Holcombe's happy with double win
By Sean Lawless on 20th Apr 16
British off-road star Steve Holcombe extended his lead at the top of the Enduro World Championship E3 class with a devastating double win in Portugal over the weekend.
Despite a number of mistakes on the opening day the 21-year-old from Devon – in his rookie season in senior top-flight competition – was untouchable on his 300cc two-stroke Beta.
"I can't quite believe I've got the overall win,” he said. "The first day started with a crash on the opening enduro test which wasn't great. After that I just rode as smart as I could while pushing as hard as I could.
"Things went well and I was leading going into the final test of the day. I made a complete mess of that which was a bit disappointing but I still ended the day third overall and winner in Enduro 3.
"The second day went pretty well, it's an awesome feeling to have won. I've definitely exceeded my expectations as far as results at the first two rounds go. Despite all the mud and revisions to the track I've really enjoyed the event.”
A former youth motocross racer, Holcombe – who's in his first year with the factory Beta team – ran 2-1 at the opening round in Morocco a week earlier. His double win in Portugal has given him a 13-point lead over France's Antoine Basset.
As well as winning the E3 class Holcombe also topped the Enduro GP competition for the best performance across all classes over the weekend and currently sits joint second in the title chase, six points behind Aussie Matthew Phillips.
Round three of the Enduro GP series takes place in Greece on May 21/22.
