VIDEO. Brad Freeman Strikes Back on Day Two at EnduroGP of Italy

Day two of the GP of Italy delivered some of the closest racing of the opening round, with Brad Freeman taking a hard-fought overall victory and confirming that he is fully back in the fight after missing the entire 2025 season through injury.

The Beta Factory Team rider showed his class in Sicily, managing a fiercely competitive day where the gaps were tiny from the first test to the last. With 14 world champions in the EnduroGP field and the top 10 separated by just 44 seconds after nearly an hour of racing, there was no room for mistakes.

Freeman returns to the top

Early on, Steve Holcombe looked ready to answer back after finishing second on day one, setting the pace in the opening tests and building a small lead over Freeman. But the race turned in the penultimate GMOTO Enduro Test, where Holcombe crashed and lost control of the overall standings.

Freeman took full advantage, setting the fastest time and moving into the lead. From there, he used all of his experience to manage the pressure and hold on for victory by 4.92 seconds.

“Mentally it was tough today to manage things, but I kept pushing. Taking the win and seeing my daughter’s face at the end made it worth it. Coming back to racing with a win is great, I feel like it’s going to be a good year,” said Freeman.

Verona second, Garcia charges back to the podium

Behind Freeman, Andrea Verona delivered another strong ride to finish second overall, while Josep Garcia came alive in the final two tests to recover from sixth and grab the last step of the podium.

Antoine Magain ended the day in fourth, just ahead of Holcombe, with the top five covered by only 12 seconds at the finish.

Garcia also claimed another Enduro1 win, beating Magain in the final test by the smallest of margins. In Enduro2, Verona got the better of Nathan Watson late in the day to secure victory, while Freeman doubled up with the Enduro3 win ahead of Holcombe.

Martel makes it two from two

In the Expotrade Women’s Enduro class, Justine Martel completed a perfect weekend. After taking her first-ever world championship win on day one, the French Beta rider backed it up with another victory on Sunday to leave Sicily with maximum confidence and the early points lead.

“To win both days is a great weekend for me. Over the winter I worked hard to improve, and with a new bike and new team, it’s going in the right direction this season,” said Martel.

Behind her, Marine Lemoine came through for second, while Rachel Gutish lost out on victory hopes after a late 30-second penalty and had to settle for third. Sara Traini again topped the Junior Women’s class on home soil.

Elgari stays perfect, Pasquato takes Youth win

In Tsubaki Junior Enduro, Alberto Elgari made it two wins from two in Italy, beating Romain Dagna after another tight battle. The gap between them was just four seconds at the finish.

“It’s been a super solid day for me winning again and going 1-1 in Italy. We put a lot of work in during the winter and it’s incredible to see it pay off,” said Elgari.

In Putoline Youth Enduro, Riccardo Pasquato turned second place on day one into victory on day two, putting together a clean and consistent ride to win by 21 seconds.

“Today, I rode well without mistakes. I tried to learn from those yesterday and it helped a lot. My speed is good, so I’m really happy with this win,” said Pasquato.

Sicily sets the tone

If day one showed how deep the 2026 EnduroGP field is, day two confirmed it. Freeman is back, Garcia and Verona are already in championship mode, and every category looks packed with riders capable of fighting at the front.

The championship now heads to Oliana, Spain, for round two on May 1-3.