Day 1
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The tension is gone from the title fight—and with it, all the pressure off Manuel Lettenbichler’s shoulders! The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider sealed the deal early on Friday evening at the 24MX Hixpania Hard Enduro in Aguilar de Campoo, Spain, securing the World Championship.
The Hard Enduro community had actually been looking forward to a thrilling showdown right down to the wire. But „Mani“ made quick work of it and left nothing to chance…
Lettenbichler traveled to Spain with a comfortable 32-point lead over Mitch Brightmore. With a maximum of only 33 points up for grabs in the grand finale, the door to the title was already wide open.
However, victory in the spectacular SuperEncierro kickoff in Hixpania Village was snatched by Billy Bolt—who was in form and created quite a stir, reportedly aboard a brand-new 360cc Husqvarna prototype (yet unconfirmed). Bolt pushed Ashton Brightmore and Teodor Kabakchiev into the remaining podium spots. Since only the top three bagged bonus points, fourth-placed Mitch Brightmore and fifth-placed Lettenbichler walked away empty-handed in this round.
For the overall standings, however, this was the final blow: with Brightmore trailing by 32 points, a maximum of only 30 points remain available over the rest of the weekend (10 in Saturday’s Campoo Xtreme sprint and 20 in Sunday’s main race, „The Lost Road“). Mathematically, Brightmore simply cannot catch the champion!
Surprise Party at the Finish Line
“We got the exact result we needed—even though we didn’t score any points today. My race was actually pretty decent and fun,” a beaming Lettenbichler said after crossing the finish line. “But yeah, at the end of the day, it was already enough to wrap up the title!”
His team intercepted him right at the finish line to pop the champagne on the spot: “I was totally surprised! The guys just held me back because they wanted to celebrate a little today. At first I was confused, but man, I’m absolutely stoked! What a year, what another incredible performance. At the start of the year, I wouldn’t have believed it myself.”
Day 1 – Part 2
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Images: FIM Hardenduro
Source / Pictures: FIM Hardenduro
