AFTER the highly successful return of the World Championship Enduro last year to Rhayader, this year’s round was eagerly anticipated by the riders and spectators alike, writes E A Bates.

The action kicked off on Friday night following an official opening ceremony and welcome by the Mayor of Rhayader Christian Walton and leader of Powys County Council, Cllr Jake Berriman.

Then it was straight into the action with the grand prix riders taking part in the Super test, where pairs of riders compete against the clock and it went down to the final pairing consisting of World number one and two Spain’s Josef Garcia and Italy’s Andrea Verona, respectively, to be crowned the quickest rider.

The Spaniard came out on top to the delight of the huge crowd present.

Saturday saw the start of the real enduro with three laps of 45 miles featuring three special tests per lap.

Under clear skies at Cwmythig Hill the riders were flagged away by the Powys County Councillor chairman, Cllr William Powell, Cllr Geoff Morgan – Vice Chair of Powys CC, Cllr Jake Berriman – Leader, Powys CC, Cllr Angela Davies -Rhayader County Councillor, Cllr Claire Johnson-Wood – St Harmon County Councillor, and Cllr Christian Walton – Mayor of Rhayader.

Garcia hammered home his advantage drawing clear of Verona who came under pressure from Frenchman Zach Pichon son of multi moto cross champion Mickel , with the Spaniard well clear Zach chipped away at Verona’s second place finally overhauling him on the final test.

With Britain’s top riders Steve Holcombe and Brad Freeman still nursing injuries, it was left to Manxman Jamie McCanney to fly the flag finishing ninth overall with Jack Edmondson tenth.

It was joy for Britain in the Women’s classes, with Sheffield’s Rosie Rowett getting her maiden victory in a Grand Prix class and Libby Tett making it a British double winning the Junior Women’s class with Caio’s Delun Davies in third place.

Sunday dawned with a taste of Welsh rain but it did little to dampen the riders’ spirits with again Josef Garcia leading the way followed by Zach Pichon.

For championship contender Andrea Verona it was a bad day, getting stuck in some real Welsh mud dropping him down to sixth place while McCanney was again the top Brit in eighth place.

Rosie Rowett followed day one victory with another emulating Garcia’s double success but sadly Libby Tett couldn’t repeat Saturdays performance finishing with a second place but still keeping her ahead in the Junior Championship with Delun rounding off the podium positions in third.

Several local riders took part with Llandrindod’s Sam Davies finishing 7th and 8th in the Junior 1 class with Cross Gates’ Kris Price taking a pair of twelfth places in the same class and Jack Probert 14th on Saturday.

In the Youth class Rees Jones of Llanidloes gained his first points of the season with a first day 11th place while Ffestiniog’s Gethin Humphreys finished runner up in the Open class overall.

After a fantastic weekend the Rhayader club received much praise from riders, spectators and the series promoter.

Councillor William Powell, Chair of Powys County Council, said: “It was a privilege to attend the Enduro GP events this year and to witness the commitment and dedication of all involved.

"I was also able to understand better the importance of Enduro GP and other motorsports for the whole Powys economy, in terms of the impact on the hospitality sector, from both participants and their followers.

"Another factor to mention is the boost to our international tourism profile, with our closest partners in Europe - France, Germany, Belgium, Denmark and Sweden - all represented at the event.

“At a time when the hospitality sector in Wales faces multiple challenges, this kind of exposure at a European level is a vital shot in the arm.

"All in all, it was a resounding success, and I would like to thank club officials locally and Mr Tim Lightfoot, President of the Auto-Cycle UnionLtd, for their warm welcome to Enduro GP 2025."