Few riders lining up for this year’s FIM Hard Enduro world championship have achieved the kind of success Alfredo Gomez has. The 32-year old Spaniard has a string of prestigious wins under his belt at the Erzberg, Hixpania, Extreme XL Lagares, Last Dog Standing and Machete Hard Enduro… Just to name those. Helming his own AGR team, while returning to GasGas, the former junior Trial world champ is set for another epic season of hard enduro racing.


After four years of Husqvarna we not only see you switch bikes to GasGas but you also established your own Alfredo Gomez Racing team over the winter. How did this move come about?

Alfredo Gomez: “The idea of starting my own team had been on my mind for a few years. As it turned out the timing was right this winter with factory teams reducing in size. Admittedly it’s not easy but I think we have a lack of non-factory teams in the Hard Enduro World Championship. Most efforts focus on rental bike services rather than give the complete support that a team does. That’s why I decided to start this project together with two young riders. We have Marc Fernandez and Suff Sella who will race in the Junior class. They have been training with me and living next to me and this fresh start has been very exciting! When I was coming up as a trials rider with GasGas I got picked up by a Spanish project called “School of champions” and it has meant a lot for me. I’m doing something similar with hard enduro you could say.”

No SuperEnduro for you this winter, was that because you were too busy setting up the team?

Gomez: “No, I actually had made my mind up about SuperEnduro before. Billy Bolt is at a very, very high level now and to win in SuperEnduro you always have to take quite a lot of risks. I like to challenge for a win, to fight for a podium is not that motivating to me. In 2020 I finished fourth overall but I had way too many start crashes. I’ve been doing SuperEnduro for 14 years and it was the right thing for me to stop. I did’t win the title but I was runner-up twice. As a sport I still enjoy it though. I still practice SuperEnduro because it has it’s place in hard enduro where almost every prologue is on a SuperEnduro track.”

How does it feel as a Spanish rider to return to GasGas?

Gomez: “(laughing) First of all the colours suit me because I like to dress in red! It’s fantastic to see the GasGas tradition go on like this. I started my career with GasGas and inside the KTM family I received this opportunity to be supported to return to the brand with my team. You could say it has come full circle so why not! I like a new challenge and the timing was right for me. I’m 32 now and would like to continue for another three to five seasons. To have a strong, established team by the time I quit racing would be a dream come true.”


You have the technical skills, fitness and drive to continue at a high level and be successful. Graham Jarvis won the last Erzberg Rodeo at the age of 44, is he an inspiration as far as career longevity goes?

Gomez: “I take my hat off to Graham, but I don’t want to continue to race at high level at 47 like him! But I definitely still enjoy racing. Being on a grid right before a start is one of my favourite things to do. If I’m not racing one month I miss the feeling already. I started very early in racing in trials. By now I’ve had a rider license for 27 years. That takes its toll. I can only imagine that the body is not the same at 40 as it is at 30, so let’s see how it goes. As long as I can win I will continue.”

Obviously you’re riding, coaching and managing in your new role. What is it like to be in that position?

Gomez: “Actually, it has been super positive so far. For training it’s been very good for me, surprisingly so I might say! With Marc and Suff we push the limit almost everyday. In the morning on the bike, in the afternoon when we go skiing, mountainbiking, swimming or whatever we do. Organizing and managing is a new thing for me but luckily I’m well supported, I have Mihai Birca helping me out on that front.”

What bike(s) will you be using this year?

Gomez: “I have an MC 450F to play around with. That’s for motocross training and my snowbike kit. The power is amazing but for the rest of the season I will go with the GasGas EC 300, which is a two stroke. I really like the characteristics of that bike. As far as the preparation of my racing bike go I can count on the Farioli team where my old mechanic Giorgio will look after my bikes. They will also help me with the transport of the bike for the European races. That’s a great relief for me and one less thing to think about. I know everyone in the team they and they know what I prefer as a rider. I’m lucky to be able to continue to work with Giorgio because we’ve already been together for six years. We don’t need to say a lot to understand each other.”


You already won a lot of big races but one “major” remains elusive. So what would you prefer to win Erzberg a third time or win Romaniacs a first time?

Gomez: “Let’s say that Romaniacs is the main goal to fill the gap on my win list! I’ve been second three times in Romania so it would be nice to get it checked off.”

Last year you had some ups and downs in the first Hard Enduro World championship and you finished sixth overall. What’s your goal for this season?

Gomez: “I know I can be on the podium in almost every race in hard enduro. Yes, I was runner-up in the WESS but there were also some cross country races where I was not so competitive. My roots are in trial so technical races, for which hard enduro is so well known, suit me best. The goal is to fight for the podium everytime and win races. Battling for the world title is of course the objective but Manni (Lettenbichler) is very strong and so is Billy Bolt. Let’s see how the season goes and let’s say that a spot on the overall podium would be a really good result for me.”

Any races that you look particularly forward to?

Gomez: “I really like Erzberg, because that’s always super special. And like I said I’ve marked out Romaniacs on my calendar. But it’s a very hard, long and tricky race. That makes it quite unpredictable.”

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photos (c) Mihai Birca