ISDE DAY ONE: Italy off to a flyer
By Team TMX on 12th Oct 26
The 100th edition of the 6DAYS® FIM Enduro of Nations roared into life in Grândola, Portugal, on Monday, with defending World Trophy champions Italy setting the pace on Day One. The Italians also lead the Junior World Trophy, while the United States are out in front in the MOTOREX Women’s World Trophy.
Around 500 riders from 37 nations tackled more than 270km of riding and six special tests on the opening day. Dry, dusty conditions made life particularly difficult for those starting further down the running order, with plenty of racing still to come in the six-day battle.
Italy made a flying start to their title defence, building a 1m23s advantage over France by the end of the day. Sweden sit third, with Great Britain making a promising start in fourth, although they’re already 50 seconds off the podium pace. The USA complete the top five, less than a second ahead of Spain.
Australia’s challenge took an early hit when Korey McMahon (KTM) crashed on the opening special test, leaving the team playing catch-up from the outset.
Andrea Verona (KTM) was the man to beat individually, having topped the first three tests before eventually winning the day by almost 30 seconds.
“I’m really happy to get the overall win and to take the World Trophy lead with Italy,” said Verona. “My job this morning was to open almost every test, which helped a lot to stay out of the dust. But for the second lap, conditions were pretty tough out there. It’s nice to end Day One as the overall leaders; however, there is still a long way to go.”
The defending champions also lead the Junior World Trophy, with Alberto Elgari and Manuel Verzeroli (both TM MOTO) finishing 17th and 21st overall respectively. Teammate Kevin Cristino placed 34th, but a crash on the penultimate test left him nursing a shoulder injury that could complicate Italy’s title defence as the week progresses.
“It was very dusty today,” said Verzeroli. “We were lucky as defending champions to start in the first group of Junior riders, but, for sure, it was tricky to get it right. Unfortunately, Kevin had a crash and injured his shoulder; luckily, he was able to finish the day. It’s not ideal, so we will see tomorrow how things go.”
France finished the day second, with the USA third. The Americans hold a 40-second advantage over fourth-placed Spain, who in turn lead Australia by 48 seconds. Chile and Sweden are fifth and sixth respectively, with only 30 seconds separating the two from Australia – making the battle for a top-five finish an early talking point.
The United States are chasing a fourth consecutive 6DAYS® Women’s World Trophy victory and made their intentions clear by opening up a commanding 3m02s lead over Australia.
“I struggled at first to get used to the conditions,” said Korie Steede (Husqvarna). “But once we made some changes to the bike, things began to work better and I was able to finish with a really good day. It’s still only early stages in the race, so we’ll keep pushing to build on what we have.”
Great Britain sit third, more than four minutes behind Australia, with France fourth and hosts Portugal completing the top five.
Great Britain’s three Trophy Teams endured a challenging opening day, with heat and choking dust making life difficult across the six tests. The Men’s Trophy Team ended Day One fourth, the women are third and the Juniors sit ninth.
Nathan Watson was the standout performer for the Men’s Trophy Team, taking fifth in Test Five despite the worsening dust. Brad Freeman was close behind in eighth, while Jamie McCanney and Jed Etchells also showed their pace in Test Three, finishing 10th and 11th respectively.
Test Three proved a particularly strong one for the quartet, with all four riders finishing within the same second and occupying consecutive positions from eighth to 11th. It marked the team’s first top-10 test finishes of the day.
Conditions deteriorated further in Test Five, which the riders described as the dustiest of the day. With more than 20 riders ahead of them on the track, Watson’s fifth and Freeman’s eighth were particularly impressive results.
Watson ended the day ninth overall, with Freeman 13th, McCanney 19th and Etchells 24th, leaving the team fourth in the World Trophy standings.
The Women’s Trophy Team enjoyed a solid start, with Lucy Barker making an encouraging 6DAYS® debut. She opened with fourth and fifth in the first two tests before a crash in Test Three cost her almost a minute. The debutant recovered well to take eighth in Test Four and avoid further significant time loss.
Nieve Holmes also made a strong start, taking fifth in the opening test before maintaining a consistent pace throughout the day. She ended the opening leg fifth overall, making her the highest-placed British woman.
Rosie Rowett’s best result came in Test Three, where she finished fourth. She ended the day 10th overall, with Barker 11th, as Great Britain secured third in the Women’s World Trophy standings.
The Junior Trophy Team had a tougher opening day, with their position further back in the running order leaving them particularly exposed to the dust. The trio also needed time to settle into the opening lap and work through bike set-up issues, but showed encouraging pace as the day progressed.
Sam Hughes was the leading British Junior in the tests, finishing 15th in the opener, while Jack Keenan’s best result came in Test Five with 14th. Callum Hughes recorded his strongest finish in Test Three, taking 21st.
The team ended Day One ninth overall, with Sam Hughes 24th in the individual standings, Keenan 27th and Callum Hughes 28th.
With the opening day’s tests under their belts, all three teams will head into Tuesday better prepared for the conditions and challenges ahead. Dust is expected to remain a major factor, but familiarity with the terrain should help the British riders make the most of their second day.
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