Jed Etchells in the E2 class and Axel Semb in the Junior and Junior 2 classes secured top-3 finishes for Fantic at the EnduroGP of Italy in Bettola. In the Youth class, Fantic Junior Racing Enduro’s Pietro Scardina came close to the podium.
The eagerly awaited Italian GP of the 2024 EnduroGP World Championship was held this weekend (21-23 June) in Bettola, a small village in the hills of Piacenza with a tradition in the sport that was highlighted by a big fan attendance.
The “Motoclub Ponte dell'Olio” set up a high-level race course with three technical and demanding special tests to be repeated four times per day for a total of twenty-four special tests during the entire race weekend. The 1.2 km Extreme Test was as spectacular as it was demanding and was followed by an Enduro Test of over 5 km on hard terrain and a very fast Cross Test of 5.1 km on a hillside.
Last year’s Junior World Champion Jed Etchells put his new Fantic XEF 310 on the third step of the podium in the E2 class on Saturday. After a slower start, the Brit picked up the pace in the second half of the day and set strong times in all three special tests. On day two, Etchells managed a solid sixth place on a much-changed surface after heavy rain.
In the E3 class, Albin Norrbin was not quite able to repeat the promising performance he had shown at the Romanian GP. On the new fuel-injected Fantic XE 300 with Minarelli engine, the Swedish rider had to be content with a tenth place on Saturday but improved on the final day of racing to grab a seventh place in his class.
It was a more complicated weekend for Axel Semb. On Saturday, he still finished second in J2 and third in the Junior class. Bigger struggles and too many mistakes on Sunday mean he now sits second in the overall standings. Reigning Youth class champion Kevin Cristino also failed to shine at his home GP due to crashes on both race days. The final score for the Italian and his Fantic XEF 250 were a sixth and ninth place in the Junior class and a fourth and sixth place in the Junior 1 class.
Fantic Junior Racing Enduro’s Pietro Scardina finished his home round with two fourth places on the Fantic XE 125 in the Youth class. In the overall standings, he is currently third. Riccardo Pasquato scored P12 and P10 at his debut in the official Fantic colours.
JED ETCHELLS:
“I am happy with the results. We came into this weekend with some new bike changes and we are definitely going in the right direction now. I felt comfortable, the feeling on the bike was just really nice. On Saturday, in the dry conditions, I really enjoyed it. I did some good times and I got my first podium of the season. That was really good. On Sunday, I struggled a little bit in the muddy conditions but I still managed an okay result despite a big crash this morning. Overall, I am happy and really looking forward to building on this weekend.”
AXEL SEMB:
“It was a difficult weekend. Saturday was still quite okay with the podium in J2 and Junior overall but Sunday was a day to forget. I got stuck in the Extreme Test on every lap and lost at least two minutes there, which is too much to be in the fight. I also crashed in the Enduro Test while trying to make up some time. There were some positives though, I finished off the weekend by topping the overall classification in the final Cross Test, that was good.”
KEVIN CRISTINO:
“The crowd was great but, unfortunately, it was a very tough weekend for me. The Extreme Test was my weak point and I lost a lot of time there already on Saturday when I still managed to finish fourth in J1. On Sunday, I tried to gain time in the Enduro Test but I crashed very hard. From there, I suffered a bit all day long. I tried to salvage what I could and now we try to look ahead.”
PIETRO SCARDINA:
“I am not happy with the results here in Bettola for my home GP. The cheering was certainly not lacking, that was a nice boost! Unfortunately, a few issues and mistakes in several special tests affected the outcome of the race on both days.”
