Garcia does the double in Hungary | Ruprecht suffers mechanical issue

2022 FIM EnduroGP World Championship
EnduroGP of Hungary – Round Six

Friday Super Test

GASGAS Factory Racing’s Andrea Verona clinched this year’s AKRAPOVIC Super Test series at the penultimate round of the WPTGlobal FIM EnduroGP World Championship in Hungary.

Taking it in style with a win, the Italian set the fastest time tonight in Zalaegerszeg. With a firm grasp on this year’s overall series, Verona was determined to put his name at the top of the standings in Zalaegerszeg and wrap things up with one round to spare.

Putting in a lightning-fast lap, the GASGAS rider powered his way around the tight and twisty course. Setting a time over one second quicker than his rivals, he comfortably took the win.

After securing a double victory last weekend in Slovakia, TM Racing’s Wil Ruprecht carried that high-speed momentum into Hungary and clocked the second fastest time of the night. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Josep Garcia was hot on his heels to complete the top three.

Always a top performer in the AKRAPOVIC Super Test, Husqvarna’s Alex Salvini was fourth, with Sweden’s Albin Elowson (Husqvarna) completing the top five.

Andrea Verona

“Winning the AKRAPOVIC Super Test series is an awesome way to start the weekend. I’ve really enjoyed racing the super test this year and feel like I’ve improved a lot in it. I won two rounds and always finished inside the top four, so I’m happy about that. Although it’s a short test, it’s difficult to master. There’s no warm-up, the body is cold and there are a lot of spectators watching, so it’s tough to perform in.”

GP of Hungary AKRAPOVIC Super Test

1. Andrea Verona (GASGAS) 1:36.02
2. Wil Ruprecht (TM Racing) 1:37.25
3. Josep Garcia (KTM) 1:37.99
4. Alex Salvini (Husqvarna) 1:38.48
5. Albin Elowson (Husqvarna) 1:38.65
6. Steve Holcombe (Beta) 1:39.04
7. Brad Freeman (Beta) 1:39.11
8. Antoine Magain (Sherco) 1:39.18
9. Mikael Persson (Husqvarna) 1:39.40
10. Nathan Watson (Honda) 1:39.79

AKRAPOVIC Super Test Series Standings

1. Andrea Verona (GASGAS) 98pts
2. Josep Garcia (KTM) 74pts
3. Brad Freeman (Beta) 70pts
4. Thomas Oldrati (Honda) 61pts
5. Zach Pichon (Sherco) 52pts

Day 1 (Saturday)

Marking the penultimate round of this year’s WPTGlobal FIM EnduroGP World Championship, the opening day of racing at the GP of Hungary was filled with twists and turns across the classes. Most notably for the EnduroGP category, it proved quite decisive in the standings.

With the battle for this year’s world crown being played out between Verona and Ruprecht, Saturday in Zalaegerszeg was exciting. A double victory last weekend in Slovakia saw Ruprecht reduce Verona’s lead to 11 points, and the Australian was determined to attack again.

At the end of the opening ACERBIS Cross Test, the battle was very much on, with Garcia, Ruprecht, and Verona separated by just half of a second. With the POLISPORT Extreme Test ending lap one of four, the lead swapped hands with Ruprecht now in front, Verona second, and Garcia in third. And with the top eight split by less than 10 seconds, things couldn’t have been tighter.

On the second ACERBIS Cross Test, Garcia pushed hard and retook the race lead. Things continued to swap and change on lap two with Ruprecht setting the pace on the JUST1 Enduro Test. The top three also had company with Watson and Fast Eddy Racing’s Jamie McCanney entering the mix.

At the end of lap three, Garcia had finally put some time into his rivals to open up a seven-second lead over Ruprecht. But on the following JUST1 Enduro Test that would all change again. A mechanical issue knocked Ruprecht out of contention. His misfortune was Watson’s gain, with the Brit now up to second over Verona and McCanney.

Holding firm, Garcia went on to win the final ACERBIS Cross Test to claim his first victory since crashing out of the GP of Italy at round three. Watson kept Verona at bay by less than two seconds to finish his day as the runner-up. Claiming his best result of the season, McCanney took a well-deserved fourth, while JET Zanardo Husqvarna’s Alex Salvini fended off Fantic’s Daniel Milner for fifth.

Enduro1

In Enduro1, Verona put a virtual grasp on this year’s title with his 10th win. The Italian, capitalising on closest rival Thomas Oldrati (Honda) finishing ninth, looks likely to claim the crown tomorrow. With his best performance of the season to date, McCanney enjoyed his first visit to the podium with second. Daniel Milner claimed third.

Enduro2

Garcia was top dog in Enduro2, taking the win over Watson in second. Salvini returned to the podium for the first time since round two’s GP of Portugal for third.

Enduro3

It was a memorable day for WP Eric Auge’s Jaume Betriu with the Spaniard racing to the Enduro3 class win. Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Mikael Persson finished just six seconds behind as runner- up, with TM Racing’s Matteo Pavoni only another one second behind Persson in third.

Juniors

Returning to his own winning ways, Team Sherco CH Racing’s Zach Pichon moved closer to clinching the Enduro Junior title. The Frenchman claimed one of the largest winning margins of the day in Hungary, with a 33-second victory over Roni Kytonen (Honda) in second, and Albin Norrbin (Fantic) third.

Enduro Youth saw Sherco’s Thibault Giraudon come through for the win after a titanic battle with Fantic’s Kevin Cristino. Samuli Puhakainen (TM) took third, with championship leader Harry Edmondson (Fantic) in fourth.

