Cycle News

Cycle News 2023 Issue 22 June 6

Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles

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Holcombe, Garcia Share EnduroGP Of Sweden Wins B eta's Steve Holcombe and KTM's Josep Gar- cia both spent time at the top of the box during the FIM EnduroGP of Sweden, June 2-4. Garcia kicked things off with the overall victory on day one, but Holcombe came back to win day two. Going head-to-head with Beta's Brad Freeman, Gar - cia narrowly beat his rival for the win on day one by just eight seconds after almost one hour and 30 minutes of timed racing. Proving just how tight the top three are in EnduroGP, Holcombe closed out the podium just 19 seconds behind his teammate Free - man. "I felt good on the bike the whole day, which was important because the fight at the top is so tight," said Garcia. "I had one crash, but luckily it wasn't too major. I'm enjoying the battle now; everything is feeling good and I'm ready for more tomor - row." "It's been good results all round, but I feel like I let that win slip away, if I'm honest about it," said Freeman. "Josep and my- self were battling every test and in the final enduro test I lost nine seconds and that was it." "Finishing on the podium again is brilliant," said Hol - combe, "but I wasn't quite able to get to Josep and Brad today. After walking all the tests, they didn't cut in how I expected them to and I think that caught me off guard a bit. I'll do some homework tonight and see if I can close the gap tomorrow." Garcia was again leading on day two when the KTM rider suf - fered a hard crash that took him out of the race. Unfortunately for the Spaniard, Garcia sustained a broken collarbone that will require surgery. It turns out Holcombe did all his homework and emerged as the day's winner after overtaking Freeman on the final lap. It was Holcombe's first victory of 2023. RedMoto Honda's Nathan Watson thrived in the Swedish terrain for third. In the championship stand - ings, Freeman has pulled out to a substantial lead over his Beta teammate, Holcombe, 151-127. Garcia is third with 112, and Ve- rona is fourth with 108. Sherco's Hamish MacDonald is fifth with 81 points. CN Day One 1. Josep Garcia (KTM) 2. Brad Freeman (Bet) 3. Steve Holcombe (Bet) 4. Nathan Watson (Hon) 5. Andreas Verona (GG) Day Two 1. Steve Holcombe (Bet) 2. Brad Freeman (Bet) 3. Nathan Watson (Hon) 4. Andrea Verona (GG) 5. Theo Espinasse (Bet) WIND IN THE P68 Steve Holcombe closed out the EnduroGP of Sweden with the win, padding his championship points lead. PHOTO: FUTURE7MEDIA

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