TV Highlights GP of Portugal II EnduroGP 2026

This is Enduro GP. Kicking off an action-packed doubleheader and faff at the GP of Portugal 1, Red Bull KTM Factory's Joseph Garcia won the Akrapovic Supertest, which also set the Spaniard up to claim the overall victory in a seriously competitive first stage. TM Moto Buono's Zach Pichon won his first stage of the season on day two, with the Frenchman closing the gap in the overall and E2 class standings on Italy's Andrea Verona after the first weekend on the course in northern Portugal. With the dust barely settled after a first gruelling weekend in the rugged hills surrounding Pfaff, it's time for the GP of Portugal 2, round 5 of the Polo Duarte FIM Enduro GP World Championship. For the first time in recent memory, the paddock is staying put for two consecutive rounds in the same location. Pfaff is the ideal place to do it, from a sporting and cultural standpoint. One of the world's classic enduro destinations, with its distinctive boulder-strewn terrain, the local community is strongly connected to motorsports and to the area's stunning natural environment. The city also boasts beautiful architecture and buildings rich in history. This is the third year in a row Pfaff has hosted a GP of Portugal. The municipality and the local organiser, Natureza Alternativa, have proven their ability to put together excellent events. The paddock is slightly less busy than on a usual Friday, as support crews and riders have had four days on site to prepare their bikes and gear between the two rounds. Despite the calm atmosphere, a storm is brewing, as the second half of the World Championship prepares to kick into gear. Every special test time and stage win grows in importance as the end of the season nears and the title races come to a head. No matter the class or the team, everyone who's here is here for a reason. For most riders, that reason is to win. Red Bull KTM factory team's two-time reigning world champion Josep Garcia is confident in his abilities and ready for the round. So we are in the second round in Pfaff here. Yeah, my expectations are the same as every race. I want to give all, have fun and try to fight for the top step of the podium. And yeah, this week it looks still hot, the weather, but it's for everyone the same. And the tests are looking nice. I believe it will be more or less like last week, but yeah, we have a really technical extreme test, fast and nice cross test, I think. And the enduro test, it will be the more technical, the more tricky one, because we have some stones underneath. So yeah, I can't wait and let's have some fun this weekend. Completing the mandatory administrative and technical checks, like the noise control, are integral parts of every Grand Prix weekend for riders in all classes and categories and things that cannot be avoided, no matter if the two rounds take place in the same location or not. Like I said in our earlier interview, I really like Portugal. I have a tendency to ride well here. So I was not surprised, but certainly very happy that I came away with the win on both days. And it was a, I had a comfortable win too. It wasn't like it was super close. I was able to just ride and relax and have fun most of the days. The weather was very hot. It looks like we were in for another hot weekend. If I win again, I'm going to jump in the fountain after I'm done for sure. The local motorcycle club and event organizer, Natureza Alternativa, hasn't built a new track for this weekend, but runs the race in the opposite direction instead, with the starting line becoming the finish and vice versa. As always, the Akrapovic Supertest offers a thrilling start to the event, with as many if not more fans turning out for the second Friday of the doubleheader. Since the Supertest runs in reverse order to a normal stage race, the women's, youth and junior class competitors take to the course first, giving the top enduro GP riders time to watch and take notes while fine-tuning their strategies and seeing what pitfalls to avoid later in the evening. When the business end of the senior class standings hits the track, the ambience in the stands and down on the dirt ramps up a notch, feeding the adrenaline of riders like Hamish MacDonald and Brad Freeman. In the evening's penultimate duel, Zach Pichon and Steve Holcomb go full gas under the watchful eyes of current leader Julien Rousselie. In the end, it's Pichon who takes the lead off his fellow Frenchman Rousselie. Now, it's Pichon's turn to watch anxiously, as his two enduro GP rivals go head-to-head for the second Friday in a row in FAF. Suddenly, as has already happened earlier in the evening, the lights in the center of the track go out mid-lap, but the riders on the two orange bikes continue charging towards the finish line. After the checkered flag, confusion reigns as Garcia and Verona wait for information in the finish area. Neither have managed to better Pichon's time, but both assume the FIM will allow a rerun, as after the prior power outage affecting Max Ahlen and Antoine Magell. I had a problem with the lights, so I don't know what the FIM will say. It's like this, I think it's coming also for the race, but we'll see. For sure, if I was at the same place, I would say something, but we'll see the decision later. After much discussion, FIM race director Pedro Mariano allows Garcia and Verona to race again. However, the evening's final classification only counts toward the Akrapovic Supertest standings and is not calculated into the overall Stage 1 race time. Garcia bests Pichon's time in the rerun and signs his name on the Akrapovic Supertest Trophy for the fourth time this