The 2026 EnduroGP season is finally underway, and Théo Espinasse put the Fantic XE 300 on the E3 podium twice at the Italian brand’s home round in Sicily. In the Youth class, Riccardo Pasquato secured a second place and a superb victory aboard the Fantic XE 125, climbing to the top of the standings. Thibault Giraudon also claimed a podium finish in the Junior 2 class.

The EnduroGP of Italy in Custonaci, Sicily, kicked off an exciting 2026 EnduroGP World Championship season. The weekend got underway on Friday evening with the opening prologue, and Théo Espinasse was fast right from the get-go aboard his Fantic XE 300 with Minarelli engine, placing fifth overall and setting the fastest time in the E3 class.

During the race weekend, Espinasse proved all of his grit and determination. On Day 1, the French rider battled for the top positions both in his class and the overall classification, eventually finishing in the top 5 overall and stepping onto the E3 podium in second place. On the following day, he clinched another podium finish in third, and now sits second in the championship standings.

Looking at the Youth class standings, Riccardo Pasquato sits right at the top following an impressive performance throughout the weekend aboard his Fantic XE 125. On the opening day, the 19-year-old Italian held the lead until just a few special tests from the finish, when a mistake in the final Extreme Test dropped him to second place. Pasquato bounced back on Sunday, taking the win and the lead in the Youth class. He shared the podium with another Fantic XE 125, that of Team Specia rider Valentin Mersin.

Turning to the Fantic Factory Racing Enduro riders, Thibault Giraudon also delivered a solid performance aboard the Fantic XE 300. In Junior overall, the French rider recorded a fifth and a fourth place finish. He also claimed the second step of the J2 podium on Sunday, rounding off the opening weekend on a high.

With the opening round in Custonaci done and dusted, the EnduroGP World Championship will return to action for the second round of the season in Oliana, Spain, from 1 to 3 May.

Théo Espinasse:

“A positive start to the season, with two class podiums, and we have seen that we can also fight in the top 5 in EnduroGP. We are working very well together with the whole Fantic Factory Racing Enduro team, and these results show that we are on the right track. In Spain, we will aim to confirm what we achieved here in Sicily.”

Riccardo Pasquato:

“First win, and the championship lead – it couldn’t have gone any better! I pushed in every special test to achieve the best possible result: on Saturday we came close to the win, and on Sunday we made it happen. I am very happy and I would like to thank Fantic and the whole team for the great work. The speed is there, the feeling is good – now we aim to keep this momentum going!”