Bilbao, Spain hosted Round 3 of the 2026 Super Enduro World Championship. Riders only had 1 week off between rounds and this one was set to be challenging with a tough track. This round featured a short track that didn’t allow for riders to get much flow however it wouldn’t be the track layout that would be most challenging but rather the dirt. The dirt had sat outside before the race and absorbed quite a bit of moisture. The result was that when it was brought indoors it created a very spongey track as the moisture started to come out. It was expected for the track to get beaten up throughout the event.
The main aim for many riders heading into this round would have been to race consistently and maintain championship points, however that quickly shifted to staying on two wheels and making as few mistakes as possible with a challenging night ahead. Unlike with the previous two rounds, there would not be a European Cup class but instead a local Exerts class. We still had the Youth, Junior and Prestige classes.
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Youth
Conner Watson, our Plews supported rider headed into round 3 in 3rd overall in the Youth classification with 60 points. Race time for this class is 5 minutes + 1 lap and there would be two races in the evening.
Connor had a great qualifying where he was second fastest and secured a great position for the start of the first race. The first corner of the track would be quite challenging and a good start would set riders up well to maintain positions in the race. Conner had a good start, coming 4th around the first corner and would push hard to pass Martinez and Andrews for 2nd and put his head down to chase 1st on a championship hunt. An unfortunate mistake in the rock section would be costly allowing other riders to catch up. A lot of back and forth between riders as the number of mistakes started to increase. Andrews would fall and allow Connor to pull away until he got caught up in the Matrix section which let the rider ahead pull away. Connor would have a big crash on the log jumps on the final lap, where his front tyre would slip into a hole with the minimal traction on track. Luckily he had been pushing hard from race beginning which gave hime some time to cross the line in 2nd with 17 points.
Heading into race 2, it was clear Connor was looking to end the night with a better race and result. This was not a reverse starting meaning Connor would have a great spot on the front row. Straight out the gate, Conor Watson gets the holeshot! He absolutely powers through the course but get’s caught up in the rock section, fortunately with a quick recovery to maintain the lead. Connor starts to pull a decent gap as the race leader and at one point is 23 seconds ahead of Martinez in 2nd. He would keep his head down and maintain pace and while the rest of the race would not come without it’s challenges, especially in the Matrix section, Connor would cross the line in 1st with a commanding win and securing a full 20 points.
Connor Watson finishes his night in 1st overall and securing a total of 37 points. Looking back on the night this is what Connor had to say: “I needed this win to get into the championship fight. After my 1st position in practice, I knew it was going to be a good day”. A very wholesome podium ceremony with a a couple tears to celebrate. Looking at the championship standings, Connor is currently in 2nd with 97 points. He will be looking to close the gap to 1st in the next round.
@Future 7 Media
@Future 7 Media
Junior
Toby Shaw, our Plews supported rider headed into round 3 in 2nd overall in the Youth classification with 89 points. Race time for this class is 6 minutes + 1 lap and there would be three races in the evening.
Toby has a good starting position on the front row for Race 1. He gets a good start and although some riders get caught up in the rock section he is able to pick up his pace. He would quickly work his was up to 3rd position ahead of Lampkin. It was clear Toby was pushing hard and with an fall from Schmüser, he would be able to reduce the gap. It was clear that the track was becoming very challenging with the number of falls and crashes from riders, especially with the slippery rock section. There would be changes with 1st and 2nd position but Toby would be consistent and cross the line 3rd with 15 points.
Race 2 would be a reverse grid start which saw Toby starting on the 2nd row. This would not set him up for a great start as he’d be second last out of the first corner. It was clear he would have to find good lines to catch up to the leaders which is exactly what he did taking the outside line of the rock section and gaining a number of positions. Toby would work his way up through the pack all the way to 5th. A big crash with Schmüser would drop him back to 6th but he was able to bounce back well and climb to 4th after a fall from Popovici. In the final lap Toby was looking ahead to catch Crayston for 3rd and just before the finish makes his move to cross the line and secure 3rd place with 15 points.
Race 3 would be another first row start for Toby. He would have a steller start and with a crash from Schmüser in the first corner, Toby finds himself in 2nd behind Puey. He would keep the pressure on Puey for first, looking for any opportunity to pass and almost get’s one when Puey had a near tumble in the rock section but unfortunately would push Toby out and maintain the lead. It was great racing between the two who were riding neck and neck. Once again in the rock garden Toby finds an opportunity to push past Puey for the lead. Toby starts to pull a gap as the leader but will have to deal with backmarkers. Just before the finish Toby would get stuck on the Matrix section and lose focus heading into the rock garden where he’d drop the bike, opening the door for Schmüser and Puey to pass. Unfortunately this was Shaw’s race to lose and he would cross the line in 3rd with 15 points.
Toby finishes his night in 2nd overall and securing a total of 45 points. Looking at the championship standings, he is currently in 2nd with 134 points. While this may have not been his night, and he’ll be thinking about race 3 for a while, he will without a doubt show up for a fight at round 4.
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Prestige
Diogo Vieira, our Plews supported rider headed into round 3 in 8th overall in the Prestige classification with 41 points. Race time for this class is 6 minutes + 1 lap and there would be three races in the evening.
Vieira would have a great start to this round with a 4th in qualifying and making it to the superpole. He had a solid run of 37.7 seconds and a final position of 5th. Race 1 would be a great start with Vieira finding himself in 4th after the first corner. As with most riders, he would get caught up in the rock section which would push him back to 7th after the first lap. He would climb through the pack all the way up to 5th ahead of Garcia but would once again get caught up and fall back to 7th. The track was quite a challenge at this point of the race and unfortunately Vieira would get stuck in a pile-up in the rock section and struggle to get unstuck and break free. Vieira would cross the line in 9th with 7 points.
Race 2 was a reverse start so Vieira would be positioned on the 2nd row. What was becoming quite clear was that the 2nd row was definitely a disadvantage with this specific track layout so the odds were slightly against him. Unfortunately he would not have the best start and find himself in 10th after the first lap. Vieira would push hard to overtake Chugg to move to 9th. Consistent racing and putting the pressure on Edmondson would allow for him to claim 8th across the line with 8 points.
Heading into the final race 3, Vieira was looking to end his night off strong. Although he would have a front row start, he unfortuanely would not have the best start however, a great line choice around the outside in the rock section would allow him to overtake a number of riders. Apolle would prove to be tough competition for Vieira in this race but would get caught up on track and create the perfect opportunity for Vieira to overtake for 5th. He would race strong and consistently in 5th and cross the line with 11 points.
Diogo Vieira finishes his night in 8th overall and securing a total of 26 points. Looking at the championship standings, he is currently in 7th with 67 points. He is consistently climbing up the championship standings and will be back racing in two weeks in Hungary for round 4 on January 31st.
@Super Enduro
@Super Enduro