The Enduro World Series has just announced an updated racing schedule for 2021 that sees the introduction of double-header events and the removal of the Chilean and Colombian rounds.

After a reduced season of racing this year, the EWS is looking ahead to the next year of racing and it has already pushed the season start back to the end of June in Val Di Fassa. The Italian round will kick off the 2021 EWS with a double-header event, this will see riders racing both on Thursday and Sunday in the same week.

The EWS say this will provide: “double the racing for both athletes and fans, this new format will also help budgets for privateers and teams, as well as lessening the environmental impact by reducing the amount of travel. The season is grouped into longer blocks of travel to allow for more racing than ever before, with the EWS expanding to nine rounds and EWS-E increasing to four.”

EWS 2021 Schedule

EWS-E 2021 Schedule

2021 Trophy of Nations

Each race weekend is also set to include a new format of racing, this will come in the form of the ‘Pro Stage’. The ‘Pro Stage’ will see racers take on a short and fast stage the evening before the main race and will offer extra points in the Pro Men’s and Women’s categories and the top three in U21 and Master.

bigquotes The Pro stage will provide a fast and exhilarating start to an EWS weekend. It will use a specially designed, high-speed stage aimed at creating close racing and excitement for spectators, as well as offering up extra points for the racers.— Ruaridh Cunningham, EWS Sport Coordinator

The new scheduling will also provide the opportunity for the EWS100 and EWS80 races to get a full day of dedicated racing at every venue. Another new addition to the schedule will be a series of ‘Gold Qualifiers’. These events will be large scale regional races that will provide more points than standard local racing and should offer a more effective way for riders to earn enough points to qualify for the Pro races.

bigquotes Although 2020 was a tough year for everyone, the extended off-season gave us an opportunity to reflect on all aspects of the EWS and EWS-E and we’re excited to introduce these changes. It’s the biggest shake-up to the format in the history of the series and we’re excited about the direction of the sport.

“We are obviously incredibly disappointed for our partners who we are unable to visit in 2021, but they have our full support and we look forward to returning to them as soon as we can.

“There’s a lot to look forward to in 2021, the increase in the number of both EWS and EWS-E races and the return of the Trophy of Nations. And on a personal level, I can’t wait to see both the EWS and EWS-E conclude in the Tweed Valley, where the Enduro World Series team is based – it’ll provide the perfect backdrop to finish our biggest season to date.

— Chris Ball, EWS Managing Director