The second round of the 2026 EnduroGP World Championship saw riders battle it out over the 52 km of the demanding Oliana track in Spain. For the Beta Factory Enduro team, it was a weekend of intense thrills and great suffering, marked by the incredible tenacity of Brad Freeman.

The Englishman had got off to a flying start, recording the second-fastest time overall in Friday’s Super Test. On Saturday, whilst leading both the EnduroGP and E3 classes, he was the victim of a nasty crash on the final lap of the Enduro Test, sustaining a severe abdominal contusion from hitting the handlebars. Despite the acute pain, Freeman gritted his teeth, incredibly managing to win the day in the E3 class and finish seventh overall. Having received the all-clear from the doctors, he bravely lined up at the start on Sunday as well. “It was a long and gruelling race weekend. I crashed on Saturday and took a heavy knock. Fortunately, it wasn’t serious, although the pain was intense on both days. Despite the injury, we’re heading home with the E3 class lead, and now I’ll try to recover for the Finnish GP,” said an indomitable Freeman.

A bittersweet weekend for Nathan Watson. The Briton was having an excellent Saturday, climbing up to third position overall and taking the lead in the E2 class with just a few special stages to go, but a few mistakes in the final stages ruled him out of the podium. “It’s vital to avoid any mistakes that could compromise the final result. On Saturday I set some excellent times, whereas on Sunday I wasn’t able to perform at my best. Now the aim is to stay fully focused for Finland,” commented Watson.

Also worth noting are the excellent performances of the young Beta riders: Diego Haution took third position in Junior 2 (fifth in the overall Junior standings on Sunday), whilst Clauzier Clement took fourth position in Junior 1 on Saturday, followed by Davide Mei’s fifth position in the same category on Sunday. The team is now preparing for the Scandinavian round at Salpausselkä, scheduled for 22–24 May.

Portugal hosted the 21st edition of the legendary Extreme XL Lagares, the second round of the Hard Enduro World Championship. The event, spread over three days and different tracks, saw over 300 participants battle it out.

For Alfredo Gómez, it was a hard-fought race that unfortunately did not yield the desired result. After an excellent start (fourth on Friday and second on Saturday), the Spaniard paid dearly for a few mistakes in Sunday’s main event, slipping to thirteenth place overall. “On Sunday I made several mistakes that compromised the final result,” admitted the rider.

A spectacular performance, however, from James Moore. He established himself firmly in the overall leading group right from the start. He commented: “Overall, a positive weekend: I started by managing my race, then in the long stage I reacted well despite a few mistakes and a penalty. On the final day I felt in good form right from the start. I got off to a good start and for most of the race I battled for second place with Mitch Brightmore. In the end, I finished sixth overall and first in the junior category.”

The standout result of the Portuguese weekend, however, came from Sandra Gómez, who dominated unchallenged and claimed the first position in the Women’s category. The next round of the world championship will take the riders to the USA, to Silver Kings, from 18 to 20 June.

Photo by @artracing.