season. To be honest, I feel good because I ride good, but it happens that when we're entering the test, the lights came off for some seconds, it was strange also for me riding because it happened before and they stopped the riders, so I was riding, but I was taking care of if they will stop me or not. Anyway, they say to repeat the FIM, it's my job, repeat the test if they say. It was not fair for me, and repeat is not fair for my competitors, but I just did my job. In a replay of the weekend before, bright skies and hot temperatures greet the paddock in Pfaff on Saturday morning. Zach Pichon is hoping to pick up where he left off after taking the stage win last Sunday. While the rest of the EnduroGP favorites, well-rested after a few entertaining days off enjoying the sights in Pfaff without the hassles of traveling between events, are also aiming for top spots on their respective class podiums, but especially P1, P2 and P3 in EnduroGP. We'll see how it goes. We started a bit early this morning, but we'll need to push again and try to make a good weekend. As is almost always the case, attitudes run the gamut from pensive to relaxed as the podium contenders prepare for another attempt to close the gap on the standing leaders on their KTMs. Even with the races starting an hour earlier than usual to beat the heat, the riders know it's going to be another exhausting weekend, battling the demanding terrain that awaits them on one of the season's most challenging courses for the second round in a row. Joseph Garcia is the standout in the PolySport Extreme Test, going fastest in the first and last lap on day one. Zach Pichon loses 18 seconds on the opener but wins the second to move back within striking distance of the podium, while Team Sherco's Steve Holcomb and KTM Factory's Andrea Verona can do no better than P3 in the first and last laps respectively. Beta Factory's Brad Freeman puts together a P5 and P6 on his last two trips around the track. NSA Racing's Alban Norbin posts a P4 performance on the last lap, while Sherco's Hamish McDonald is the most consistent on the tricky terrain, P2 in all three laps. Garcia fails to win a G-Moto Enduro Test but doesn't lose a significant amount of time there either. Andrea Verona wins the first lap and takes P3 twice. Steve Holcomb and Zach Pichon have a win and a top three time each, while Hamish McDonald's best effort is a P5. With all the dust floating up into the sky, from afar it looks like the G-Moto Enduro Test track is burning up in the blazing Portuguese sun. Garcia also posts two of the second fastest times in the ExpoTrade Crosstest, while Verona takes the first two wins and Pichon is quickest to the timing beam in the last lap. Neither Brad Freeman nor Steve Holcomb masters the Crosstest. Nonetheless, with P4, P5 and P6 on the day, Holcomb's performance is the better of the two. After last Sunday's win, Triumph Factory Racing's Leo Joyon goes back-to-back in Tsubaki Jr. Enduro Racing. T-Moto Costa Ligure's Pietro Scardina makes it three wins in a row in the Poodle Line Oil Youth Enduro Class. And Enduro Engineering's Shelby Turner claims her maiden victory in the ExpoTrade Women's Enduro Championship. Hamish McDonald's P5 scratch is enough to bring home third place for Team Sherco in Enduro 2. Steve Holcomb would have preferred an overall podium, but graciously accepts P4 and the win in E3. P3 overall and second in E2 is still somewhat disappointing for T-Moto's title contender Zach Pichon. P2 scratch and the E2 win is a solid result, but still not the one Andrea Verona was hoping for. In the end, Joseph Garcia beats his teammate to the final timing beam by 8.64 seconds. The vibe in the Red Bull KTM tent isn't nearly as intense as after day one of the first round of the Portuguese doubleheader, but the riders and mechanics are still concentrated on getting the bikes prepped quickly for tomorrow and put away in the Parc Ferme. We were close today to the overall win. We were on a fight from the first test to the last one. I just got a big mistake on the extreme test too, where I slipped the front and I lost the front in a downhill in a corner and it took a lot of time to restart. And yeah, that's it. It's normal, I mean, when I'm pushing. So anyway, happy. I want to thank the team for the hard work in between these two GP that they did for finding a solution to improve from last weekend. And today was a good result, so I think this is thanks also to them. Yeah, really happy to take the win on the third day of racing. I was riding the whole day good. I didn't feel like I was pushing at all. I think I can have a better day riding. But anyway, managed to win is incredible. Really happy how my bike is working. Happy with riding, no mistakes. Last lap I opened a gap between extreme and enduro test, so last test I take easy, I would say. And yeah, happy. After a relatively lacklustre round by Red Bull KTM team standards, both riders kick off round five with solid performances, extending their lead on the rest of the field in the Enduro GP standings, and most importantly on their closest rival, TM Motoguano Factory's Zac Pichon. The same clear skies and blazing sun greets the paddock on Sunday. The extreme heat and three hard days of racing over two weekends have taken a toll on the special tests and riders alike. The general feeling in the paddock is as much as everyone loves FAF, they're relieved the Portuguese doubleheader is finally coming to an end. However, there's still work to be done. The reigning world champion and current standings leader Josep Garcia is fully concentrated on the task ahead. Even fellow world champions like Brad Freeman and Steve Holcomb