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.
Round two of the 2025 FIM EnduroGP World Championship takes place in Oliana, Spain, on 2-4 May.
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.”
Results: FIM EnduroGP World Championship, Round 1
EnduroGP - Day 1
1. Josep Garcia (ESP), KTM, 54:08.59
2. Zach Pichon (FRA), TM, 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), TM, 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), TM, 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