Enduro Gp 2021 World Championship: the International Six Days Enduro Gets Underway

The International Six Days of Enduro (ISDE) is one of the most important motorbike events in the world and is therefore called the 'Motorcycle Olympics'. Since its first edition in 1913, it immediately took on an international character, with both English and French riders competing for the FIM trophy, which mainly rewarded the reliability of the bike and the ability of the rider. A fundamental characteristic of this race is that the riders participate on motorbikes of various displacements, thus covering the three categories of the Enduro World Championship: E1 (125 2-stroke or 250 4-stroke), E2 (250 2-stroke or 450 4-stroke) and E3 (300 2-stroke or 500 4-stroke). Today the Six Days today also features a Junior Trophy for riders under 23 years of age and, since 2007, a Woman Trophy in addition to the main race. The Six Days has been held continuously from 1913 to the present day with only three exceptions: the 1939 event held in Germany just before the outbreak of the Second World War and it was cancelled due to the insecurity linked to the results which saw the Germans as the overall winners; the 2010 race held in Mexico where the last day was cancellated due the tensions between the Narcos and the Police; and finally in 2020 the event was not organised due to the Covid19 health emergency. At the moment the Italian team boasts 14 victories in the World Trophy, second only to Great Britain, which has 16: the golden season of the so-called “Italian Red Helmets" had begun in the 1980s with personalities such as Augusto Taiocchi, Gualtiero Brissoni, Gianangelo Croci, , which still sees the Italian athletes as protagonists of the event.

The 95th edition of the Six Days will take place from Monday 30th August to Saturday 4th September starting from Rivanazzano Terme (PV), with the riders engaged in Staffora Valley and Curone Valley. About the World Trophy, Americans are the favourites, they field exceptional riders such as Taylor Robert (Ktm) and Ryan Sipes (Gas Gas), and the Portuguese, partly because they are the defending 2019 champions. Probably these riders will be very competitive in the Cross Tests but perhaps less aggressive in the typical Enduro Tests of Lombardy and Piedmont where we hope to see some exciting riding from the Italian team of Andrea Verona (Gas Gas), Davide Guarneri (Fantic), Thomas Oldrati (Honda) and Matteo Cavallo (TM). In this season the big absentees are Great Britain and Australia, which in recent years had provided truly spectacular trials. Spain with the likes of Jaume Betriu (Ktm) and Cristobal Guerrero (Beta) and France with the riders Theo Espinasse (Honda) and Antoine Basset (Beta) are favourites for the podium too. About the Junior Trophy, it will probably be a head-to-head between the United States and Italy (followed at a short distance by Spain and France), while for the Women Trophy the favourites are the American and British riders, led by the extraordinary Jane Daniels.

The first three days of the event will take place in Lombardy: the riders will start from the paddock located at the Rivanazzano Terme airport and ride up the Straffora Valley to Casanaova Staffora. From here the riders will head towards Varzi and then turn towards the Val di Nizza. After a Cross Test at Casa Ponte and an Enduro Test at Casanova Staffora they will continue towards Brallo di Pregola, a beautiful village overlooking the green Apennines: from here the riders will go on the roads above Bagnaria where they will perform another Cross Test. They will start again with the descent towards Ponte Nizza and Godiasco and will stop for another lap at the Maginot line; last Cross Test in Stellara locality and then finally come back towards the paddock of Rivanazzano Terme. This is about 195km per day for a total of 7 and a half hours in the saddle. The fourth and fifth days of the event will take place in Piedmont and riders will cover almost 200km per day. Starting from the Paddock in Rivanazzano, the riders will ride up the Curone Valley, where the first Cross Test and Enduro Test will take place in Stellara, time control in Garbagna, San Sebastiano Curone and the second Enduro Test in Selvapiana. The return will be through Fabbrica Curone (Cross Test at Ca' dell'Aglio) and then back to the base. On the sixth and last day of the race the riders will run at the Valle Scrivia Motocross track in Cassano Spinola: the races will start at 8.30 am followed by the prize-giving ceremony.

