Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Josep Garcia has experienced a very mixed weekend at the EnduroGP of Italy, claiming a hard-fought victory on day one to top the timesheets in both the Enduro2 and the overall EnduroGP categories. Unfortunately for the Spaniard, a crash on the second day while again fighting for the win knocked Garcia down the rankings with the KTM 350 EXC-F rider ultimately salvaging fifth place in the E2 class.
Round three of the FIM EnduroGP World Championship proved to be a tough one for all competitors. After topping the short Friday night Super Test, Josep Garcia went into the first full day of competition eager to use his speed on hard-packed tests to his advantage and take the fight to EnduroGP championship leader Wil Ruprecht.
Battling through the heat and dust of the north Italian event, Garcia soon found himself locked in an incredibly close battle for the overall honors on day one. With Josep and his main championship rival swapping the lead throughout the four laps of racing, Saturday’s result went right down to the wire. Holding his nerve and delivering a near-faultless performance on the 12 technically demanding tests, the 25-year-old ultimately took the EnduroGP class win by an impressive 17.95 seconds. In doing so, Garcia moved to the top of the EnduroGP championship standings.
Day two started off very much like the first, with Josep putting in several class-leading times throughout the morning. Going into the third lap of racing, Garcia crashed heavily in the Enduro test, which resulted in the test times being scrapped for all riders and Josep incurring a one-minute penalty. After being checked and cleared by the on-site medical staff, the Red Bull KTM star was able to successfully complete the last two remaining tests of the day to secure a top-five result in E2.
Despite dropping championship points on day two, Garcia still lies second in the Enduro2 class and third in EnduroGP.
Fabio Farioli – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Enduro Team Manager: “Unfortunately, Josep crashed very hard on the last enduro test today, but thankfully, after being checked over by the medics, he was allowed to continue and race the final two tests of the day. His bike was damaged in the crash, so Josep wasn’t able to push quite as hard as he would have liked, but he was still able to earn some valuable Enduro2 Championship points. He’s in quite a lot of pain now so will undergo further medical checks, but I think it will be difficult for him to be back at 100% in time for Portugal next weekend.”
The 2022 FIM EnduroGP World Championship continues with round four from Portugal next weekend – July 1- 3.
Results – 2022 FIM Enduro World Championship – Round 3, Italy
Day 1
Enduro 2
1. Josep Garcia (ESP), KTM, 1:10:24.16
2. Wil Ruprecht (AUS), TM, 1:10:42.11 +17.95
3. Nathan Watson (GBR), Honda, 1:12:17.84 +1:53.68
4. Hugo Blanjoue (FRA), KTM, 1:12:52.92 +2:28.76
5. Steve Holcombe (GBR), Beta, 1:13:11.79 +2:47.63
EnduroGP
1. Josep Garcia (ESP), KTM, 1:10:24.16
2. Wil Ruprecht (AUS), TM, 1:10:42.11 +17.95
3. Andrea Verona (ITA), GASGAS, 1:11:55.98 +1:31.82
4. Nathan Watson (GBR), Honda, 1:12:17.84 +1:53.68
5. Daniel Milner (AUS), Fantic, 1:12:29.22 +2:05.06
Day 2
Enduro 2
1. Wil Ruprecht (AUS), TM, 56:50.65
2. Nathan Watson (GBR), Honda, 57:19.15 +28.50
3. Hugo Blanjoue (FRA), KTM, 58:12.00 +1:21.35
4. Krystof Kouble (CZE), Husqvarna, 58:53.33 +2:02.68
5. Josep Garcia (ESP), KTM, 59:11.34 +2:20.69
EnduroGP
1. Wil Ruprecht (AUS), TM, 56:50.65
2. Andrea Verona (ITA), GASGAS, 57:06.87 +16.22
3. Nathan Watson (GBR), Honda, 57:19.15 +28.50
4. Thomas Oldrati (ITA), Honda, 58:00.75 +1:10.10
5. Daniel Milner (AUS), Fantic, 58:00.80 +1:10.05
Other KTM
16. Josep Garcia (ESP), KTM, 59:11.34 +2:20.69
Championship Standings (After Round 3)
Enduro 2
1. Wil Ruprecht (AUS), TM, 111 points
2. Josep Garcia (ESP), KTM, 100 pts
3. Nathan Watson (GBR), Honda, 86 pts
4. Hugo Blanjoue (FRA), KTM, 64 pts
5. Krystof Kouble (CZE), Husqvarna, 55 pts
EnduroGP
1. Wil Ruprecht (AUS), TM, 105 points
2. Andrea Verona (ITA), GASGAS, 99 pts
3. Josep Garcia (ESP), KTM, 87 pts
4. Thomas Oldrati (ITA), Honda, 68 pts
5. Nathan Watson (GBR), Honda, 67 pts