Freeman and Holcombe on the podium at the first of the Italian Championship
The first and second stages of the Italian Enduro 2023 Championship were held on Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th March in Andora (SV) under a warm spring sun with the presence of a large crowd of fans, who flocked to the special stages on both days of competition.
For the opening stage of the season, the Motoclub Alassio designed a very technical and tricky course, with a total length of around 70 km, which saw the Beta Factory riders compete in four high-level special tests to be repeated three times, for a total of twelve special tests per day.
The race course included in order: a technical and fast cross test of 2 km length, located next to the Paddock, on the beach of Andora, followed by a high level Extreme special test to be run on hard and stony terrain of 3.5 km, a second cross test in a classic flat 2.5 km long and, to close, an Enduro Test of over seven minutes inside a forest.
The Beta Factory Enduro Team turned out in full force with Brad Freeman, riding the Beta RR 300 2T Factory, and Steve Holcombe on the Beta RR 390 4T Factory.
On Saturday, Brad Freeman rode an excellent race, demonstrating his top form. After the first special stages, the current World Champion in the E3 class was in second position, but on the last scheduled lap he made the decisive attack and overtook the provisional leader to win the Overall.
Also on the following day Brad literally dominated the Overall ranking, distancing his rivals considerably and signing a splendid one-two. On Day 2, Steve Holcombe also put in an excellent performance, finishing in third place. Steve, however, had come close to the podium on Saturday, taking a good fourth place.
In the Foreigners class the Beta riders dominated, taking two first positions with Brad Freeman and a third and a second position with Steve Holcombe.
After the first stage of the 2023 season, Team and riders will be busy for the second stage on the penultimate weekend of March (18th and 19th) in Grado (GO) before the inaugural GP of the Enduro World Championship, scheduled for April 1st and 2nd 2023 in Arma di Taggia (IM).
BRAD FREEMAN
“A great start to the season, the two wins at Andora were not a foregone conclusion because my opponents are tough and fast. This weekend was also fundamental to prepare for the World Championship opening, because of the type of terrain and special stages. Now we have to concentrate for the next appointment, which will be in Grado, for the third and fourth round of the Absolute.”
STEVE HOLCOMBE
“I am happy with the race in Andora because some very good results came out, even though I did not risk much, in all the special tests. In addition, I am very satisfied with the speed on the sand, which will be the terrain of both the next round of the Absolute and the Cross Test that we will find in Arma di Taggia for the first round of the World Enduro Championship.”
