Double Podium in Wales

Rhayader in Wales played host to the FIM Enduro World Championship as Francesca Nocera made her return aboard the Honda CRF250 RX for the Enduro GP of Wales.

Coming into the weekend, Francesca, the current leader in the Women’s Championship, was still on the road to recovery following an ACL tear sustained during the last round of the Italian Enduro Championship back in May. With limited time to regain full fitness, her participation alone was a testament to her determination.

Set against the stunning backdrop of the Welsh hills at the Cwmythig Hill MX venue, the weekend kicked off with Friday's Super Test. A large crowd gathered to watch the riders take on the technically demanding course featuring rocky stretches and log obstacles. Francesca pushed through with focus finishing P5 in her class and shifting her attention to the two full days of racing ahead.

Saturday delivered a gruelling schedule with 10 timed tests, featuring the long, dusty quarry sections of the Cross Test and the demanding forest terrain at nearby Saintswell for the Extreme and Enduro Tests.

Despite battling ongoing pain from her knee injury, Francesca shone in the fast, flowing Cross Tests, where she stayed within striking distance of the front runners. Her consistency, determination, and resilience paid off, earning her a hard-fought third-place podium finish by day’s end.

Sunday’s early rain added another layer of difficulty, with boggy terrain on the Extreme Test catching out several riders. However, Francesca rose to the challenge once again, delivering another impressive performance as she maintained podium pace throughout the day and secured a second consecutive third-place finish, just 1”19’ off the win, which was an outstanding result given the conditions and her ongoing recovery.

Thanks to her relentless determination, Francesca retains the coveted red plate and leads the Women’s Championship standings with 70 points.

She’ll now take time to recover, with the goal of returning to full strength ahead of the GP of Portugal on 12–14 September.

Francesca Nocera 🎙

“I’m really happy to come away from this weekend with two third-place podiums. Today’s tests were especially tough, the Extreme Test in particular was a real challenge, so to stay inside the top three all day and be in the fight for the win feels like a great result.

Coming back from a knee injury less than three months ago made this one of the hardest weekends on the bike, but I’ve shown myself how mentally strong I can be to push through the pain over three tough days of racing.

I’m also really proud to still be holding the red plate and I’m looking forward to getting back to full fitness for the next round in Portugal.”