Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Josep Garcia has made an impressive start to his 2025 FIM EnduroGP World Championship campaign, claiming EnduroGP victory on day one in Portugal. Securing third place in EnduroGP on day two, Garcia also dominated the Enduro1 class on both days to take an early lead in the E1 championship standings.

Just one month before the opening round, Garcia suffered a training crash that left him with a broken collarbone and cost him valuable testing time. However, in true Garcia fashion, the Spaniard came out swinging in Portugal, immediately throwing down the gauntlet to his rivals. Heavy rain lashed the Friday night Super Test track, causing the already challenging course to deteriorate as the evening progressed, but starting last, Garcia delivered an inspired ride to post the ninth-fastest time despite the tough conditions.

Bouncing back and showing his speed on the rough Portuguese terrain, Josep opened Saturday’s racing with posting the fastest time on the first test. What then followed was a closely fought battle between the top four riders in the EnduroGP category, with all four delivering test wins. It was Josep who ultimately came out on top, clinching the day one victory by just under five seconds. In the Enduro1 class, his winning margin was over one minute and 14 seconds.

Day two got underway with Josep once again fighting inside the top three. On the second lap, a small mistake in the cross test cost the KTM 250 EXC-F rider some time and saw him drop down to fourth. However, by staying focused and delivering test after test of solid, consistent results, Garcia clawed his way back into the podium places.

Placing third in EnduroGP on day two, Josep now lies second overall in the championship standings, just two points down on the leader. His double win in Enduro1 sees him leading the category by six points.

Andrea Verona delivered a weekend of top results at the opening round of the 2025 FIM EnduroGP World Championship in Portugal to secure a double podium in the hotly contested Enduro2 class. The GASGAS Factory Racing rider lies third overall in the EnduroGP standings, heading into round two.

EnduroGP fired back into action on Friday night with the fan-favorite Super Test. Despite rain falling all evening, and the track becoming more and more challenging at the event went on, Verona stepped up and gave it everything he had to deliver the fourth-quickest time in Enduro2.

The overnight rain made conditions tricky for day one in Portugal, but Verona came out fighting. Posting the second-fastest time in the first four tests of the day. After winning the next two tests, a mistake on the extreme test cost him valuable seconds, knocking the GASGAS rider back down the order. Regrouping and putting in two strong final tests, Verona secured third place in E2, just 13 seconds off the leader after close to one hour of racing between the tapes.

Day two started off well for Verona. Excelling in the enduro test on his EC 450F, the #99 placed third in Enduro2 at the end of the first lap. Getting his head down and making up good time on the second lap, the Italian moved up to second in E2 and overall, just less than 10 seconds down on the leader. A blistering third lap saw the reigning Enduro2 World Champion come agonizingly close to taking the win, ultimately finishing the day as runner-up overall, less than three seconds from victory.

In a historic weekend for the Triumph Factory Racing Enduro Team, Mikael Persson secured back-to-back podiums in the Enduro1 class on the team’s debut at round one of the 2025 FIM EnduroGP World Championship in Portugal. Finishing third in class both days aboard his TF 250-E, Mikael also recorded two top-10 overall results to sit eighth in the EnduroGP championship standings after the opening round. Teammate Jamie McCanney narrowly missed the Enduro1 podium with a fourth-place finish on day one, and followed it up with a strong ride to claim fifth in class on day two, kicking off his season with a solid performance.

The weekend in Fafe began with Friday night’s Super Test, highlighted by a special demonstration from Jonny Walker and Ivan Cervantes aboard Triumph’s newly launched enduro models – the TF 250-E and TF 450-E – marking their first public outing. Racing followed soon after, with torrential rain and worsening conditions making the track increasingly challenging. Mikael delivered a strong lap to finish seventh, while Jamie, starting later in the order, placed 23rd.

Saturday’s opening day of racing served up wet, foggy conditions and demanding tests, but Persson rose to the challenge in style. Delivering multiple top-10 test times, he powered his TF 250-E to an Enduro1 podium and an impressive ninth overall on Triumph’s EnduroGP debut. Building on that momentum, Mikael came out swinging on day two, securing a second Enduro1 podium and placing seventh overall – finishing less than 30 seconds behind the winner in a fiercely competitive field.

