A long-awaited season finale in EnduroGP
By Press Release on 10th Oct 18
After a season of almost eight months, which has experienced snow and ice, rain, mud, heat and dust, the Maxxis World Enduro Championships grand finale will take place in Germany this weekend, very close to Berlin, in Rudersdorf.
Steve Holcombe was 14 points off the title on the first day in France, but then everything changed for main his rival, Alex Salvini, who suffered an electrical problem the next day.
The Jolly Racing Team rider is now 30 points behind his former team-mate which will be almost impossible for Salvini to claw back you would think.
With such a big advantage, there is no doubt that Holcombe will want to finish the job on Saturday and raise the crown of EnduroGP World Champion one day before the end of the season.
Behind the pair, Brad Freeman and Eero Remes will have to give everything to decide who will take the last step of the overall podium. Only two points, to the advantage of the Brit, separate them.
Outsider Yamaha riders Jamie McCanney and Loic Larrieu will also compete for the last place in the top five.They will have to pay attention to Christophe Nambotin who has been on top form in the latter part of the season. He proved this with a strong second place on Sunday in France.
In addition to the EnduroGP title, Steve Holcombe also has the opportunity to finish the job in Enduro 3. The Brit is 36 points ahead of Christophe Nambotin and 44 ahead of Danny McCanney. And it is hard to see how the Frenchman or the Manxman could prevent the coronation of Holcombe on the first day.
In Enduro 1, Brad Freeman will also seek to secure the title on Saturday. The Beta Boano rider is 28 points ahead of his compatriot Jamie McCanney and can therefore afford to finish in fifth place if the Manxman wins the first day of racing.
The electronic failure of Alex Salvini in France has reopened the fight in Enduro 2. Salvo now has only 14 points on Eero Remes and 21 on Loic Larrieu. Everything is still possible and the final decision could well be played in the last special tests on Sunday.
The interest will, of course, be less in the Juniors since Matteo Cavallo secured the title in France. But no doubt he will want to end the season in style with 8 wins in a row.
Keep an eye on the battle between Jack Edmondson, Davide Soreca, Theo Espinasse and Joe Wootton. These four riders all have the ability to fight for the last step of the overall podium.
The German Grand Prix sees the only round of the Enduro Womens World Cup. After Laia Sanz withdrew and the defending champion Maria Franke had to sit out after becoming a mother a few months ago, the category still has a lot of appeal.
Of course, the 2017 Vice-Champion Jane Daniels is a favourite, as is Sanna Karkkainen but the arrival of the WMX World Champion Livia Lancelot should bring even more competitiveness to the class.
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