Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Josep Garcia has made an impressive start to his 2022 FIM EnduroGP World Championship campaign, overcoming a mixed opening day to top the Enduro2 class and take an imposing EnduroGP-class win on day two of the GP of Spain. Placing third in the hugely competitive Enduro2 category on Saturday, Josep removed all mistakes from his riding for the final day of competition in Lalin, securing a memorable, and commanding, double E2 and EnduroGP victory.
The 2022 FIM EnduroGP World Championship opened with a short, but intense Friday evening Super Test, where riders got their first taste of international competition after the winter break. Followed by two full days of special-test racing, in warm and dry conditions, both Saturday and Sunday challenged competitors with three laps of a 75-kilometer route. Racing nine special tests in total each day, the event proved to be a suitably challenging start to the series.
Under a little pressure to get his Enduro2 title defense off to a strong start at his home round of the series, Josep Garcia recorded a cautious opening few tests on Saturday, with a crash in the first Cross Test costing him several valuable seconds. Determined to finish strongly, the KTM 350 EXC-F rider increased his pace as the day progressed, and by topping two of the final three tests, he secured his place on the E2 podium in third.
Determined to improve on his day one results, Josep put his slightly disappointing opening day performance behind him as the Red Bull KTM star threw down the gauntlet to his rivals by winning the opening three special tests in the Enduro2 class. Maintaining his strong pace throughout the day, Josep delivered fast, consistent test times, ultimately posting five overall winning times to dominate the E2 class and take the overall EnduroGP victory by an impressive 18 seconds.
At the close of the two days of racing in Spain, Garcia currently lies top of the Enduro2 category and second in EnduroGP.
Josep Garcia: “The first GP of the season is done, and I’m really happy with how things ended up here in Spain, taking the overall win in front of so many fans felt amazing. Things didn’t start so well on the Saturday – I had a crash in the first Cross Test and that lost me some time. We made a few changes to the bike and after that I felt more comfortable pushing and was able to gain some time back on the final lap. Sunday went much better – I felt really strong and was able to push from the first test right through to the last one. The team worked amazing and all-in-all it was a perfect day. I’m looking forward to Portugal, and hopefully more of the same.”
The 2022 FIM EnduroGP World Championship now heads straight to Portugal for round two on May 13-15.
Results – 2022 FIM Enduro World Championship – Round 1, Spain
Day 1
Enduro 2
1. Steve Holcombe (GBR), Beta, 59:27.76
2. Wil Ruprecht (AUS), TM, 59:27.92 +0.16
3. Josep Garcia (ESP), KTM, 59:30.17 +2.41
4. Nathan Watson (GBR), Honda, 59:40.09 +12.33
5. Hamish MacDonald (NZL), Sherco, 1:00:10.06 +42.30
Other KTM
8. Hugo Blanjoue (FRA), KTM, 1:01:24.25 +1:56.49
EnduroGP
1. Andrea Verona (ITA), GASGAS, 59:24.16
2. Steve Holcombe (GBR), Beta, 59:27.76 +3.60
3. Wil Ruprecht (AUS), TM, 59:27.92 +3.76
4. Josep Garcia (ESP), KTM, 59:30.17 +6.01
5. Nathan Watson (GBR), Honda, 59:40.09 +15.93
Day 2
Enduro 2
1. Josep Garcia (ESP), KTM, 58:11.12
2. Wil Ruprecht (AUS), TM, 59:10.45 +59.33
3. Hamish MacDonald (NZL), Sherco, 59:15.64 +1:04.52
4. Nathan Watson (GBR), Honda, 59:39.23 +1:28.11
5. Daniel Milner (AUS), Fantic, 1:00:29.65 +2:18.53
Other KTM
8. Hugo Blanjoue (FRA), KTM, 1:00:58.13 +2:47.01
EnduroGP
1. Josep Garcia (ESP), KTM, 58:11.12
2. Andrea Verona (ITA), GASGAS, 58:29.44 +18.32
3. Wil Ruprecht (AUS), TM, 58:33.58 +22.46
4. Brad Freeman (GBR), Beta, 58:33.58 +22.46
5. Hamish MacDonald (NZL), Sherco, 59:15.64 +1:04.52
Championship Standings (After Round 1)
Enduro 2
1. Josep Garcia (ESP), KTM, 35 points
2. Wil Ruprecht (AUS), TM, 34 pts
3. Steve Holcombe (GBR), Beta, 30 pts
4. Hamish MacDonald (NZL), Sherco, 26 pts
5. Nathan Watson (GBR), Honda, 26 pts
EnduroGP
1. Andrea Verona (ITA), GASGAS, 37 points
2. Josep Garcia (ESP), KTM, 33 pts
3. Wil Ruprecht (AUS), TM, 28 pts
4. Brad Freeman (GBR), Beta, 22 pts
5. Hamish MacDonald (NZL), Sherco, 21 pts