TM MOTO Boano Factory Enduro Team’s Zach Pichon raced to a dominant victory on day one at round three of the Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship at the POLISPORT GP of Sweden.
- Zach Pichon secures EnduroGP day one win
- Axel Semb cards Junior class victory
- Riders face challenging conditions at POLISPORT GP of Sweden
The opening day of racing at round three of the Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship proved a test of character for the riders. Described as tough, technical and physical, the POLISPORT GP of Sweden put everyone through their paces on the rugged, rocky, stony terrain. With mistakes aplenty, those who could best limit their errors came to the fore.
Pichon masters tough enduro terrain to win in Sweden
Feeling quietly confident in his abilities on the unforgiving Swedish terrain, TM MOTO Boano Factory Enduro Team’s Zach Pichon hit the ground running this morning by winning the opening GMOTO Enduro Test, ahead of GASGAS Factory Racing’s Andrea Verona, with KTM Factory Racing’s Josep Garcia third fastest.
As they exited the first ACERBIS Cross Test, won by Garcia, Verona still led overall, but only 0.57 seconds separated Verona, Garcia and Pichon. Closing out lap one with the POLISPORT Extreme Test, it was home favourite Mikael Persson who took a historic first EnduroGP class special test win for the Triumph Racing Factory Enduro Team. With Pichon placing second to Persson, the Frenchman moved himself into the race lead as they headed out on lap two of three.
Fastest again on the GMOTO Enduro Test, Pichon strengthened his advantage to 14 seconds over Garcia in second, with Sherco Racing Factory’s Hamish Macdonald now up to third. Persson had slotted into fourth, pushing Verona back to an uncomfortable fifth. Closing out lap two with the fastest time in the POLISPORT Extreme Test, Pichon was beginning to pull clear of his rivals on the most demanding of terrain.
Making it four wins from four starts in the day’s GMOTO Enduro Test, Pichon completed the third and final lap of day one at the POLISPORT GP of Sweden with a remarkable 48-second margin of victory in EnduroGP. Consistent all day, but unable to find the measure of Pichon’s pace, Garcia had to be content with second.
Macdonald, Verona and Persson were never far away from Garcia, with only 16 seconds separating second to fifth. Battling his way onto the podium, Macdonald took third by less than two seconds over Verona in fourth. Finishing just under four seconds shy of claiming a podium result on home soil, Persson could be pleased with his efforts in fifth, but will aim for more today.
Garcia challenged by Persson for Enduro1 victory
Garcia continued his unbeaten run of form in Enduro1 to secure his fifth class win of the season. However, he didn’t have an easy ride to victory. Pushing him all the way, Persson topped all three special tests on the final lap to finish 16 seconds adrift as runner-up. Nearly three minutes back, Honda Racing RedMoto Enduro Team’s Samuele Bernardini rounded out the top three in Enduro1.
Thanks to his EnduroGP win, Pichon also won the Enduro2 class for the fourth time in 2025. Unable to match the pace of the Frenchman, Verona ended his day in second, while Beta Factory Enduro Team’s Nathan Watson was third.
Capping off an excellent ride at the POLISPORT GP of Sweden, Macdonald secured his fourth win of the season in Enduro3. Making it a Sherco 1-2, Antoine Magain joined him on the podium in second. Taking third, TM MOTO Boano Factory Enduro Team’s Leo Le Quere denied Sherco a clean sweep of the rostrum on day one in Sweden.
Axel Semb controls Junior class for dominant victory
Quickly putting a disappointing AKRAPOVIC Super Test behind him, Fantic Factory Racing Team’s Axel Semb got to work on day one of the POLISPORT GP of Sweden. The rocks, stones and roots favoured the young Swede, and immediately he proved himself as the rider to beat in the Junior class.
Unmatched, the Fantic rider topped the opening seven special tests of the day to establish a one-minute-and-16-second lead over MGR Kawasaki’s Kyron Bacon in second. A small crash on the final Cross Test lost him some time, but never enough to unsettle his pace. Holding firm, he took a much-deserved home win in the Junior class.
Back on pace after an illness-hit GP of Spain, Bacon returned to the Junior podium with second position. The Australian improved greatly as the day progressed and will aim to start day two even stronger.
In the battle for the final step of the podium, Fantic Factory Racing Enduro Team Specia’s Kevin Cristino edged out Ox Moto Beta’s Leo Joyon by less than three seconds to claim third, thanks to a win on the final GMOTO Enduro Test. With Joyon pushed back to fourth, Thibault Giraudon (Sherco) completed the top five.
Alberto Elgari races to Youth class win
The celebrations were high in the TM MOTO Boano Factory Enduro Team camp at the end of day one, with Alberto Elgari winning the Youth class to add to the team’s EnduroGP win with Pichon. The Italian was fast from the off this morning, topping both the opening GMOTO Enduro Test and ACERBIS Cross Test to establish an early eight-second lead over Team KTM Pro Racing Sport’s Romain Dagna in second.
By the beginning of the third and final lap, Dagna had reduced the gap to just four seconds, but Elgari wasn’t ready to let the victory slip away. Increasing his rhythm, he steadily extended his advantage to win by 20 seconds.
A strong final lap by Fantic Factory Racing Enduro Team Specia’s Pietro Scardina saw Dagna’s second place come under threat. An incredible run on the final GMOTO Enduro Test, resulted in Scardina overhauling Dagna to take second, pushing the Frenchman back to third.
Zach Pichon (TM MOTO): “I’m really happy with my day and my riding to get this win. I felt great on the Enduro Test and didn’t really make any mistakes. That was the key to today. With the rocks and roots, it was tricky. Hopefully, we can repeat this again tomorrow.”
Josep Garcia (KTM): “Today feels like a win. I haven’t been able to ride properly after my crash at the GP of Spain, so it was a challenging race for me. Honestly, I’m happy with this result. Tomorrow, we will try for more!”
Hamish Macdonald (Sherco): “I’ve been working so hard to get to this moment and this EnduroGP podium. I think the conditions were my style today. I feel comfortable in the stones and my preparation in the past really helped a lot for today. Honestly, I’m over the moon and lost for words on this result. Thanks to my team, sponsors and family for the support!”
Axel Semb (Fantic): “I got a good feeling in the tests straight away and pulled a big gap on lap one. Unluckily, in the final Cross Test I had one crash and lost some time. But it’s been a great day, with lots of home support.”
Alberto Elgari (TM MOTO): “From lap two until the finish, I found my groove and was able to increase my rhythm and take the win. It’s my second win of the season and the feeling on the bike is getting better all of the time.”
Results: POLISPORT GP of Sweden, Day 1
EnduroGP
1. Zach Pichon (TM MOTO) 1:09:49.26; 2. Josep Garcia (KTM) 1:10:37.65; 3. Hamish Macdonald (Sherco) 1:10:49.87; 4. Andrea Verona (GASGAS) 1:10:51.49; 5. Mikael Persson (Triumph) 1:10:53.67; 6 Nathan Watson (Beta) 1:11:37.04; 7. Max Ahlin (KTM) 1:11:57.81; 8. Antoine Magain (Sherco) 1:12:05.32; 9. Theo Espinasse (Sherco) 1:12:16.81; 10. Albin Norrbin (Fantic) 1:12:24.12…
Words and Images by EnduroGP