Jamie McCanney also enjoyed a strong start to the EnduroGP season, expertly navigating the challenging Portuguese terrain on Saturday to secure fourth in Enduro1 and 10th overall, just 16 seconds behind teammate Persson in both categories. Day two proved trickier, as the Manxman struggled to find his rhythm on the tests. Despite a clean ride and maximum effort, he was unable to match his day-one pace and ultimately finished fifth in Enduro1 and 12th overall.

Andrea Verona: “End of the first round here in Portugal and I’m really happy with the weekend. I really settled in a lot better on day two and was able to come away with second in E2 and second in EnduroGP, just two and a half seconds off the win. It’s a bit frustrating to miss out by such a small amount, but I know I gave everything out there. I was losing a little time to the others on the extreme test, but then making it back up in the enduro test, which is important. I know what I need to work now and we’ll try again in Spain in a few weeks’ time.”

Josep Garcia: “I’m so pleased with how this first round of EnduroGP has gone. From being injured and requiring surgery just one month ago, to coming here and taking the overall win on day one feels incredible. For sure, I had to really fight for it and I truly gave my all yesterday. As I’m not quite 100 percent, it meant I struggled a little bit today, I had some pain in my shoulder but was able to still fight for the podium. To leave Portugal with a double win in E1 and lying second in EnduroGP is amazing. I have a little time now before the second round and I know what I need to work on to improve my performance overall. It will give me some more time to heal too. The next round is held just one hour from where I live, so it really is a home round for me. I can’t wait.”

Mikael Persson: “That’s round one done here in Portugal! I had two fantastic days, finishing third in class after a really positive weekend. I was pushing hard to finish a bit higher up overall today, so I’m pleased with P7. I’m really happy for the team – we’ve worked so hard this preseason so it’s great to start the season on such a positive note!”

Jamie McCanney: “So we’re finished here at round one of EnduroGP, and we have definitely been put through our paces this weekend! It’s been a tough return, especially carrying a small injury, but I’m happy to have posted some good test times across the two days. It’s been a great start for the team with Miki putting the new bike on the box twice, and we have a lot to build on going forward.”

Results: FIM EnduroGP World Championship, Round 1

EnduroGP - Day 1

1. Josep Garcia (ESP), KTM, 54:08.59

2. Zach Pichon (FRA), Sherco, 54:13.38 +4.79

3. Steve Holcombe (GBR), Honda, 54:16.29 +7.70

4. Andrea Verona (ITA), GASGAS, 54:26.5 +17.95

5. Hamish Macdonald (NZL), Sherco, 55:01.70 +53.11

Enduro1 - Day 1

1. Josep Garcia (ESP), KTM, 54:08.59

2. Samuele Bernadini (ITA), Honda, 55:22.95 +1:14.36

3. Mikael Persson (SWE), Triumph, 55:56.90 +1:48.31

4. Jamie McCanney (GBR), Triumph, 56:12.44 +2:03.85

5. Roni Kytonen (FIN), Husqvarna, 56:26.84 +2:18.25

EnduroGP - Day 2

1. Zach Pichon (FRA), Sherco, 52:08.70

2. Andrea Verona (ITA), GASGAS, 52:11.45 +2.75

3. Josep Garcia (ESP), KTM, 52:19.33 +10.63

4. Nathan Watson (GBR), Beta, 52:27.24 +18.54

5. Samuele Bernadini (ITA), Honda, 52:32.85 +24.15

Enduro1 - Day 2

1. Josep Garcia (ESP), KTM, 52:19.33

2. Samuele Bernadini (ITA), Honda, 52:32.85 +13.52

3. Mikael Persson (SWE), Triumph, 52:37.64 +18.31

4. Morgan Lesiardo (ITA), Triumph, 53:22.90 +1:03.57

5. Jamie McCanney (GBR), Triumph, 53:31.83 1:12.50

Championship Standings (After round 1)

EnduroGP

1. Zach Pichon (FRA), Sherco, 37pts

2. Josep Garcia (ESP), KTM, 35pts

3. Andrea Verona (ITA), GASGAS, 30pts

Enduro1

1. Josep Garcia (ESP), KTM, 40pts

2. Samuele Bernadini (ITA), Honda, 34pts

3. Mikael Persson (SWE), Triumph, 30pts