Fantic Factory Racing Enduro officially kicked off the 2026 season at the Assoluti d’Italia in Viareggio: Riccardo Pasquato made a strong start with two podium finishes in the 125 class. Factory-supported Team Specia rider Matteo Pavoni also impressed aboard the Fantic XEF 450.

Viareggio, in the province of Lucca, hosted the season opener of the prestigious Italian Enduro Championship on 7-8 March, marking the first and second rounds of the series. The weekend kicked off on Friday afternoon with the SuperTest, held on the beach in front of a large crowd of spectators. The deep surface particularly suits Matteo Pavoni, who was off to a flying start and claimed third place overall. Riccardo Pasquato, meanwhile, set the fastest time of his class.

It was a convincing debut for Pasquato in the official Fantic Factory Racing Enduro colours, confirmed across both race days: the 19-year-old Italian secured two podium finishes, wrapping up the Tuscan round with a third and a second place in his class, while posting strong times in all the special tests.

Pavoni also finished on the podium twice in the 450 class: the rider from Brescia claimed two second-place finishes, setting excellent times especially in the Cross Test held in the deep sands of Viareggio beach. Notably, he also secured an impressive eighth place overall on Saturday.

Thibault Giraudon delivered a solid performance on the second day, finishing ninth in the highly competitive Foreigners class and setting good times across all the special tests aboard the Fantic XE 300.

It was an unfortunate weekend for his Fantic Factory Racing Enduro teammate and fellow French rider, Théo Espinasse. Competing in Viareggio to continue preparations ahead of the EnduroGP World Championship, his race weekend was cut short due to a technical issue. Work continues, and in two weeks’ time there will be another valuable test: the Assoluti d’Italia will resume on 28–29 March in Pomarance (PI).

Antonio Specia, Fantic Factory Racing Enduro Team Manager:

“We are very pleased with Riccardo Pasquato’s progress and his two podium finishes. It was just a shame about two costly mistakes on the last lap on Saturday. They meant he narrowly missed out on second place, but he bounced back on Sunday. We are also very happy with Matteo Pavoni and the work we have done on the Fantic XEF 450. He finished second in his category, and let’s not forget the rider in front of him is none other than Andrea Verona. As for our two French riders, Théo Espinasse and Thibault Giraudon, who will not contest the full Italian championship as they will be racing in France, we are using these opening rounds of the Assoluti d’Italia as a test to prepare for the EnduroGP World Championship. We are trying out some technical developments in race conditions, and in particularly demanding conditions here in Viareggio, unfortunately we ran into some issues. But we gathered important information to continue our development work and be ready for the start of the World Championship. Overall, we saw that we are very much in the mix, and we are very pleased with the special tests that Théo was able to complete. Thibault also posted strong times, so both are competitive in their respective classes, and we can build on that moving forward.”