Brad Freeman storms to emotional EnduroGP victory
By Team TMX on 13th Apr 26
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The second and final day of racing at the GP of Italy delivered another dramatic chapter in the 2026 Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship, with Brad Freeman claiming a remarkable comeback victory in Custonaci.
Riding for Beta Factory Team, Freeman’s win marked a powerful return to the top after missing the entire 2025 season through a serious knee injury. The 10-time world champion showed both pace and composure to secure victory in one of the most competitive EnduroGP fields in recent years.
With 14 world champions lining up in the category, the racing was predictably intense. Early pace-setter Steve Holcombe led the opening stages for Sherco Racing Factory, but a costly crash in the penultimate Enduro Test proved decisive.
Freeman capitalised immediately, setting the fastest time to take control of the leaderboard. From there, he managed the closing stages expertly to secure victory by just under five seconds.
Behind him, Andrea Verona surged into second, while day one winner Josep Garcia charged through the field with late fastest times to complete the podium.
The depth of competition was underlined by the fact that the top five - rounded out by Antoine Magain and Holcombe - were separated by just 12 seconds after nearly an hour of racing.
Further back, Morgan Lesiardo impressed in sixth, while a costly time penalty denied Nathan Watson a shot at the podium.
Garcia added to his weekend tally by taking victory in the Enduro1 class, snatching the win from Magain on the final test in one of the closest finishes of the weekend.
Verona secured top honours in Enduro2 after a race-long duel with Watson, while Freeman capped his day by also winning the Enduro3 category ahead of Holcombe.
The Expotrade FIM Women’s Enduro World Championship once again belonged to Justine Martel, who backed up her maiden win on day one with a second consecutive victory.
After taking control early, Martel maintained a consistent pace to keep Rachel Gutish at bay. A late time penalty for Gutish effectively settled the outcome, allowing Martel to extend her advantage and leave Sicily with maximum points.
Marine Lemoine impressed with a late charge to split the leading duo in second, while Gutish recovered to third. Sara Traini again shone on home soil, completing the top five and securing another Junior Women’s class win.
The Tsubaki Junior Enduro class delivered another head-to-head showdown between Alberto Elgari and Romain Dagna.
Elgari ultimately came out on top, managing to hold off a late push from Dagna to win by four seconds, while Leo Joyon completed the podium.
In the Putoline Oil Youth Enduro category, Riccardo Pasquato converted his day one runner-up finish into victory with a controlled ride on day two.
The Italian seized the lead late in the race and extended his advantage to secure a 21-second win over Simone Cagnoni, with Valentin Mersin completing the podium.
With two days of intense racing completed in Sicily, the 2026 EnduroGP season is already delivering on its promise of fierce competition and unpredictable results. The championship now moves on to round two in Oliana, Spain (May 1-3), where momentum, fitness and consistency will again be put to the test.
