ESP), KTM
2. Wil Ruprecht (AUS), TM, +31.18s
3. Hamish MacDonald (NZL), Sherco, +1min15.10s
4. Albin Elowson (SWE), Husqvarna, +1min32.56s
5. Joe Wooton (GBR), Husqvarna, +1min39.89s

Enduro2 Championship Standings

1. Wil Ruprecht (AUS), TM, 146
2. Josep Garcia (ESP), KTM, 141
3. Hamish MacDonald (NZL), Sherco, 112
4. Steve Holcombe (GBR), Beta, 106
5. Eero Remes (FIN), TM, 68

Enduro3 – Freeman extends championship lead with win

While Freeman ran away with proceedings in Enduro3, there was plenty of battles behind him for the podium. Jaume Betriu got the better of the McCanney brothers for second, while Jamie McCanney (Husqvarna) edged out his brother Daniel McCanney (Sherco) for third. Antoine Basset (Beta) took fifth.

Enduro3 Stage Two Results

1. Brad Freeman (GB) Beta
2. Jaume Betriu (ESP) KTM +1min48.37s
3. Jamie McCanney (GB) Husqvarna +2min14.85s
4. Daniel McCanney (GB) Sherco +2min23.72s
5. Antoine Basset (FRA) Beta +3min22.50s

Enduro3 Championship Standings

1. Brad Freeman (GB) Beta 160
2. Jaume Betriu (ESP) KTM 134
3. Daniel McCanney (GB) Sherco 116
4. Jamie McCanney (GB) Husqvarna 108
5. Antoine Basset (FRA) Beta 77

Enduro Women – Sanz in charge

It was a weekend of fast and frantic action at round four of the 2021 FIM EnduroGP World Championship, with Laia Sanz topping the Women’s class on both days of racing. In dominant form throughout the entire weekend, the Spanish ace enjoyed a maximum points haul, heading home to Spain with the Women’s class lead.

Arriving at the EnduroGP of Sweden tied on points at the top of the Women’s championship standings, Laia Sanz had only one thing on her mind – leave Skovde with a firm hold of the Women’s title chase. After topping the timesheets on Thursday night’s Super Test (the race ran from Thursday to Saturday!), Laia was in full control throughout the opening day of racing, claiming a convincing victory.

For day two, the Spanish ace frustratingly lacked the energy needed to push forward, opting for a consistent pace in order to secure another strong result. Nevertheless, Laia won three of the six tests to claim a second day win in Sweden and now sits on top of the series standings with a comfortable eight-point lead.

Laia Sanz

“It’s been another good weekend for me and overall I’m really happy with my results. I would have liked for some of the tests to be a little slower and more technical, especially the extreme tests, but it was the same for everyone. Like the first round, my fitness isn’t quite where it needed to be in order to be able to push on the second day, so I had to maintain a strong but steady pace. In terms of my championship, it’s been a great weekend and now I have a nice gap at the top of the standings with one round to go in France.”

Fastest on the Acerbis Cross Test, Mireia Badia (GASGAS) claimed the runner-up result with Jane Daniels (Fantic) third. Rosie Rowett (KTM) and Marie Holt (GASGAS) rounded out the top five.

EnduroGP Women Two Results

1. Laia Sanz (GASGAS)
2. Mireia Badia (GASGAS) +29.69s
3. Jane Daniels (Fantic) +42.89s
4. Rosie Rowett (KTM) +2min47.84s
5. Marie Vilde Holt (GasGas) +3min36.95s

EnduroGP Women Championship Standings

1. Laia Sanz (GASGAS) 75
2. Mireia Badia (GASGAS) 67
3. Jane Daniels (Fantic) 66
4. Rosie Rowett (KTM) 45
5. Joana Goncalves (Husqvarna) 39

Enduro Junior – Last gasp effort for Macoritto pays off

Delivering more great battles, both Lorenzo Macoritto (TM) and Matteo Pavoni (TM) again fought it out for the Enduro Junior victory. Entering the final test it was Pavoni who held the upper hand by nearly two seconds, but a flyer from Macoritto saw him collect his second win of the weekend.

Never too far away from the TM mounted pairing, Leo le Quere (Sherco) ended his day in third. Max Ahlin (Husqvarna) was fourth with Luc Fargier (GASGAS) fifth.

Enduro Junior Stage Two Results

1. Lorenzo Macoritto (TM)
2. Matteo Pavoni (TM) +1.71s
3. Leo Le Quere (Sherco) +37.00s
4. Max Ahlin (Husqvarna) +48.23s
5. Luc Fargier (GasGas) +1min28.15s

Enduro Junior Championship Standings

1. Matteo Pavoni (TM) 148
2. Lorenzo Macoritto (TM) 142
3. Leo Le Quere (Sherco) 99
4. Max Ahlin (Husqvarna) 84
5. Sergio Huertas Navarro (GasGas) 69

After a busy fortnight of racing, the Borilli FIM EnduroGP World Championship takes a well-earned summer break before returning for the final two rounds of the championship in early October.

Before that many riders in the field will contest the 2021 International Six Days Enduro, held in Italy from August 30 – September 4.

Source: MCNews.com.au