Sherco Racing Factory’s Steve Holcombe returned to winning ways at round four of the 2026 FIM EnduroGP World Championship, claiming victory in the Enduro3 category and securing an EnduroGP podium on the second day of action in Fafe, Portugal. The British rider made an impressive start to the weekend by finishing third in Friday evening’s Super Test, with only fractions of a second separating the leading riders around the spectacular Fafe course. Holcombe carried that momentum into Saturday, immediately placing himself among the frontrunners in the dry and dusty Portuguese conditions. Running second overall and leading the Enduro3 class for much of the day aboard his Sherco 300 SE, he looked on course for a strong result before a technical issue on the final lap brought his challenge to an unfortunate end.
Undeterred by the disappointment, Holcombe returned on Sunday determined to bounce back. In another fiercely contested day of racing, he spent much of the event inside the overall top six before increasing his pace as the terrain became increasingly rough. Moving into fifth overall on the final lap, he then delivered a superb performance on the final test of the weekend, setting the second-fastest time to secure third overall in EnduroGP and take victory in the Enduro3 class.
Despite Saturday’s no-score, Holcombe remains fourth in the EnduroGP standings after four rounds and continues to close the gap to third place with three rounds still to run. In Enduro3, the battle remains incredibly close, with the Brit sitting third in the championship, just nine points adrift of second place and 14 points off the class lead. The 2026 FIM EnduroGP World Championship continues next weekend with the GP of Portugal II, which takes place in Fafe from June 19-21.
Steve Holcombe said:
“This first weekend in Portugal has been a rollercoaster to say the least. The Super Test went pretty well and gave me a good starting position for the weekend. Day one was mostly positive too and I felt like I was riding well and fighting for the win throughout the day. Unfortunately, just before the final special test we had a technical issue. I tried everything I could to fix it, but in the end I missed the time control by two seconds and that was the end of the day. The team did an incredible job to get the bike ready again for Sunday. Day two didn’t start perfectly after a crash in the opening enduro test cost me a lot of time, but I felt like I improved as the day went on. The final lap went really well and to come away with an EnduroGP podium and the Enduro3 victory was a great way to finish the weekend. The conditions were tough throughout. The rain helped the grip early on Sunday, but once the ground dried out it quickly became rough and dusty again. I’m happy with where we’re at and I’m looking forward to getting back out there next weekend.”