can't seem to figure out how to stop the hard-charging Spaniard and his equally determined Italian teammate. Knowing the special tests will be the most challenging yet on the final Sunday raises the stakes as the riders prepare for one last exhausting stage. Last day in FAF after two weekends, something to say. Thank God for that. Yeah, I think it's going to be another dusty weekend. We looked at the special test last night, found a couple of new lines, so I'm looking forward to seeing how the day progresses. Oh, thank goodness it's the last day here. Too much dust. The polysport extreme test definitely lives up to its billing. Garcia is strong but not dominant, only winning one of his three attempts. Pichon loses 13 seconds on his first visit to the Rock Garden. For Verona, it's even worse, over 20 seconds off the pace on his first and last visits, while Holcomb wins the first but literally gets stuck in a rut on his second. McDonald finds the right groove, finishing P2 on his second visit and P1 on his last, while Freeman bookends his worst effort with a P3 and a P2. The Gimoto enduro test is just as dusty, but unfortunately for the Italian, Verona can't replicate his rhythm from day one. While Garcia wins every visit, Pichon loses 25 seconds on lap two, and Freeman finds his form too late, with P2 only on the last lap. Verona takes P3 and P2 before the last expo trade cross test is cancelled due to the stifling heat on the course. Zac Pichon is on fire, posting the two fastest times. Elizabeth Tett backs up her first expo trade junior women's win Saturday with another one on Sunday. Canadian wildcard Shelby Turner turns in back-to-back expo trade women's enduro victories in FAF. Italy's Pietro Scardina makes a clean sweep of the Pudeline oil youth enduro class in the Portuguese doubleheader, while fellow Italian Alberto Algari gets back on his winning ways in the Tsubaki junior enduro category with a consistent effort throughout the stage. Third in enduro two is no consolation for Andrea Verona placing P5 scratch, the Red Bull KTM riders' worst result this season. Steve Holcomb mirrors yesterday's performance, P4 overall, and the win in E3 for Team Sherco. TM Moto Buono's Zac Pichon finishes P3 scratch and second in E2 for the second day in a row. P2 scratch, and with his season's second E2 class victory, Hamish McDonald puts in a career-defining performance. Joseph Garcia brings home the victory in enduro GP, making it a clean sweep of round five and extending his lead in the overall and E1 class standings after the GP of Portugal 2. I'm feeling better than yesterday. Today I was feeling better and I feel I can ride in my pace, pushing, finding good lines. So today was a better, much better day than yesterday and I'm more happy than yesterday to be honest. And for sure after this one I will take one week off because I need, because two races in a row is a lot, we take a lot of hours on the bike, but then for sure come back to train hard and be ready for France. Meanwhile, Rachel Gutisch celebrates her second expo trade FIM Women's Enduro World Championship title. I haven't done the math yet, but I have won, that is all I know. Yeah, it's fantastic. I get to add another little star to my tattoo, so I'm very excited for that and yeah, it's all good. Two years in a row. Yeah, we're gonna make it for you next year. Hello, I win the championship today and it's a second time. I hope it's a good end of season. Finland's Joho Puzzari and Arto Kaljoinen still sit second and third in Open Senior. I win the Open for stroke, I'm very happy for this and the race is very heavy. I win the categories and I'm very happy. France's Alex Pichot and Sweden's Robin Wies are still fighting for P2 in Open Four Stroke. Spain's Jordi Galera maintains his lead in Open Two Stroke over Poland's Kasper Baklars with fellow Spaniard Jordi Caramolgo taking over P3. Italy's Pietro Scardina still sits atop the Putoline Oil Youth Enduro podium, followed by his compatriot Simone Cagnoni, while France's Valentin Mersin moves into P3. Italy's Alberto Algari extends his lead in the Tsubaki Junior Enduro standings ahead of Frenchmen Romain Dagnat and Léo Joyon. France's Lauren Laffont and Charlene Boudon lead the Expo Trade Junior Women's standings while Elizabeth Tett moves into P3. Despite losing both stages to Canada's Shelby Turner, the USA's Rachel Gutisch defends her Expo Trade FIM Women's Enduro World Championship title with Great Britain's Rosie Rowett now second and Niamh Holmes in third. Spain's Josep Garcia maintains the top spot in Enduro One with Italy's Morgan Lesiardo and Belgium's Antoine Magin still sitting pretty in P2 and P3. Italy's Andrea Verona still leads the Enduro Two standings with France's Zac Pichon and New Zealand's Hamish Macdonald holding steady in second and third. In the tightest class title race, Great Britain's Brad Freeman leads Enduro Three by one point over Sweden's Albin Norben in P2, with fellow Brit Steve Holcomb sitting just one more point back in P3. Joseph Garcia, Hamish Macdonald and Zac Pichon stand atop the last Enduro GP podium in FAF. However, in the EGP standings, Garcia, Verona and Pichon still have a stranglehold on the top three, while the fight for the last two spots in the top five is seriously heating up. Round five of the Polo Duarte FIM Enduro GP World Championship was the most exhausting of the season by far. However, it was incredibly gratifying for Red Factory Racing's Joseph Garcia, who is potentially only three rounds away from becoming a three-time Enduro GP World Champion. Next up, it's round six. The paddock heads to Sainte-Greve for the GP of France. We'll see you there.