Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Josep Garcia will kick off his 2022 season by competing in the first three rounds of this year’s AMA Grand National Cross Country Series in North America. The young Spaniard will also take the opportunity to train with riders in the U.S. before returning to Europe and shifting his focus back to the FIM EnduroGP World Championship, which begins in May.

It has been a lifelong dream of the talented Spaniard to race the tough cross-country series and pit his talents against some of the best offroad riders in North America. And with the EnduroGP World Championship starting later this year in May, the opportunity has finally come for the 25-year-old to make that dream a reality.

Josep Garcia: “After many years, I have finally got the chance to go to the United States and race in the GNCC. The plan is to compete in the first three rounds before returning to Europe for the Spanish and World enduro championships. It’s been a long-standing goal of mine to do some GNCC races and this year, thanks to KTM Factory Racing and KTM USA, I will fulfill my dream. At the Six Days last year, a lot of the American riders encouraged me to race the series, and now I’m really looking forward to doing some three-hour cross-countries. Winter training for me has gone very well. We have made some improvements to the bike in Italy with the team, and I definitely feel good and ready for a new challenge. There’s no pressure, so the plan is to go over there, try my best, and enjoy it.”

With their mass starts and three-hour duration, GNCC races are very different to the special test format of the EnduroGP World Championship. However, Garcia has shown in the past, including his two years contesting the WESS World Championship, that he’s more than capable of adapting his riding to unfamiliar conditions and challenges.

The 2021 E2 champion is set to compete at the Big Buck in South Carolina, the Wild Boar in Florida, and the General in Georgia – three very different races that will offer a variety of terrain and conditions ranging from tight woods, to open fields, and sand tracks. Maintaining a strong, but solid pace over the often-degrading course for the full three hours is key to a top result.

Making the best use of his time away from Europe, Josep Garcia will also take the opportunity to train with the North American KTM Factory Racing team riders before returning back to Europe in time to shift his attention to classic enduro and the opening round of the FIM EnduroGP World Championship, held in Spain from May 6-8. (source: ktm)

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