ISDE DAY TWO: France fight back as GB falter
By Team TMX on 13th Oct 26
Italy tightened their grip on the World Trophy at the 100th edition of the 6DAYS® FIM Enduro of Nations in Grândola, Portugal, on Tuesday, while France took over at the top of the Junior World Trophy standings. The United States continue to lead the MOTOREX Women’s World Trophy, but it was a day to forget for Great Britain, who lost a rider in all three Trophy classes.
Dust remained the dominant talking point across the six special tests, with visibility and heavily worn tracks testing the field. For GB, the loss of Jamie McCanney, Nieve Holmes and Jack Keenan proved costly, ending any realistic hopes of a team podium in the respective classes.
“Unfortunately for us, losing Jamie has knocked us out of the running in the World Trophy race,” said Jed Etchells (Sherco). “It’s a shame because we did have a good start on Day One. Now that we’re down to three riders, we’ll try to do the best we can individually.”
Defending champions Italy extended their World Trophy lead to 3m24s over France, with all four riders finishing inside the top 20 overall. Andrea Verona (KTM) and Morgan Lesiardo (Triumph) led the charge in second and fourth respectively, keeping Italy firmly in control of the title race.
France remain their closest challengers, with Zach Pichon (TM MOTO) third outright, but they’ll need to start clawing back time if they’re to prevent the Italians from pulling further clear.
“Today was much more difficult than yesterday,” said France’s Leo Joyon (Triumph). “The conditions of the tests were very worn and it was hard to attack. As a team, we really pulled together and could keep the pressure on Italy. With a new course tomorrow, we hope to close the gap.”
Sweden continue to hold third, although they’ve lost further ground and now trail France by more than 1m22s. The Swedes will be hoping the sandier terrain still to come plays to their strengths.
The United States enjoyed a better day, moving into fourth following Great Britain’s misfortune and cutting their deficit to Sweden to 1m13s. A podium challenge is now firmly on the agenda, while Spain complete the top five after Josep García (KTM) claimed the outright individual win.
France have moved into the Junior World Trophy lead after a strong team performance on Day Two, opening up a 29-second advantage over defending champions Italy.
Thibault Giraudon (Fantic), Clement Clauzier (Beta) and Romain Dagna (KTM) all delivered, taking advantage of Italy’s injury concerns surrounding Kevin Cristino (Husqvarna). Despite his problems, Cristino battled on to keep the Italians in the fight.
“It’s been a great day for us as a team,” said Dagna. “To take over the lead in the Junior World Trophy class is great. The fight is good with Italy. Today they had some problems that we could benefit from, but we had some mistakes too, that we can work on
“I hurt my hand yesterday and that was a bit of a struggle during the first lap. Thankfully, I was able to manage it and keep pushing until the end of the day. I think we are all looking forward to some new special tests tomorrow.”
The United States remain third, 2m25s behind France, although they’ve cut their deficit to Italy to 1m24s. Spain hold fourth, having extended their advantage over fifth-placed Chile to almost five minutes.
The United States remain the team to beat in the MOTOREX Women’s World Trophy, extending their advantage over Australia to almost four minutes. Brandy Richards (KTM) and Korie Steede (Husqvarna) finished first and second in the individual class, underlining the Americans’ strength.
Australia aren’t backing down, though. Danielle McDonald, Madi Simpson and Jessica Gardiner (all Yamaha) finished third, fourth and fifth respectively, keeping the pressure on the leaders.
“It’s been a good day for us,” said Simpson. “We are pushing hard and doing our best to fight for the overall victory each day. I had a few crashes today, and didn’t quite meet my potential, but my teammates made up for it with their results.”
The leading pair have already opened up a sizeable advantage over the rest of the field, with third-placed France more than 20 minutes behind. France hold a lead of over 10 minutes over hosts Portugal in fourth, with New Zealand completing the top five.
It was a costly day for Great Britain, with technical problems forcing Jamie McCanney, Nieve Holmes and Jack Keenan out of their respective Trophy competitions.
Nathan Watson continued his strong form in the Men’s Trophy, finishing eighth outright, with Brad Freeman close behind in 11th. Jed Etchells placed 27th, but McCanney’s retirement leaves the remaining trio focused on individual results rather than the team standings.
The Women’s Trophy Team also took a hit when Holmes was forced out with a technical issue. Rosie Rowett and Lucy Barker carried on, finishing sixth and ninth in the individual class respectively, and will be looking to build on those results as the week progresses.
Jack Keenan’s retirement was another blow for the Junior Trophy Team. Sam Hughes finished 24th in the Junior class, with Callum Hughes 26th, as the pair battled through the difficult conditions.
Day Three brings a fresh set of special tests, with more sand expected to feature. That could play into British hands, giving Watson, Freeman, Rowett and Barker particular reason for optimism as Team GB looks to salvage some strong individual results from a difficult start to the week.
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