Macal GTX 50. Bike of José Joaquim, piloted by Joe Meunier, Peter Meunier’s brother and sponsored by Forvel.
This bike was transformed by José Joaquim Carvalho in Coimbra.
Picture taken in 1979 in the first Enduro of Figueira da Foz that can not be held.
The late ’70s marked the rise of Enduro in Portugal. At that time the races have resulted from efforts of some groups of friends wanting to do more than ride on the end-of-week. That’s what happened in Sintra, with the Enduro of Beaches, considered as the first race of Enduro held in Portugal, in 1979. The division of classes was simple: 50cc and over 50cc, with the first to be divided between prepared bikes and series bikes.
That same year, in October, came to Figueira da Foz who should have been the first true Enduro, with the same rules as to what was done at the international races, under José Mendonça, a young man that had been present in the Six Days of 1978, in Sweden, by newspaper Motor. Mendonça collected all possible information on the Swedish event and wanted to do the same in Portugal, but a bureaucratic problem led to all the end-of-week program was shortened. The race did not take place due to a bureaucratic problem that arose at the last minute, but as the newspaper Autosport were reporting by the hand of Jorge Viegas “There was no race, but saved up the idea.”
From then on, the Enduro evolved as we all know, but only in 1985 Portugal was by the first time to the International Six Day of Enduro. This participation was the kickoff for the Enduro in Portugal.
The national scene today is very different. Both riders as teams are already considered internationally with great respect, not only by the professionalism of the riders but also by the organizational level of our events. Indeed, Portugal has today an international organizational reputation as very few countries, and the race events that are on the first three places ranking of the FIM – International Motorcycling Federation.