Italy Extends FIM Six Days Lead as Day Two Raises the Attrition

Italy Extends FIM Six Days Lead as Day Two Raises the Attrition

Italy strengthened its position at the top of the World Trophy standings after the second day of the 100th FIM Six Days Enduro of Nations in Grândola, Portugal, building a three-minute-and-24-second advantage over France as dust, crashes and retirements began to reshape the event.

The defending champions again relied on depth rather than one isolated result. All four Italian World Trophy riders finished inside the top 20 overall on Day Two, with Andrea Verona placing second and Morgan Lesiardo fourth. That consistency allowed Italy to increase its margin even though Spain’s Josep García was the fastest individual rider of the day.

France remains second in the World Trophy classification and still has time to respond, but the gap has moved beyond the small margins of the opening day. Sweden holds third, more than one minute behind France, while the United States moved into fourth after a stronger second day. Spain completed the top five.

The scale of the attrition became one of the defining parts of the day. Great Britain lost a rider in each of the World Trophy, Junior World Trophy and Women’s World Trophy categories, ending its realistic hopes of a team podium across those classes. Poland and Guatemala also joined the list of nations no longer classified in the World Trophy contest, while Australia had already been hit by an opening-day retirement.

The result is a reminder of what separates the Six Days from a conventional one-day enduro. Speed matters, but a national team also needs every rider to manage dust, fatigue, mechanical stress and penalties across repeated long days. One crash or non-finish can change a country’s entire week.

The Junior World Trophy changed leaders on Day Two. France moved ahead of Italy after another strong performance, while the United States remained third. Italy is still firmly in the fight, but Kevin Cristino’s injured shoulder from Day One has added uncertainty to the defending champions’ week.

France’s move to the top of the Junior standings came after a day when the deteriorating tests became harder to attack cleanly. The course used on the first two days had already been heavily worked by hundreds of motorcycles, and riders lower in the running order continued to deal with dust and increasingly worn lines.

The United States continues to lead the Women’s World Trophy. Brandy Richards and Korie Steede finished first and second among the women on Day Two, helping the American team extend its advantage over Australia to almost four minutes. Australia answered with Danielle McDonald, Madi Simpson and Jessica Gardiner placing third, fourth and fifth, keeping pressure on the leaders despite the growing gap.

Canada remains directly relevant to the Trophy competition. The 2026 Canadian delegation was entered with a Men’s World Trophy team, a Junior World Trophy team and a Women’s World Trophy team, in addition to Canadian club and individual entries. That means Canada’s presence at the centenary Six Days is much broader than the club classification alone.

The Canadian Men’s World Trophy roster includes Phil Chaine, Loic Leonard, Owen McKill and Tyler Medaglia. Morgan Franklin, Jacob Kolman and Tavin Krutop form the Junior World Trophy team, while Emma Sharpless, Megan Sharpless and Shelby Turner represent Canada in the Women’s World Trophy category.

Canada also has two men’s club teams and individual women riders in Portugal. With riders from Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia represented across the delegation, the event has a substantial Canadian footprint even when the overall FIM recap is focused primarily on the leading nations.

For Canadian riders following the event, Day Two also highlights the equipment and preparation demands behind the results. Dry, dusty conditions place heavy emphasis on air filtration, eye protection, controls, tires, cooling systems and repeated service work. The Six Days format exposes weaknesses that may never appear during a single afternoon of trail riding.

Day Three brings a new course configuration after the opening two days used the same main route. That change gives teams a fresh set of tests, but it does not reset the accumulated time gaps or the damage already done by retirements.

Italy enters the third day with the strongest position in the World Trophy, France now controls the Junior classification and the United States continues to lead the Women’s Trophy. With four days still remaining, the centenary Six Days has already shown how quickly a national campaign can change.