With just one round of the 2018 FIM EnduroGP World Championship remaining Beta factory rider Steve Holcombe has extended his lead at the top of the series’ overall standings following impressive results at the penultimate round of the series, the EnduroGP of France. Finishing agonisingly close to the EnduroGP class win on day one, Steve then topped the second day in style to move 30 points ahead in the EnduroGP championship standings.
With the unseasonably dry weather resulting in the cancelation of the second day’s cross-country race, the event featured two sprint enduros. Day one started well for Steve but two small crashes cost him dearly. Ahead by the narrowest of margins going into the final test, he was edged out for the overall day win by 0.71 of a second. With the second day comprising of just six special tests there was no room for error. Topping the time sheets on two of the opening three tests, Steve managed his lead perfectly and despite not winning any more tests ended the day close to 13 seconds ahead of his nearest challenger, Christophe Nambotin.
Steve Holcombe: “It’s been another great GP for me. Things didn’t run quite as we expected with the cancelation of the planned cross-country race on Sunday, but things worked out great for me. Extending my championship lead with just the final round of the series remaining is a real bonus – I’m now more than one-day ahead going into the final race in Germany. I felt like I rode well all weekend here in France and should have won both days. I made a strong start to the first day but fell twice and gave away too much time. But the second day was better. It was a short day, so there was no time for mistakes, and I pushed hard on the first lap and managed to get ahead. Christophe Nambotin was pushing me hard but I stayed out front and got the win. Onwards and upwards to the final round in Germany now.” (source: future7media)
STORY: Steve Holcombe Takes Enduro GP World Championship Lead
photos (c) Future 7 Media