FIM Six Days Opens With Canadian Riders and New Ducati Partnership
The 100th edition of the FIM 6DAYS Enduro of Nations reaches its opening ceremony in Sines, Portugal, on Saturday, October 10, with racing set to begin Monday, October 12. Nearly 500 professional and amateur riders from 30 nations have assembled in the Grândola area for six days of competition running through October 17, and Canadian riders are included in the Club Team Award field.
The centenary edition also arrives with a new manufacturer partnership. The FIM announced that Ducati has joined the event during Ducati’s own 100th-anniversary year, with five-time Enduro World Champion Antoine Méo riding a Ducati Desmo450 EDS as part of the event’s live-content program.
A centenary opening before the racing starts
Saturday’s ceremony marks the formal public opening of the event, but it is not a scored competition day. The official schedule places race days one through five from October 12 to 16 around Grândola, followed by the final cross test and awards program in Sines on October 17.
That distinction matters for anyone following the Canadian entries. The first competitive classifications will come after Monday’s opening day of racing, when the event moves from technical checks, team activity and ceremony into timed special tests.
The scale remains substantial even after the latest entry update. FIM material published ahead of the opening describes nearly 500 riders from 30 nations gathered for the centenary edition. The Club Team Award categories account for a large share of that field, with organizers expecting roughly 340 riders across the Club Team, Veteran Club Team and Women’s Club Team classes.
Canada is in the Club Team field
Canada is specifically listed among the nations entered in the Club Team Award category. The official event preview says teams from Canada will join entries from countries including Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Venezuela, Chile, Spain and Japan when riders roll off the start ramp on October 12.
Canadian interest is not limited to the club field. The broader entry material also names Canadian rider Shelby Turner among the competitors expected to feature strongly in the women’s individual standings.
For riders following from Canada, the event will provide a useful mix of team and individual storylines once racing begins. Official timing and classification documents will become the clearest measure of performance from Monday onward, particularly because a six-day enduro can change quickly through mechanical problems, penalties, fatigue or withdrawals.
Ducati brings the Desmo450 EDS into the event
Ducati’s partnership adds a technical storyline to the centenary program. Méo will ride the Desmo450 EDS and contribute to livestreams, course demonstrations and rider-level explanations around the special tests and final cross test.
The Desmo450 EDS is Ducati’s enduro-focused off-road motorcycle, and the Six Days format gives the company a credible environment in which to show the machine alongside one of the discipline’s most experienced riders. Méo is participating as an ambassador and content contributor rather than as a member of a national trophy team.
The partnership also reflects Ducati’s continuing expansion beyond its established road-racing identity. For Canadian riders and dealers, the significance is the visibility of a major manufacturer investing directly in enduro while the product category continues to attract riders who want competition capability, trail performance and long-distance durability from the same platform.
Six days that reward preparation
The FIM 6DAYS has always placed unusual demands on both rider and motorcycle. Competitors face repeated days of timed tests, long transfers and tightly controlled service periods. Small maintenance errors can accumulate into larger problems, making preparation and consistency as important as outright speed.
That makes the event relevant outside racing. Air-filter service, wheel and spoke checks, brake wear, controls, hydration, tire choice and fast routine maintenance are all part of the same reliability conversation Canadian off-road riders have before multi-day trips and competition weekends.
Fans who cannot attend in Portugal can follow coverage through FIM-MOTO.TV, including daily event programming and live coverage of key tests. The first race day begins October 12, with the final cross test and awards scheduled for October 17.
For Canadian followers, Saturday is the ceremonial start of a historic centenary edition. The competitive story begins Monday, when Canada’s riders enter the timed portion of one of motorcycling’s longest-running and most demanding international events.
