British riders were right in the thick of the action on the opening day of the 2026 FIM EnduroGP World Championship finale in Rhayader, the EnduroGP of Wales, with Nathan Watson taking a last-gasp overall podium, Steve Holcombe winning Enduro3 and Rosie Rowett leading a British 1–3 in the Women’s class.
Out front, already-crowned EnduroGP World Champion Josep Garcia continued his dominant season with victory, while Pietro Scardina became the first world champion crowned at the EnduroGP of Wales by wrapping up the Youth Enduro title.
With several championships still to be decided, there is plenty on the line heading into Sunday’s final day of the season.
Watson snatches home podium as Garcia dominates
With both the EnduroGP and Enduro1 world titles already secured in France, Garcia arrived in Wales with little championship pressure on his shoulders, but that didn’t slow him down.
The KTM rider won the opening POLISPORT Extreme Test to establish a three-second advantage over Zach Pichon, with Britain’s Steve Holcombe initially third.
Fastest times on the following GMOTO Enduro Test and EXPOTRADE Cross Test stretched Garcia’s advantage to almost 13 seconds after the opening lap, and from there he continued to pull clear.
Garcia eventually won by 34 seconds, claiming the 49th EnduroGP victory of his career and leaving himself the opportunity to reach 50 in Sunday’s season finale.]
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Pichon held firm in second and took two test wins during the day. More importantly for the championship, the result moved the Frenchman into second overall with one day remaining.
Behind them came one of the best battles of the day.
Holcombe had occupied third for much of proceedings, but fellow Brit Nathan Watson began eating into a nine-second deficit during the afternoon. Watson completed the comeback on the final Cross Test to grab third overall, beating Holcombe by just 0.29 seconds.
That put two British riders inside the overall top four on home soil, with Andrea Verona completing the top five.
Holcombe takes Enduro3 victory as title battle goes to Sunday
Missing the overall podium by less than three tenths was frustrating for Holcombe, but his day still delivered an important result in Enduro3.
The Sherco rider took a convincing home victory, finishing 41 seconds clear of Fantic’s Theo Espinasse, with fellow Brit and title rival Brad Freeman third.
Crucially, the result strengthens Holcombe’s position heading into the final day of the Enduro3 championship fight.
The Enduro2 title, meanwhile, couldn’t be much tighter.
Pichon took the class win ahead of Nathan Watson, with championship leader Andrea Verona third. That result cut Verona’s advantage over Pichon to just one point ahead of Sunday.
In Enduro1, Garcia continued his winning run, with Morgan Lesiardo second and Jeremy Sydow third.
Rowett leads British 1–3 in Women’s Enduro
Britain had even more to celebrate in the Women’s Enduro World Championship, where Rosie Rowett produced a dominant home performance.
The RIEJU rider controlled the day in the dry and dusty Welsh conditions, eventually taking victory by one minute and eight seconds.
World champion Rachel Gutish recovered from a slower start to finish second, winning the final Extreme and Enduro Tests, but Rowett’s pace in the Cross Test proved particularly difficult to match.
There was another British rider on the podium too.
Nieve Holmes finished third after setting three fastest test times during the day, completing a British 1–3 and putting herself firmly in the mix for another podium on Sunday.
Mauricette Brisebard and Justine Martel completed the top five, while Elizabeth Tett added another British success by winning the Junior Women’s category.
Joyon takes Junior win as Elgari title celebrations are put on hold
The Junior Enduro World Championship will also go down to the final day after Leo Joyon kept his title hopes alive with victory.
The Triumph rider continued his strong second half of the season to win by 19 seconds from championship leader Alberto Elgari.
Second wasn’t enough for Elgari to secure the title on Saturday, although the Italian still takes a sizeable 18-point championship lead into the final day.
Manuel Verzeroli completed the podium in third ahead of Romain Dagna, with Dagna having reason to celebrate after securing the Junior2 Enduro World Cup.
Scardina crowned Youth Enduro World Champion
While several titles remain undecided, Pietro Scardina did enough to secure the 2026 FIM Youth Enduro World Championship on Saturday.
Arriving in Wales with a healthy championship advantage, the Italian didn’t need to chase victory and produced a measured ride to finish second and seal his first world title.
Fantic’s Valentin Mersin took the day win, finishing 16 seconds ahead of Scardina, while Yago Dominguez completed the podium in third.
Everything on the line on Sunday
The 2026 FIM EnduroGP World Championship concludes today in Rhayader, with plenty still to be settled.
For the home crowd, Holcombe’s Enduro3 title fight will be one of the big ones, while Rowett and Holmes will look to repeat their Women’s podium performances and Watson will be aiming to build on his overall top-three finish.
At the sharp end, Garcia has the chance to complete his season with a landmark 50th EnduroGP victory, while just one point separates Verona and Pichon in Enduro2.
For complete results, visit: https://www.endurogp.com/2026-results/
Watch FIM EnduroGP LIVE on FIM-MOTO.TV
The Forsitservices GP of Wales will be live streamed on FIM-MOTO.TV. From Friday, experience the excitement of the AKRAPOVIC Super Test with the complete, high-definition live stream. On Saturday and Sunday, watch final EXPOTRADE Cross Test of the day as riders race for victory, world titles and a place on the podium.
For more information visit: fim-moto.tv.com
Images courtesy of EnduroGP
