2026 Hard Enduro World Championship
Round Five – Abestone Hard Enduro – Italy
Silver Kings winner Mitch Brightmore struck first at Forza Orza and Billy Bolt claimed the Sprint Race on his return from injury, but Manuel Lettenbichler ultimately prevailed in Sweden.
Two weeks later in the Tuscan mountains, Lettenbichler left his rivals with no such opening. The reigning champion swept every points-paying segment at Abestone to claim the maximum 33 points and extend his FIM Hard Enduro World Championship lead from 15 to 24 points.
Round five arrived with Lettenbichler on 117 points, Mitch Brightmore on 102 and Teodor Kabakchiev holding a one-point advantage over Ashton Brightmore in the contest for third.
The championship’s return to Val di Luce above Abetone presented an altogether different challenge to Sweden, with dry rock, roots, streams and sustained climbs awaiting the field in the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines.
Lettenbichler controls Saturday
Saturday morning’s Qualification also served as the weekend’s Prologue points-paying segment, and Lettenbichler immediately established the benchmark.
The KTM rider completed the course in 6:59.14, beating Bolt by just 0.79 seconds. Bolt had recorded the fastest second sector but stopped the clock at 6:59.93, while Junior World Championship contender James Moore was third on 7:04.22.
Mitch Brightmore was only 0.15 seconds behind Moore in fourth, with Ashton Brightmore fifth ahead of Kabakchiev, Lorenzo Gandola, Thomas Scales, Eddie Karlsson and Robert Crayston.
Lettenbichler then led the Gold Sprint Race from start to finish. He was the only rider to reach the fifth checkpoint on the third lap and recorded the fastest lap of the race at 20:17.7.
Moore continued his impressive start to the weekend by finishing second, with fellow Junior contender Ashton Brightmore joining him on the outright podium.
Mitch Brightmore recovered to fourth ahead of Karlsson and Kabakchiev. Bolt finished seventh despite setting the second-fastest lap of the Sprint Race, while Mario Román, Gandola and Scales completed the top 10.
The non-championship Straight Rhythm closed Saturday’s programme under lights and determined the grid order for Sunday. Bolt defeated the field through the knockout eliminations to secure the victory and pole position for the Gold Final.
Six laps and a six-minute winning margin
Starting from the front in Sunday’s two-hour-plus-one-lap Gold Final, Lettenbichler immediately established himself as the rider to beat.
The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider controlled the contest from the opening lap and steadily increased his advantage over the chasing field. His best lap of 18:33.1 was more than a minute quicker than any of his rivals could manage.
Lettenbichler suffered a small crash in a river section while continuing to push towards the end of the race, but this time there was no repeat of the mechanical drama that had almost cost him victory in Sweden.
He completed six laps in 2:07:12.9 to secure his fourth HEWC victory from five rounds.
Mitch Brightmore was the only rider able to remain within relative striking distance, completing the six laps in 2:13:20.3. Second place marked the GASGAS rider’s fourth podium from the opening five rounds and earned him 24 championship points for the weekend.
The most intense battle was for the final step of the podium. Kabakchiev, Moore and Román traded positions across terrain that punished every mistake before Kabakchiev found the extra pace required to take third.
The Bulgarian brought his Sherco home in 2:14:54.6, with Moore finishing fourth and the leading Junior in 2:19:26.2. Román was the fifth and final rider to complete all six laps.
Gandola led the one-lap-down riders home in sixth, followed by Ashton Brightmore, Scales, Sonny Goggia and Karlsson.
Bolt had begun the weekend strongly with second in Qualification and victory in the Straight Rhythm, but illness and his continuing lack of race fitness made Sunday a difficult assignment. The Husqvarna rider persevered to complete five laps and was classified 12th.
Junior battle closes up
Moore’s fourth place carried maximum Junior World Championship points and moved the South African to within seven points of series leader Ashton Brightmore.
Ashton retains the Junior lead on 154 points, with Moore now on 147. Toby Shaw is third on 87, while Marc Fernandez Serra, Thomas Scales and Luke John Walker are separated by just two points behind him.
