Key Points
- World Trophy Dominance: Defending champions Italy extended their lead to 3 minutes and 24 seconds over second-placed France in Grândola, Portugal.
- Junior World Trophy Shake-up: France capitalized on injury troubles for Italy to take a 29-second lead in the Junior World Trophy standings.
- Women’s World Trophy Battle: The United States maintained the top spot, building a near four-minute cushion over Australia.
- Devastating Withdrawals: Great Britain suffered heavy losses, forfeiting podium ambitions after losing riders across all three World Trophy classes, joined by retirements from Poland, Guatemala, and Australia in select categories.
- Individual Honors: Spain’s Josep García edged out Italy’s Andrea Verona by just two seconds to take the outright individual victory on Day Two.
Japan Daily Sun (JDS) October 14, 2026 – The second day of the FIM 6DAYS® Enduro of Nations in Grândola, Portugal, delivered severe tactical shifts and race-altering attrition as dust and dry terrain tested the world’s elite riders. Defending champions Italy expanded their gap at the top of the World Trophy classification, while France surged ahead in the Junior World Trophy standings. Meanwhile, the United States fortified their advantage in the MOTOREX Women’s World Trophy class. Extensive retirements—most notably impacting Team Great Britain—marked a day of dramatic shifts across all major divisions.
How the Action Unfolded on Day Two
As reported by Dirt Hub, the second day of racing in the 2026 FIM 6DAYS® FIM Enduro of Nations in Grândola, Portugal, saw Italy solidify its commanding posture at the summit of the World Trophy competition. However, heavy dust and punishing track conditions caused major leaderboard shifts across rival classes, ending the podium aspirations of several prominent national squads.
The environmental conditions in Grândola presented relentless obstacles for competitors throughout Tuesday. As noted by Dirt Hub, multiple nations suffered severe setbacks due to visibility and track degradation. Great Britain endured a particularly catastrophic outing, losing riders across all three of its World Trophy squads, effectively removing them from contention. Further attrition was recorded in the primary World Trophy division as Poland and Guatemala joined Great Britain and Australia in logging official retirements.
Reflecting on the setback experienced by Team Great Britain, Dirt Hub reported that Sherco rider Jed Etchells stated: “Unfortunately for us, losing Jamie [McCanney] has knocked us out of the running in the World Trophy race. It’s a shame because we did have a good start on Day One. Now that we’re down to three riders, we’ll try to do the best we can individually.”
In the premier World Trophy class, defending titleholders Italy broadened their lead over second-placed France to three minutes and twenty-four seconds. The Italian roster demonstrated consistent depth, with all four team members securing spots inside the top twenty overall. Andrea Verona (KTM) and Morgan Lesiardo (Triumph) headlined the effort by placing second and fourth in the overall daily standings.
France maintained second place behind Italy, spearheaded by Zach Pichon (TM MOTO), who finished third overall on the day. Addressing the team’s pursuit of the leaders, Dirt Hub cited Triumph rider Leo Joyon of France, who stated: “Today was much more difficult than yesterday. The conditions of the tests were very worn and it was hard to attack. As a team, we really pulled together and could keep the pressure on Italy. With a new course tomorrow, we hope to close the gap.”
Sweden maintained third position overall in the World Trophy race but slipped to one minute and twenty-two seconds behind France. The Swedish team anticipates opportunities to recoup time as the event transitions into sandier terrain later in the week. Capitalizing on the British retirements, the United States elevated themselves to fourth place overall. The Americans closed the gap on Sweden to one minute and thirteen seconds. Spain concluded Day Two in fifth place overall, lifted by a individual win from Josep García.
The Junior World Trophy class featured a change at the top as France overtook Italy for the race lead. Italy’s Kevin Cristino (Husqvarna) persevered through physical discomfort to keep his team in contention, but the French trio—Thibault Giraudon (Fantic), Clement Clauzier (Beta), and Romain Dagna (KTM)—delivered consistent test times to build a twenty-nine-second lead.
Detailing France’s performance, Dirt Hub reported that KTM rider Romain Dagna stated: “It’s been a great day for us as a team. To take over the lead in the Junior World Trophy class is great. The fight is good with Italy. Today they had some problems that we could benefit from, but we had some mistakes too, that we can work on. I hurt my hand yesterday and that was a bit of a struggle during the first lap. Thankfully, I was able to manage it and keep pushing until the end of the day. I think we are all looking forward to some new special tests tomorrow.”
The United States Junior squad retained third place overall, trailing leaders France by two minutes and twenty-five seconds, while trimming their deficit to second-placed Italy to one minute and twenty-four seconds. Spain held fourth place in the Junior standings, opening a margin of nearly five minutes over fifth-placed Chile.
