In Valpaços, a small Portuguese town about an hour from Porto, the second stage of the FIM EnduroGP World Championship took place from Friday 12 April to Sunday 14 April.
The Portuguese GP was held in the name of an unusual, typically summer climate characterized by high temperatures above 30° which accompanied our riders throughout the race weekend, busy facing the second of the two Portuguese trips scheduled , a route that is not particularly difficult but very technical. Divided into three special tests to be carried out four times a day for a total of eleven tests per day of competition.
The race route of the Portuguese stage, designed by the Motoclub “Usprigozus Clube TT de Vilarandelo” in collaboration with the Track Inspector Maurizio Micheluz, included in this order: a very technical natural Extreme Test of 1.7 km characterized by challenging passages with the typical Portuguese stones , followed by a technical and not very fast Enduro Test of 5.6 km length on mainly hard terrain and at the end of the lap a Cross Test inside the Valpaços Motocross track, for a total of 4.6 km.
The race weekend for Matteo Cavallo started off uphill as he was unable to get a good feeling in the first stages and the day ended with a fourth place just a few seconds from the podium. The following day he ran an incredible race, highlighting all his qualities, recording the best time in his class in the last Enduro Test and climbing onto the second step of the podium. Thanks to the regularity of the two Portuguese GPs, Matteo is now leader in the E3 class.
The race weekend was complicated for Lorenzo Macoritto who contracted an intestinal virus last weekend, like other riders, and arrived in Valpaços still debilitated. The Friulian driver gritted his teeth and ran two days of competition with the aim of finishing in the best possible position in the E1 class. Two eighth places which confirm him in the Top 10 of his class.
Unfortunately it was also a difficult weekend for Le Queré due to the problem of the wrist ligaments injured in February. The wrist has not yet stabilized and the pain does not allow it to demonstrate its real value. Gritting his teeth like a true champion, he still took home two top 10s in his class.
Having archived the double Portuguese GP, the next appointment is expected within a month in Bacau for the Romanian GP scheduled for May 10, 11 and 12.
