Cycle News

Cycle News 2026 Issue 21 May 27

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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Garcia, Verona Dominant Duo at EnduroGP of Finland R ed Bull KTM Factory Racing's Josep Garcia and Andrea Verona delivered a strong weekend at round three of the 2026 FIM EnduroGP World Championship in Finland, May 23-24, locking out the top two positions in EnduroGP on both days of racing and securing double class victories. After three rounds, the pair now sit first and second in the overall EnduroGP champion - ship standings and lead their respective Enduro1 and Enduro2 title fights. Breaking the KTM stranglehold, TM Moto's Zach Pichon finished third overall on Saturday, and Sherco's Steve Holcombe wrapped up third overall on Sunday. Garcia started Saturday's race exception - ally well, leading all three tests on the first lap and swiftly creating a nine-second gap by the end of the initial lap. Throughout the day, he was in a tight contest with teammate Verona, swapping the lead multiple times before finishing just under one second behind in second place. Although he narrowly missed winning, Garcia maintained a comfortable 47-second lead over third place and was dominant in the Enduro1 category by two minutes and two seconds. "It was a little frustrating because the overall win was so close, but to take P2 in EnduroGP and another win in Enduro1 was still important," Garcia said. Verona enjoyed a breakthrough ride Saturday to secure his first overall EnduroGP victory of the season. After settling into a strong rhythm on lap two, the Italian dominated the latter stages of the day and went head-to-head with Garcia in an incredibly close fight for the win. Delivering when it mattered most, Verona topped the final test to emerge victorious by less than one second while also taking another Enduro2 class win. On Sunday, Garcia and his KTM 250 EXC-F claimed the top spot on the podium once again. He took the lead from the very first test and maintained it throughout the race. As he steadily increased his lead during the day, the Spaniard stayed composed despite pressure from Verona, ultimately winning by just 1.3 seconds. Addition - ally, Garcia continued his undefeated streak in Enduro1 for 2026, earning his sixth class victory in as many race days. "Today the goal was to start strong and stay consistent all day, and we managed to do that," Garcia said. "I'm happy to take the overall win and another victory in Enduro1. I also had a pretty big crash in the second Enduro test after hitting a tree at speed, so I'm relieved to come away okay. Overall, the feeling with the bike was good all weekend. Verona rode a wave of momentum into Sun - day's competition and remained in the fight for victory throughout the day. After two laps, Verona WIND IN THE P58 Andrea Verona squeaked out the overall win by less than a second on Saturday at the EnduroGP of Finland. PHOTOS: FUTURE7MEDIA

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