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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1134532
IN THE WIND P32 McCanney, Salvini Split EnduroGP Wins I t was a weekend of contrast at the fifth round of the FIM Maxxis Enduro World Championship in Rovetta, Italy, June 22-23. Severe thunderstorms played havoc with the racers on Saturday, while sun- shine and warm weather prevailed on Sunday. The diverse weather conditions also produced two dif- ferent winners. It was a four-rider shootout all Saturday, with Sherco's Matteo Cavallo, Honda's Thomas Oldrati, Beta's Steve Holcombe and TM's Danny McCanney all fighting it out for the overall win, and they all had their chances at one point. The four protagonists had an absolutely fantastic battle over the three laps, which made up the day's racing. The top positions alternated between Cavallo and Ol- drati and then back to Holcombe. But it was McCanney who put an end to this constant switch-up when the factory Beta rider pipped his rivals by 0.006 of a second for his first-ever overall EnduroGP win. His compatriot Holcombe had to settle for second, while Cavallo completed the top three overall. Oldrati finished fourth ahead of E2- class winner Loic Larrieu (TM). EnduroGP Championship points leader Brad Freeman (Beta) strug- gled through the day with pain from a broken collarbone but kept his title chances alive with a seventh. Another title contender, Alex Salvini (Honda), who was also dealing with an injury, took ninth. David Knight topped the Senior class. "I'm thrilled; this first EnduroGP win means a lot to me," said McCan- ney. "The day began badly—my chain came off in the first Extreme test, but when the rain started pouring down, I felt very comfortable with the conditions." "What a day!" said Cavallo who topped the E1 class. "I have not often experienced this type of rac- ing conditions in Italy, it was crazy. But I'm so happy to take my first E1 win and to have been running at the front of EnduroGP during the day. Now that I have tasted victory, I want more!" Despite the warmer and sunnier weather, the course was still wet and challenging from Saturday's rainfall. This time, Salvini shrugged off the pain from his shoulder injury and took maximum points in both the E2 class and EnduroGP (overall). The Italian finished 42 seconds clear of his nearest rival, Larrieu. French rider Antoine Basset (Husqvarna) turned a lot of heads with third overall on the day. He was in the top five in every special test Sunday. Holcombe started off fast but faded as the day went on, as he's still dealing with an energy-sapping virus. He ended up fourth, while Saturday's winner McCanney took fifth overall. McCanney had his chain come off in the very first test on Sunday and spent the rest of the day play- ing catch up. Freeman, 10th on the day, still leads the EnduroGP Championship but by only four points over Hol- combe. McCanney is another 19 points back in third. Freeman also leads E1 over Oldrati and Cavallo. Salvini is the new leader in E2 but by only one point over Larrieu. Holcombe enjoys a comfort- able lead over McCanney in E3, 191-179. CN EnduroGP Saturday 1. Danny McCanney (TM) 2. Steve Holcombe (Bet) 3. Matteo Cavallo (She) 4. Thomas Oldrati (Hon) 5. Loic Larrieu (TM) Sunday 1. Alex Salvini (Hon) 2. Loic Larrieu (TM) 3. Antoine Basset (Hus) 4. Steve Holcombe (Bet) 5. Danny McCanney (TM) (L-R) Steve Holcombe, Danny McCanney and Matteo Cavallo celebrate on Saturday's EnduroGP podium in Italy. PHOTO: FUTURE7MEDIA