Day 1 Results – MXGP of Hungary 2022

Day 2 (Sunday)

The penultimate round of the WPTGlobal FIM EnduroGP World Championship saw our first champions of the season crowned in winning style, with Verona topping Enduro1 and Pichon doing likewise in Enduro Junior.

As he’s been all year, Verona was once again the rider to beat in Enduro1. With the prospect of taking the Enduro1 title with a round to spare locked in his sights, the Italian put on a masterclass in Enduro1. Racing to a clear victory, the GASGAS rider ended his day as world champion.

Andrea Verona – 2022 Enduro1 Champion

“It’s such a great feeling to have now won three Enduro1 titles in a row and the last two with GASGAS. It’s been an incredible effort from the whole team to build me such a great bike and I have to thank everyone involved with what we have achieved over the last two seasons. The level in EnduroGP is so high right now that mistakes can easily happen. I had a couple of small crashes Saturday which cost me some time and maybe some positions in EnduroGP, but I ended up third on Saturday and second on Sunday which increased my lead to 28 points. I won both days in Enduro1 which was enough to secure the title a round early so now, the focus is on the final round in Germany and the EnduroGP title. I need to be as prepared as possible for that one and I’m looking forward to the battle.”

For Pichon, the pressure of clinching his debut world crown was very real today, but the young Frenchman kept his cool. Opting to go for it in style, the Sherco rider won the day and with it the title. In what’s proved to be an incredible rookie season for the Frenchman, Zach looks set to challenge the sport’s best in the years to come.

Riding high on momentum following his EnduroGP win on Saturday, Garcia set about winning again on Sunday. Impressive in the beaten-up and rough special tests, the Spaniard was quickest in six of the day’s special tests to secure a 27-second margin of victory.

With one eye on the Enduro1 title and another on building his advantage in EnduroGP, Verona chased Garcia home for the runner-up result. Importantly heading off closest rival Wil Ruprecht (TM Racing), the Italian has extended his lead to 28 points with just the final round of the season in Germany now remaining.

After yesterday’s disappointment of a mechanical issue and then subsequent disqualification, Ruprecht fought back today for third overall to keep his own title hopes alive. A strong ride saw him finish just 10 seconds behind Verona.

Putting in one of the day’s most impressive rides, Spain’s Marc Sans was feeling at home in the hot, dry, and dusty conditions. Holding off JET Zanardo Husqvarna’s Alex Salvini by four seconds, he took fourth. Delivering another top-five ride in Hungary, Salvini was pleased with his efforts for fifth.

Daniel Milner was a DNF on Sunday.

Enduro1

With Verona racing to the Enduro1 title, Sunday saw yet another strong ride for Fast Eddy Racing’s Jamie McCanney with the Manxman placing as runner-up. Finishing just two seconds behind, Matteo Cavallo (TM) was third.

Enduro2

In Enduro2, Garcia added the class win to his overall EnduroGP victory. Ruprecht took second, while Salvini claimed his first podium result of the season with third.

Josep Garcia

“To be honest, I didn’t expect to win both days overall here in Hungary – I wanted it, but I wasn’t sure if I could pull it off. Right from the very start and the Super Test on Friday I felt really good on the bike. I made a few mistakes there but nothing too big, and I knew if I rode like that all weekend I would be in with a shot at the win. On Saturday, I had a great battle all day and was able to come away with the overall victory. Sunday went pretty much the same way. I did have one quite big crash, but it didn’t cost me too much time and I was able to keep pushing to the end and take the double. I still have a little way to go before I’m 100 percent fit too, so I’ll work on that ahead of the Six Days and then it’s on to Germany for the final round of EnduroGP.”

Enduro3

Enduro3 saw yet another new rider take to the top step of the podium this year with Marc Sans securing his debut win. The Spaniard rode hard in the dust to win by 13 seconds. Consistency is paying off for Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Mikael Persson in this year’s championship fight. Runner-up today sees the Swede retake control of the points lead heading into the final round in Germany. Leo Le Quere (Sherco) completed the top three.

Mikael Persson

“It’s been a solid weekend with good results in Enduro3 for the championship fight. I had a few mistakes throughout each day, but overall I felt strong and consistent. Conditions were tricky in the dust and completely different from last weekend in Slovakia. I had a crash in the first enduro test on Saturday which took a little bit of time to get going from, so that might have cost me a chance of winning there. There’s a bit of a gap now until the final round in Germany in October, so I’ll try to manage that as best I can and give it my best shot there to be world champion.”

Juniors

With Pichon riding to victory to clinch the Enduro Junior title, Roni Kytonen (Honda) finished in second place. Fantic’s Albin Norrbin finished just three seconds behind in third. Enduro Youth saw Fantic’s Kevin Cristino power his way to victory. The Italian took the top step of the podium from Samuli Puhakainen (TM) and Harry Edmondson (Fantic).

Zach Pichon

“It’s an amazing moment in my life. Enduro Junior World Champion feels so good and it’s going to take a bit of time for this to sink in. This is my first season in enduro, and I can’t believe how well it’s gone. With my team we just kept trying hard at every round and I felt like I was in good hands with their support. I think we’ll celebrate tonight!”

The WPTGlobal FIM EnduroGP World Championship concludes with the seventh and final round of the season in Zschopau, Germany on October 14-16.

Day 2 Results – MXGP of Hungary 2022

EnduroGP Standings

E1 Standings

E2 Standings

E3 Standings