Trophy Teams Chasing ISDE Glory In Italy

The 99th edition of the FIM International Six Days Enduro (ISDE) begins on the spectacular and scenic trails of Bergamo in Italy this weekend on August 24, with Motorcycling Australia’s three highly credentialed Trophy teams primed to take on the world’s best. The World Trophy, Junior World Trophy and Women’s World Trophy teams are now on location in Italy, walking every inch of the special tests which are expected to provide much drier conditions than the 2024 event in Spain.

However, that doesn’t mean the event will be a walk in the park. In keeping with the event’s original 1913 ‘trial’ ethos, the 2025 instalment will again provide a huge challenge for riders with high mountains to steep, rocky sections and long, fast cross tests – followed by the traditional motocross test on day six.

A total of 660 riders across 32 nations will compete at the FIM ISDE, as the MXstore-backed Team Australia looks to get back on the Trophy winner’s list for the first time since 2018. That was the year when the all-conquering Women’s World Trophy team made it six wins in a row, while the World Trophy (victories in 2015 and 2018) and Junior World Trophy (2015 and 2019) also helped to make it a stunning decade for Team Australia.

Three Australian riders, Daniel Milner, Josh Strang and Jess Gardiner, are still competing in the ISDE from that heady era, with the former also the overall individual winner in 2018. Milner (KTM) and the American-based Strang (Beta) will be joined in the World Trophy team by Jonte Reynders (KTM) and rookie Jye Dickson (Beta), with the quartet all carrying strong form into the event.

Milner leads the Pro Enduro ‘best of the best’ battle in the 2025 Yamaha Australian Enduro Championship presented by MXstore (AusEnduro), as well as leading the E2 class. Reynders (seventh in Pro, first E1) and Dickson (fourth in Pro, second E3) are also producing impressive campaigns, while Strang – despite an interrupted campaign – is 12th in America’s Grand National Cross Country Series (GNCC) after four top-10 finishes in the last five rounds.

The World Trophy is the most heavily subscribed of the Trophy battles with 20 countries, and includes last year’s winner France with an unchanged line-up as well as star power with reigning individual champion Josep Garcia (KTM), local speedster Andrea Verona (GASGAS), Theo Espinasse (Sherco) and Max Ahlin (KTM).

Australia was fourth in the 2024 World Trophy, the same position as the Junior World Trophy team, while the Women’s World Trophy finished second behind America. The 2025 Junior World Trophy is a 17-team affair, with Aussie trio Kyron Bacon (Kawasaki), Korey McMahon (KTM) and Gus Riordan (KTM) coming together from different corners of the globe.

Bacon is now based in Italy as he embarks on a maiden FIM EnduroGP World Championship campaign, McMahon has been pushing his team boss Milner to the limit in AusEnduro, while Riordan has been riding out of his skin in the GNCC and currently sits in third Outright. Riordan was the leading Aussie finisher at the 2024 FIM ISDE in 17th outright. With last year’s Junior World Trophy winner Sweden fielding an all-new line-up in 2025, Bacon, McMahon and Riordan will sense the opportunity to take maximum advantage around the valleys of Bergamo.

Since the Women’s World Trophy began in 2007, Australia (six), the United States (five), France (five) and Great Britain (one) have shared the victories, and the quartet is again expected to feature prominently in 2025.

Australia will feature the experience and guile of Australian Motorsport Hall of Fame inductee, Gardiner (Yamaha), as well as Danielle McDonald (Yamaha), already a consummate professional at just 18 years old, and versatile newcomer Madison Healey (KTM) who’s not only a leading light in AusEnduro but also in motocross and desert racing. McDonald, back home in Australia during a break in her American enduro commitments, has spent time riding and fine-tuning pit and tyre-changing procedures with her teammates over recent weeks.

Nine teams will compete in the Women’s World Trophy, with the United States the defending champion. Australian representation at the 2025 FIM also includes three club teams from Dandenong (Vic) Oyster Bay (NSW) and Dungog (NSW). Club riders form the backbone of the FIM ISDE, making up more than half the entries at the longest-running event on the FIM calendar.

The 2025 FIM ISDE will commence with an opening ceremony in the heart of Bergamo, concluding with the formal presentation of each team. Final preparations will then kick in before racing gets underway on August 24. There will be live coverage of the FIM ISDE on FIM-MOTO.TV, with a subscription required. Motorcycling Australia will have daily coverage on the MA website and across Facebook and Instagram.