In the MOTOREX Women’s World Trophy category, the United States strengthened their lead, stretching their advantage to nearly four minutes over second-placed Australia. American riders Brandy Richards (KTM) and Korie Steede (Husqvarna) secured the top two individual finishes of the day. Australia maintained pressure with a collective effort, as Danielle McDonald (Yamaha), Madi Simpson (Yamaha), and Jessica Gardiner (Yamaha) finished third, fourth, and fifth, respectively.
According to Dirt Hub, Yamaha rider Madi Simpson of Australia stated: “It’s been a good day for us. We are pushing hard and doing our best to fight for the overall victory each day. I had a few crashes today, and didn’t quite meet my potential, but my teammates made up for it with their results.”
The United States and Australia established a substantial gap over the rest of the field, with third-placed France trailing by more than twenty minutes. Host nation Portugal held fourth place, ten minutes behind France, while New Zealand rounded out the top five.
Individual honors on Day Two went to Spain’s Josep García, who recovered from a late-day crash to edge out Italy’s Andrea Verona by two seconds. Dirt Hub reported that KTM rider Josep García stated: “The plan was to go full gas from the beginning. All was going well until I had a big crash on the penultimate special test, but thankfully, I was able to come back on the final test and win the day.”
France’s Zach Pichon finished twenty-seven seconds behind the lead duel in third overall, followed by Morgan Lesiardo in fourth and Sweden’s Max Ahlin (Honda) in fifth.
In category-specific individual results reported by Dirt Hub:
- Enduro1: Josep García secured class victory ahead of Morgan Lesiardo, with Samuele Bernardini (Honda) taking third.
- Enduro2: Andrea Verona took the class win, followed by Zach Pichon in second and Max Ahlin in third.
- Enduro3: France’s Julien Roussaly (Sherco) earned top honors for the second consecutive day, finishing six seconds ahead of Great Britain’s Brad Freeman (Beta), with Sweden’s Albin Norrbin (Husqvarna) taking third ahead of Italy’s Alberto Elgari (TM MOTO).
- Women’s Individual: Brandy Richards completed a sweep of special test victories to claim the win over teammate Korie Steede, with Danielle McDonald finishing third ahead of Madi Simpson and Jessica Gardiner.
In the Club Team Award, Team Italy moved into first place, opening a lead of two minutes and eighteen seconds over Team Rabaconda, while Missouri Mudders held third ahead of Cymru Wales A and GTBN. The Veteran Club Team class was led by Team Motokrosova Skola CZ, followed by Gottbros Team and Cone Valve Team-M.C. Sitges. Rogershill Women’s Team led the Women’s Club Team division at the end of the day.
Riders will navigate a new course for Day Three, featuring a loop from Grândola to Santiago do Cacém that will be completed twice.
How Has the FIM 6DAYS® Portugal Developed Heading into Day Two?
The FIM 6DAYS® (International Six Days Enduro) is the oldest off-road motorcycle event on the International Motorcycling Federation (FIM) calendar, traditionally testing speed, mechanical endurance, and team strategy. The 2026 edition in Grândola marks the fourth time Portugal has hosted this historic competition.
Heading into Day Two, teams contended with severe ground degradation and high dust levels around the Alentejo region. Under FIM 6DAYS® rules, each nation’s World Trophy score relies on the collective times of its riders. When a team loses a rider due to mechanical failure, injury, or retirement, it incurs severe daily time penalties, effectively removing the nation from overall podium contention. Day Two’s attrition highlighted the physical demands of the terrain, reshaping both the World Trophy and Junior World Trophy standings ahead of the mid-week route changes.
How Will This Development Affect Off-Road Racing Teams and Fans?
The developments from Day Two in Grândola carry direct implications for participating national federations, race strategists, and off-road motorcycle racing enthusiasts worldwide.
- For Team Managers and Strategists: The elimination of major contenders like Great Britain alters tactical calculations for trailing nations such as the United States and Sweden. Teams must now balance aggressive riding to gain time against the high risk of mechanical failure or rider injury on degraded, dusty trails.
- For World Trophy Leaders: Defending champion Italy and challenger France must manage bike setup and air filtration systems meticulously to prevent engine wear caused by fine silt and dust across the upcoming loops.
- For Spectators and Followers: The shift to a new two-lap course from Grândola to Santiago do Cacém on Day Three promises fresh terrain conditions. With tight margins in the Junior World Trophy and individual class battles, fans can anticipate intense, high-stakes competition as nations adjust their strategies for the middle phases of the event.
