Sherco Factory Racing’s Steve Holcombe has made an immediate impact on his return to FIM EnduroGP World Championship action, claiming both an Enduro3 class victory and an EnduroGP podium finish at the opening round of the 2026 season in Custonaci, Italy.
Holcombe opened his weekend with a strong performance in the Super Test on Friday evening, posting the ninth fastest time overall as he tackled the rocky Sicilian terrain for the first time as he settled into his first world championship outing with Sherco Racing Factory.
Saturday began with Holcombe immediately in the mix at the front of the field, quickly finding his rhythm across the demanding hard-pack special tests. Consistently running inside the top three overall, the Sherco 300 SE rider remained in the fight for overall honours throughout the day. A strong and composed performance across all three laps resulted in Steve securing second overall in EnduroGP, while also taking a confident victory in the Enduro3 class.
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Sunday saw Steve start the day on top form, settling into the lead after the opening two laps as he built confidence and pace in the increasingly rough conditions. Running at the front of both EnduroGP and Enduro3, a crash on the enduro test during lap three cost Steve valuable time and dropped him out of podium contention in the overall classification. Despite pushing hard through the final tests, he was unable to recover positions in EnduroGP and ultimately finished fifth on the day but still secured second in Enduro3 to secure a valuable points haul.
Holcombe leaves the Italian opener sitting third in the EnduroGP standings, just seven points off the championship lead. In Enduro3, he holds a five-point advantage at the top of the standings, marking a highly positive start to his first season with Sherco Racing Factory.
The 2026 FIM EnduroGP World Championship continues in three weeks’ time with the GP of Spain in Oliana on May 1-3.
Steve Holcombe: “It’s really good to be back in the EnduroGP paddock and back racing again after a tough year away last season. Day one started well and I was right in the fight at the front, battling with Josep which was positive. In the end I was only a few seconds off, but it felt good to be in the mix again. Sunday began strongly too, but unfortunately, I had a crash on the third enduro test. I was lucky to get away with it, and the bike wasn’t in too bad of a shape, so I could carry on and try to recover the time. With how tight the margins are, it was always going to be tough to claw back time, but I kept pushing until the end. Overall, it’s been a solid opening round and a good base to build from.”
Words and Images by Future7Media
