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Garcia and Verona - Winners

Jul 15

Race Report

Back in action and back on the top step of the EnduroGP podium, GASGAS Factory Racing’s Andrea Verona has claimed an impressive win on day one at the EnduroGP Of Slovakia. Mastering the hot conditions and tough terrain, Andrea steered his EC 350F to a commanding victory on Saturday, before backing it up with a solid third-place podium on Sunday, missing out on second place by a mere half of a second!

The pace in Gelnica for round five of the 2024 FIM EnduroGP World Championship was as hot as the temperatures. That, combined with the demanding mixed terrain of the Slovakian tests, made for an extremely tough weekend of racing for all involved.

Opening his weekend in style by going fourth-fastest on the Friday night Super Test, Andrea maintained his speed and the pressure on his rivals by delivering nine more impressive test results on Saturday’s day one. Helped in part by claiming three test wins throughout the day, Verona opened up an early lead in the morning and continued to build on it through the afternoon. Arriving at the finish over 17 seconds ahead of second-placed Nathan Watson, Andrea secured his third EnduroGP class victory of the season.

Day two wasn’t quite as straightforward for the EC 350F racer. Fighting back from placing fourth on the first test, Andrea clawed his way back up into second overall by the end of the second lap. Completing the final cross test just less than eight seconds behind the winner was enough to drop down to third. And despite topping the timesheets on the very last test, Verona was forced to settle for third in EnduroGP.

With his 1-3 results, Andrea maintains his second-place position in the EnduroGP championship standings but has closed in on the leader by a further two points. Securing a double win in Enduro2, he extends his E2 class lead to an impressive 45 points with two rounds remaining.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Josep Garcia has won the second day of competition at the EnduroGP of Slovakia – round five of the 2024 FIM EnduroGP World Championship. Delivering two strong performances over both days in the hot and gruelling conditions, the KTM 250 EXC-F rider bounced back from fourth place on Saturday to top the EnduroGP category on Sunday by over 18 seconds.

Held in the hills and woodland close to the host town of Gelnica, Slovakia, round five of the 2024 EnduroGP championship proved challenging for all with high temperatures making the already demanding conditions even tougher.

Looking to increase his lead at the top of the EnduroGP standings, Garcia came into the event feeling fit and focused on adding to his four wins secured already this season. After finishing fifth on Friday night’s Super Test, day one didn’t start well for the Spaniard. A crash in the first enduro test resulted in his KTM 250 EXC-F getting stuck in a tree, which cost him several seconds. On the back foot thereafter, Josep gave his all to ultimately complete the day’s racing as fourth fastest in EnduroGP and second in the Enduro1 class.

Regrouping overnight, Josep came out swinging on Sunday morning. Fastest in the first two tests, by the end of lap one, the 27-year-old had built a seven-and-a-half second lead over the rest of the field. By the end of lap two, that gap had increased to just under 20 seconds. Riding smoothly and with confidence, Garcia was able to hold off his chasing rivals to take the win and with it, the all-important 20 championship points.

With two rounds remining of the 2024 season, Josep leads EnduroGP by eight points and the Enduro1 category by six. Next up, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing head to the United Kingdom for the EnduroGP of Wales on August 2-4.

Josep Garcia: “It feels good to get the win here on the second day. Saturday was tough for me, I felt good in myself, but was struggling to find a good rhythm on the mixed tests. A mistake early on cost me a few seconds and I wasn’t quite able to regain all the lost time. From the first test on Sunday, I knew things were going to be better. I changed my mentality overnight and came into day two feeling focused and positive. I was able to open up a gap on the first lap and maintained that advantage to the end. There was no time to relax – all the guys here were pushing really hard and the times were close. I’m pleased to take the win and now I’m looking forward to the next round in a few weeks’ time.”

Andrea Verona: “Overall it’s been a good weekend here in Slovakia. It was great to take my third overall win of the season on Saturday – I was riding really well and was able to push hard all day. On Sunday, I started off a little too calmly and paid for it on the first test. I knew I had to get a little more aggressive and on lap two, I was able to get back inside the top two overall. My pace was good, but everyone was riding really well here and I just missed out on second overall by half a second. It’s been a bit on an up and down day today, but a very positive weekend on the whole. I have made up a couple of points on the championship leader, so now I’m focused on giving it full gas for the last two rounds.”

Results: FIM EnduroGP World Championship, Round 5

Day 1 – EnduroGP

1. Andrea Verona (GASGAS) 1:06:07.03

2. Nathan Watson (Beta) 1:06:24.07

3. Steve Holcombe (Honda) 1:06:29.4

4. Josep Garcia (KTM) 1:06:40.04

Day 2 – EnduroGP

1. Josep Garcia (KTM) 1:03:46.40

2. Brad Freeman (Beta) 1:04:04.91

3. Andrea Verona (GASGAS) 1:04:05.41

Day 1 – Enduro2

1. Andrea Verona (GASGAS) 1:06:07.03