DIRT NEWS

Zealand flag high at the 4th round of the FIM Enduro World Championship , with the Kiwi international showing the crowds at the Italian Grand Prix he ’ s got what it takes to be on the podium . Taking place in Bettola ( Piacenza ), a region where the off-road motorcycle culture is very developed , the Italian Grand Prix saw riders compete over a 47km course over the weekend of June 21-23 . The 47km course was very technical and included three special stages , an Extreme of 1.2km that took place on terrain that was dry and rocky , a 5km Enduro Test and a 5.1km Rapid Cross Test in a hilly meadow . The race took place in two stages , the first day on dry ground and the second on terrain made difficult and challenging by the violent downpours .

104 KIWI RIDER

Hamish Macdonald won the Friday Super Test for the first time in his career , and finished second twice in category E3 the following days . Another first was the victory of Antoine Magain on Sunday also in E3 , his very first victory in the World Championship Enduro World . Zach Pichon finished 3rd on both days in category E1 . Macdonald was clearly riding on a high with a career best results when he reflected on the event . “ It was a decent weekend for me ; super fun Friday night managing to win the supertest , the first victory of my career there , such a thrill ,” he said . “ On Saturday I felt like I was riding well , I was just struggling to find a good rhythm in the cross test , Sunday the rain was falling , and the course was slippery , I felt good in the enduro test , but not physically strong enough in my upper body to handle the bike like I should in these conditions , crashes in the extreme and cross hindered my times but we were fighting for the top position all day ”