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 Clementtook 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.
