Solid start to EnduroGP World Championship for Mikael Persson

Making both his and Husqvarna Factory Racing’s full-time return to the FIM EnduroGP Word Championship, Mikael Persson has delivered two strong days of racing at the opening round of the series in Lalin, Spain. Placing fifth in the Enduro3 category on Saturday, Persson went one better on Sunday to claim fourth, missing out on a podium place by less than five seconds.

Riding a 2-stroke TE 300 in the E3 class, Persson had anticipated that it would take him a little time to dial himself in to the highly competitive EnduroGP world championship. However, after placing fifth on the Friday night Super Test, the 27-year-old delivered a solid opening day of racing on Saturday, finishing fifth quickest, one minute and 13 seconds down on the class winner.

Sunday went even better for Persson. Feeling more at home on his TE 300, the multiple Swedish Enduro Champion was able to push hard on the dry, dusty tests, once again improving his speed as the day continued. Finishing inside the top five on the final five tests secured Mikael fourth in the E3 class, just 4.54 seconds behind third. Happy with how his weekend went, and with the progress he and the team made together, Persson is now looking forward to taking the fight to Portugal next weekend.

The 2022 FIM EnduroGP World Championship continues with round two in Peso da Régua and Armamar, Portugal next weekend – May 13-15.

Mikael Persson: “It’s been a tough weekend, but it feels really good to be back racing EnduroGP. Both days have been long with some difficult tests and some long transfers. For me, the tests were quite broken, and in these conditions, it’s been quite a steep learning curve. But I’m happy with how I rode, and we were able to make some improvements on the bike as the weekend went on. Day one went ok, but I felt under a little bit of pressure and made a few too many mistakes – not a perfect day that’s for sure. On day two, I was able to relax a little more on the bike and because of that my speed was a lot better. It felt good to be fighting for the podium too, and a little closer to where I want to be. Overall, I’m very happy with the weekend and we’re going in the right direction. I’m going to try and keep the momentum going into Portugal.”

Results – 2022 FIM Enduro World Championship – Round 1, Spain

Day 1

Enduro 3
1. Brad Freeman (Beta) 1:00:58
2. Davide Guarneri (Fantic) 1:00:54.85
3. Matteo Pavoni (TM) 1:01:13.78
4. Daniel McCanney (Sherco) 1:01:50.15
5. Mikael Persson (Husqvarna) 1:01:58.49
6. Antoine Basset (Beta) 1:02:17.22

EnduroGP
1. Andrea Verona (GASGAS) 59:24.16
2. Steve Holcombe (Beta) 59:27.76
3. Wil Ruprecht (TM) 59:27.92
4. Josep Garcia (KTM) 59:30.17
5. Nathan Watson (Honda) 59:40.09
6. Hamish MacDonald (Sherco) 1:00:10.06
…
18. Mikael Persson (Husqvarna) 1:01:58.49

Day 2

Enduro 3
1. Brad Freeman (Beta) 58:33.58
2. Davide Guarneri (Fantic) 1:00:16.54
3. Matteo Pavoni (TM) 1:00:30.14
4. Mikael Persson (Husqvarna) 1:00:34.68
5. Daniel McCanney (Sherco) 1:00:34.78
6. Marc Sans Soria (Husqvarna) 1:00:40.18

EnduroGP
1. Josep Garcia (KTM) 58:11.12
2. Andrea Verona (GASGAS) 58:29.44
3. Wil Ruprecht (TM) 58:33.58
4. Brad Freeman (Beta) 58:33.58
5. Hamish MacDonald (Sherco) 59:15.64
6. Thomas Oldrati (Honda) 59:29:70
…
12. Mikael Persson (Husqvarna) 1:00:34.68

Championship Standings (After Round 1)

Enduro 3
1. Brad Freeman (Beta) 40 points
2. Davide Guarneri (Fantic) 34 pts
3. Matteo Pavoni (TM) 30 pts
4. Mikael Persson (Husqvarna) 24 pts
5. Daniel McCanney (Sherco) 24 pts
6. Marc Sans Soria (Husqvarna) 19 pts

EnduroGP
1. Andrea Verona (GASGAS) 37 points
2. Josep Garcia (KTM) 33 pts
3. Wil Ruprecht (TM) 28 pts
4. Brad Freeman (Beta) 22 pts
5. Hamish MacDonald (Sherco) 21 pts
6. Nathan Watson (Honda) 20 pts
...
15. Mikael Persson (Husqvarna) 4 pts