The 2022 WPTGlobal FIM EnduroGP World Championship will fire into life this coming weekend with the ACERBIS GP of Spain taking place in Lalin, Spain, May 6-7-8. With seven months having passed since the closing round of the 2021 series in France, the long-awaited re-start will see the world’s best enduro racers come together for the first of seven events across Europe.
After the series opener in Spain, the action will come thick and fast during the first two weekends of May with round two taking place in Portugal just seven days later, in Peso da Régua – Armamar, May 13-14-15.
- 2022 WPTGlobal FIM EnduroGP World Championship starts this weekend!
- ACERBIS GP of Spain set to welcome close to 150 riders across 10 classes
- Battle for FIM EnduroGP World Championship titles runs over seven rounds
Set to be a dry and warm weekend for round one, the event kicks off on Friday night with the AKRAPOVIC Super Test at 19:00 CET, on the outskirts of Lalin. On each of the following two days, riders will face close to seven hours in the saddle on their way to completing three laps of 75 kilometres. From the start, competitors will first head to the event’s POLISPORT Extreme Test before reaching the ACERBIS Cross Test and onto the first Time Check. Next taking on the JUST1 Enduro Test, riders will then return to the paddock ahead of their second and third laps.
Can anyone beat Freeman in EnduroGP?
Welcoming close to 150 riders across 10 classes, the battle to top the EnduroGP category (awarded to the championship’s best performing rider, irrespective of their class or bike capacity) will be where it’s at for many this weekend. Arguably the most competitive ever line-up of top-flight EnduroGP class racers, for defending champion Brad Freeman (Beta) one thing is certain, he’s going to need to bring his A-game to each and every stop of the series if he’s to be crowned EnduroGP World champion later this season in Germany.
With no shortage of highly motivated competition for the EnduroGP crown, the list of riders ready to take the challenge to Freeman is impressive. Defending Enduro2 World Champion Josep Garcia (KTM) and defending Enduro1 World Champion Andrea Verona (GASGAS) sit at the top of the list, with the likes of former multi-time championship winner Steve Holcombe (Beta) and exciting young talent Hamish MacDonald (Sherco) close behind. Adding Australian charger Wil Ruprecht (TM), former GP motocross racer Nathan Watson (Honda), veteran Italians Davide Guarneri (Fantic) and Thomas Oldrati (Honda), and Italian Matteo Cavallo (TM) into the mix, it’s easy to see that EnduroGP competition is going to be fierce.
Red hot battles in E1, E2, and E3 title fights
In the Enduro1 class, Andrea Verona (GASGAS) starts as very much the rider to beat. The dominant competitor in 2021 on his 250cc four-stroke, the Italian will see Matteo Cavallo (TM Racing), Loic Larrieu (Fantic), Thomas Oldrati (Honda), Antoine Megan (Sherco), Theo Espinasse (Beta), Jamie McCanney (Husqvarna), and Samuele Bernardini (Honda) all lining up to challenge him while battling for a place on the podium. The Enduro2 class welcomes some new blood for 2022 as Australian Daniel Milner (Fantic) takes on his first full season of FIM EnduroGP World Championship competition. But without a doubt it’s Spaniard Josep Garcia, the 2021 Enduro2 champion, who is the rider to beat. Despite an early season finger injury, the Spaniard has quickly returned to top form and will unquestionably be wanting to make a winning start to the series at his home GP. Hamish MacDonald (Sherco), Steve Holcombe (Beta), Nathan Watson (Honda), Alex Salvini (Husqvarna), and more are all ready to battle it out for 450 class honours.
Three storylines dominate the Enduro3 class ahead of the opening round. Firstly, will anyone be able to stop Brad Freeman (Beta) dominating the class like he did in 2021? Secondly, 2021 FIM Enduro Junior World Champion Matteo Pavoni (TM Racing) makes his much looked forward to senior class debut, while thirdly, and sadly, Spaniard Jaume Betriu (KTM) will miss the ACERBIS GP of Spain following a recent training crash. With Italian Davide Guarneri (Fantic), Danny McCanney (Sherco), Mikael Persson (Husqvarna) and more ready to give their all, just like in E1 and E2, there’ll be plenty of action in the Enduro3 class in 2022.
Daniels vs Badia in Women´s Enduro Championship
In the Magnorange FIM Women´s Enduro Championship, 15 riders will take on the ACERBIS GP of Spain with two expected to duke it out for the event, and championship, win. Jane Daniels (Fantic) and Mireia Badia (Rieju) battled hard throughout the 2021 season as they challenged one another for the championship‘s runner-up spot behind Laia Sanz. This year, with Laia having stepped away from full-time two-wheeled competition, both Jane and Mireia will be looking to secure world championship honours.
Testament to the health of the WPTGlobal FIM EnduroGP World Championship, both the Enduro Junior and Enduro Youth classes are bursting with enthusiastic up-and-coming talent with more than 50 riders competing across the two classes. Add to that the near 25 riders competing in the Open class, and the ACERBIS GP of Spain is set to provide an explosive start to the 2022 WPTGlobal FIM EnduroGP World Championship.
Underlining the importance of the series, many of the offroad motorcycle industry’s biggest names have signed up to give their support. ACERBIS, AKRAPOVIC, Polisport, JUST1, MAXXIS Tires, KTM, GASGAS, and Husqvarna Motorcycles all take a front row seat. Putting their weight behind the championship, AMV, PRAMAC, CROSSPRO, WP, Magnorange, pgm, GALFER, Quinta do Mourao, Galati, Paulo Duarte Group, Race For Good (our social responsibility partner), Segafredo, and more, are also lending their support to the 2022 WPTGlobal FIM EnduroGP World Championship.
Stay tuned to http://www.endurogp.com throughout the weekend for championship updates and live results, and to @enduro_gp on Instagram for event story content.
2022 WPTGlobal FIM EnduroGP World Championship Calendar
- Round 1 – ACERBIS GP of Spain – Lalin – 6-8 May
- Round 2 – GP of Portugal – Peso da Règua – Armamar – 13-15 May
- Round 3 – GP of Italy – Carpineti – 24-26 June
- Round 4 – GP of Portugal – Coimbra – Souselas – 1-3 July
- Round 5 – GP of Slovakia – Gelnica – 29-31 July
- Round 6 – GP of Hungary – Zalaegerszeg – 5-7 August
- Round 7 – GP of Germany – Zschopau – 14-16 October