Jed Etchells got off to a winning start in the FIM Enduro Junior World Championship with victory on day one of the Italian GP on Saturday.

Less than 48 hours after being announced as joint recipient of the Isle of Man Sports Ambassador of 2022 with ISDE Trophy-winning team-mate Jamie McCanney, Etchells got off to a cracking start near San Remo.

The cross test weaved its way across the sandy beach in Arma di Taggia, while the extreme and enduro test, situated in the surrounding mountains, both featured dry, hard pack, rocky terrain.

The Fantic 250cc four-stroke rider was fastest in the first three tests and opened up a seven-second lead. Although admitting to struggling with the roughening conditions midway through the day, he regrouped on the final lap to pull clear and win.

Chasing Etchells all day, Sweden’s Max Ahlin (KTM) placed second, 20.6 seconds behind, with newcomer Jeremy Sydow (Sherco) of Germany third.

Greeba’s Max Ingham, who is concentrating more on the UK road racing scene these days, finished 11th in the junior class on a 250 Yamaha.

‘It’s a great way to start the championship with a win,’ said Jed. ‘I managed to win every test on the first lap and that put me in a great position early on. I struggled a bit in the middle of the day with the bumps.’

Jamie McCanney, riding the Fast Eddy Husqvarna, finished 12th in the Enduro GP championship class on Saturday, fifth in E1 class.

On Sunday he slipped to 20th overall and seventh in E1, but no doubt happy to beat top Extreme rider Billy Bolt by 18s.

Etchells and Sydow had a close battle throughout Sunday, but ultimately the German rider edged it by 5.26s at the close, with Ahlin third.

Ingham, whose attention will now shift to the British Supersport Championship, finished 15th.

l Round two, the Enduro GP of Spain takes place at Lalín in the Galicia region from May 5-7.