The opening day of the fourth round of the FIM Women’s Enduro World Championship in Fafe, Portugal, saw Enduro Engineering’s Shelby Turner make history by becoming the first Canadian rider to win a Women’s Enduro World Championship race.
Arriving in Portugal as a wildcard after making her debut last weekend, Turner has quickly established herself as one of the fastest riders in the field. Following two runner-up finishes at round four, she stepped up another level on Saturday to dominate the competition.
At the end of the opening lap of three, Turner had already built a one-minute advantage over WP Eric Augé’s Joana Gonçalves, with Rieju Factory Team’s Rachel Gutish a further 20 seconds behind in third place. As the race unfolded, Gutish fought her way past Gonçalves into second, but still trailed Turner by more than one minute and 13 seconds after the second Enduro Test.
Despite a strong late charge from Gutish during the final two special tests, Turner had enough of a cushion to secure a memorable victory by 28 seconds. Gutish settled for second place, while Gonçalves maintained her position to claim third overall and celebrate a podium finish in front of her home fans.
Electraction TM Moto’s Elizabeth Tett delivered an impressive performance to finish fourth overall while also taking victory in the Expotrade Junior Women’s Enduro category. Ambiance Moto’s Justine Martel completed the top five.
Marine Lemoine (KTM) secured sixth place ahead of Maria San Miguel (Rieju) in seventh.
It proved to be a difficult day for the British contingent. Rosie Rowett (Rieju) finished eighth, ahead of Nieve Holmes (Sherco) in ninth.
Charlene Boudon (Fantic) rounded out the overall top ten and claimed second place in the Junior category. She was followed by fellow French riders Mauricette Brisebard (Beta) and Lorna Lafont (Husqvarna). Lafont endured a challenging day but retained her lead in the Women’s Junior World Championship standings.
Vilde Marie Holt (Kawasaki) was forced to retire due to a mechanical issue and will not start Sunday’s second day of racing. Sara Traini (Triumph) also retired. Still recovering from a crash suffered last weekend, the Italian rider now sees her hopes of defending the championship effectively come to an end.
