Australia’s Junior World Trophy team has been the biggest story on day four of the 2026 FIM International Six Days Enduro (ISDE) at Grandola in Portugal, moving into the top five as it continues to keep the leaders in sight.

Although visibility was much improved thanks to revised starting procedures, only three special tests and one 143km lap were completed on day four – but it was still a fruitful one for Kogan Lock (GASGAS), Will Dennett (Triumph) and Max Midwinter (Husqvarna) who are now fifth in the Junior World Trophy, 11 minutes and 49 seconds (11:49) behind new leader, Italy.

2026 ISDE RESULTS HERE

France was the biggest Junior World Trophy casualty on day four, plunging from first to 13th after a DNF for one of its riders – its ISDE challenge evaporating in the blink of an eye.

That was the same fate the MXstore Australian team’s World Trophy outfit went through on day one when Korey McMahon (KTM) was forced out with a mechanical problem, but Kyron Bacon (Kawasaki), Gus Riordan (Honda) and Josh Strang (Beta) have still continued the fight with a never-say-die attitude.

For Bacon, that amounted to a sensational day four when he was second in the E1 individual standings behind towering Spaniard Josep Garcia (KTM), with Riordan in sixth. Strang was also top 10 in the E3 class.

“It was nice to be able to see in the special tests, but I’m just a little bit off on speed this week which is a bit frustrating,” said Strang. “The Aussie support at this year’s ISDE has been mad, though – in today’s first test I saw more yellow and green shirts than any other shirt, which was very cool.”

In the overall individual standings (the E1-E3 classes combined), Bacon remains the leading Australian in 20th position with one more day of trails and the traditional motocross test still to come.

Andrea Verona (KTM) continues to lead the overall standings, but Garcia has methodically trimmed the Italian’s buffer to just 12 seconds as the battle looks set to go down to the wire.

In the Women’s World Trophy, Australia (Danielle McDonald, Madi Simpson and Jess Gardiner) has a stranglehold on second position, 35 minutes ahead of third-placed France – but the United States of America continues to be a tough cookie to crack at the pointy end.

The USA has now extended its lead to 5:05, which makes day five crunch time for the Yamaha-riding Aussie trio if they want to put the blowtorch on their great rivals.

“The trail was better today: less dust and more spread out,” said Simpson. “But it wasn’t my best day, throwing it away in the second test with a silly little crash which put me on the back foot.

“We’ll just keep pushing hard as a team over the next two days and see where it takes us.”

2026 ISDE RESULTS AFTER DAY FOUR
TEAMS
World Trophy
1. Italy
2. France +3:39
3. Sweden +4:58
4. USA +7:39
5. Spain +7:56
17. Australia +9.49:42

Junior World Trophy
1. Italy
2. USA +3:36
3. Spain +5:26
4. Czech Republic +10:55
5. Australia +11:49

Women’s World Trophy
1. USA
2. Australia +5:05
3. France +40:45
4. New Zealand +1.00:45
5. Portugal +1.04:20

INDIVIDUAL
E1
Kyron Bacon: 7th
Gus Riordan: 9th

E2
Kogan Lock: 18th
Will Dennett: 22nd
Korey McMahon: DNF

E3:
Josh Strang: 11th
Max Midwinter: 13th

Women:
Danielle McDonald: 2nd
Madi Simpson: 4th
Jess Gardiner: 6th