VOL. 53 ISSUE 15 APRIL 19, 2016 P31
podium was just within
reach of Robert, but he
didn't quite make the cut.
On day one (Saturday)
it was Matt Phillips who
claimed the overall vic-
tory aboard his Sherco.
He topped Frenchman
Mathias Bellino in the
final extreme test to claim
the victory on day one,
with little more than three
seconds separating them
at the finish.
"It all came down to
the last extreme test and
I went for it," said Phillips.
"It was pretty much a bat-
tleground so I took some com-
pletely different lines and gave
it everything, and it worked. It's
great to get on top of the podium
in these conditions. It was a
tough day for everyone."
Steve Holcolmbe was also in
the running for the overall win
heading into the final test, but
several mistakes relegated him
to a third-place finish in Endu-
roGP, though he held on for the
E3 class win.
"I thought I'd blown it on the
final extreme test," Holcombe
said. "I made a number of mis-
takes, but they affected my over-
all result more than the Enduro 3
result. It was a difficult day, but I
enjoyed it."
Following the rainy, muddy
conditions on day one, the
special tests were all but impass-
able. As a result, the course was
shortened from three laps to two
on Sunday, and all three special
tests were altered in order to
keep the event running.
Day two saw Holcombe turn
his luck around to claim his
career-first EnduroGP victory. "I
got close to winning on day one
so to finally get the job done and
a first EnduroGP win to my name
is great," Holcombe said. "The
tests were pretty tough in places
but the organizers did a great job
in working on the track over-
night. I just kept pushing on all
tests and everything went well."
Factory TM rider Eero Remes
pushed Holcombe hard through-
out the day, nearly besting the
big bikes aboard his 250cc four-
stroke. Fellow E1 rider Nathan
Watson rounded out the Endu-
roGP podium, finishing just 15
seconds off Holcombe's pace.
World Enduro racers now
have a one-month break before
the third stop of the series in
Grevena, Greece where rounds
five and six will take place May
21-22. CN
Matt Phillips topped the E2 podium
(pictured) as well as EnduroGP class
on Saturday.
Day two podium finisher Nathan
Watson blasts his way through the
muddy Portuguese terrain.
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
FUTURE
7
MEDIA