The territory where the races of the International Six Days Enduro will take place is one of the most fascinating in Italy in this season: the hills covered with vineyards take on the golden and orange colours typical of autumn foliage and the small villages perched on the promontories overlooking the valleys organize festivals and celebrations dedicated to local agricultural products such as pumpkin and truffle and, of course, there are many festivals dedicated to the grape harvest. Let's discover together the beauties of the four territories that will frame this event. The Oltrepò Pavese is a hilly area south of the Po River, strategically located on the border between the regions of Lombardy, Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna and Liguria. This area is experiencing a revival in tourism, especially in the post-Covid era with the return to proximity tourism: especially the inhabitants of Lombardy are starting to appreciate again the pleasure of a relaxing walk through woods and meadows, a snack or a wine tasting and the rediscovery of surprising biodiversity. On the other hand, trekking lovers have been familiar with this area, which is place to three of Italy's most important historical trails, the Via degli Abati, the Via Francigena and the Via di San Colombano: why not try to walk at least a stretch of it during these days to relax the spirit after the roar of the engines? Another area covered by the race is the Lomellina, west of the Ticino river, famous for its castles: you can take this opportunity to visit the Visconteo-Sforzesco Castle in Vigevano - where you will find the famous Bramante tower, the stables, the donjon, the falconry and much more (also don't miss the Piazza Ducale: built in 1492 by Ludovico il Moro, it is one of the most beautiful examples of Renaissance squares in Lombardy); Scaldasole Castle, where you can admire archaeological finds from the Longobard era; Sartirana Lomellina Castle, which hosts exhibitions of paintings, sculptures and handicrafts. If you want to have relax, you can walk in the Ticino Natural Park shared between Lomellina and nearby city of Pavia: this is a protected natural area that develops along the banks of the Ticino river where you can fully enjoy contact with nature, go fishing or take long walks under fragrant locust trees. The city of Pavia is branch to one of the oldest universities in the world, numerous churches dating back to the Longobard era and dotted with "civic towers" that make recognizable its skyline. Some of the must-see attractions are the Visconteo Castle with its beautiful gardens, the Church of San Michele and San Pietro in Ciel D'oro. Close to Pavia there are the towns of Belgioioso, where is the famous Castle and Certosa di Pavia, where you will find the Certosa - a historic monumental complex containing a monastery and a sanctuary. The last area touched by the Six Days is the Tortona, in the Province of Alessandria, which alternates between flat and hilly areas, where vineyards and fruit orchards alternate with cultivated fields.

The Tortonese is located in the geographical area of the Province of Alessandria, bordered to the east by the Oltrepò Pavese, to the north by Lomellina, to the west by Alessandra area and the south by the Ligurian Apennines. The territory is washed by the River Po to the north and by the River Scrivia to the west.

The Tortona area is mainly characterised by places of worship such as the Bishop's Palace, the Convent of the Capuchin Friars, the Basilica of the Madonna della Guardia, where it is possible to admire the completely golden Madonnina, and the Church of San Matteo. The most interesting museums in the area are the Fondazione C.R. Tortona Art Gallery, the Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art, the Divisionism Museum and the Orsi Museum of Agricultural Machinery.

If you are interested in attending the races, here is some information that may be useful regarding access and management of the Covid emergency. The area inside the paddock will be accessible only to staff, media, motorcyclists, mechanics and service personnel; the Covid-19 self-certification, to be filled in before entering the paddock or the press room, will be required. A surgical mask will be required. In the commercial area - the village - of the paddock will be admitted only the people provided with the Covid EU Digital Certificate (Green pass) or who present negative molecular or antigenic swab: also here the surgical mask is required.

For Special Stages, Enduro Tests and Cross Tests access will be free.

In the MX Final Circuit, only those who have the EU Covid Digital Certificate (Green pass) or who present a negative molecular or antigenic test swab will be admitted and a surgical mask will be required.

A collection point for swabs will be available in the paddock area for those who wish to do.