The final round of the 2020 FIM Enduro World Championship – the GP of Portugal – turned out to be a fruitful one for Britain’s Steve Holcombe (Beta Factory Racing) who raced to his sixth and seventh world titles over the weekend.
Riding Beta’s RR Racing 4T 350, title six came in the Enduro2 class on Saturday – despite a late crash that cost him the overall victory on the day – and marked the Italian manufacturer’s first-ever four-stroke title.
Heading into a stormy final day of competition, Holcombe held a slim four-point advantage in the EnduroGP category over fellow Brit and team-mate Brad Freeman and he secured the title in the final special test of the day when his rival ran out of fuel.
“I’m lost for words right now, it’s hard to explain how much winning this EnduroGP title on the 350F means to both Beta Motorcycles and myself,” said Holcombe. “Today was a crazy day – in a way I guess it’s fitting for how strange 2020 has been. I was behind, kind of where I needed to be but also not able to find the speed I had on day one.
“When the weather turned things changed and, well, here I am as world champion. I feel for Brad because he was doing everything right but in an instant his luck was out. Unfortunately, that’s racing – I’ve been there before and know how that feels.
“On the whole I just can’t thank Beta and all the team’s and my sponsors enough for all they’ve done. We’ve proved again that we’re the best team in the paddock and these titles are for them as much as for myself.”
Final championship standings
EnduroGP
1 Steve Holcombe (Beta) 146
2 Brad Freeman (Beta) 140
3 Andrea Verona (TM) 100
Enduro 2
1 Steve Holcombe (Beta) 154
2 Loic Larrieu (TM) 118
3 Danny McCanney (Honda) 116