Conor Hennessy completed a perfect weekend in the Silver category, adding Final victory in 1:38:54.3 to his Qualification success. Adam Giles and Jamie Rowntree completed the Silver podium.
In the Bronze Final, Beta Australia’s Ebony Nielsen finished fourth outright and as the leading woman in the category.
Lettenbichler takes control of title fight
Lettenbichler’s maximum 33-point haul moved him to 150 points, giving the German a 24-point advantage over Mitch Brightmore.
Kabakchiev strengthened his hold on third with 20 points from the weekend and now sits on 94, three ahead of Ashton Brightmore.
Bolt remains fifth on 77 points, but only one point separates him from Román. Moore’s 23-point Abestone haul elevated him to seventh overall on 69 points.
With three rounds remaining and a maximum of 99 points still available, the championship is far from mathematically settled. However, Lettenbichler will carry a valuable buffer into the very different terrain and extreme altitude of the Roof of Africa.
Manuel Lettenbichler – P1
“What a great championship round. The crowd here in Italy was amazing, and it felt like there were even more people than last year. It’s really cool to see the sport continuing to grow in Italy and internationally.
“The event and the track were both great, and the track was actually really raceable, which made for an intense but enjoyable race. It was tough on the body, but I think we managed the weekend really well.
“It’s pretty insane to take another win here, especially with such a strong gap at the finish. I had a small crash in the river towards the end when I was pushing a little too hard and trying to extend the gap to Mitch [Brightmore], but thankfully it didn’t cost us.
“The crowd was amazing, and thanks to everyone out there with the chainsaws and all the crazy support in the trees. What a great race. Grazie a tutti!”
Billy Bolt – P12
“It was a difficult day and, to be honest, a difficult weekend overall. There were some good moments and I had a better run with the bike than I expected, but I’m still struggling quite a lot with the speed.
“This was my fifth race back after four months completely off the bike, so there’s still a lot I need to work on and improve. I’m actually looking forward to a short break now, because it gives us two weeks to reset and put some work in before we head to South Africa.
“Hopefully we can make some good steps and finish the year strong.”
2026 Abestone Hard Enduro Results
| Pos | Rider | Nation | Time/Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manuel Lettenbichler | GER | 2:07:12.9 |
| 2 | Mitch Brightmore | GBR | 2:13:20.3 |
| 3 | Teodor Kabakchiev | BUL | 2:14:54.6 |
| 4 | James Moore | RSA | 2:19:26.2 |
| 5 | Mario Román | ESP | 2:21:43.5 |
| 6 | Lorenzo Gandola | ITA | 5 laps |
| 7 | Ashton Brightmore | GBR | 5 laps |
| 8 | Thomas Scales | RSA | 5 laps |
| 9 | Sonny Goggia | ITA | 5 laps |
| 10 | Eddie Karlsson | SWE | 5 laps |
2026 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship Standings
| Pos | Rider | Nation | Machine | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manuel Lettenbichler | GER | KTM | 150 |
| 2 | Mitch Brightmore | GBR | GASGAS | 126 |
| 3 | Teodor Kabakchiev | BUL | Sherco | 94 |
| 4 | Ashton Brightmore | GBR | GASGAS | 91 |
| 5 | Billy Bolt | GBR | Husqvarna | 77 |
| 6 | Mario Román | ESP | Husqvarna | 76 |
| 7 | James Moore | RSA | Beta | 69 |
| 8 | Eddie Karlsson | SWE | Stark | 63 |
| 9 | Lorenzo Gandola | ITA | Sherco | 43 |
| 10 | Matthew Green | RSA | KTM | 38 |
2026 FIM HEWC Calendar
The 2026 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship is set to span eight rounds across Europe, North America and Africa, reduced from nine following the cancellation of the Wildwoods event.
- Round 1 – 24MX Alestrem Hard Enduro
April 17-19 – Alès, France - Round 2 – Extreme XL Lagares
May 1-3 – Porto, Portugal - Round 3 – Silver Kings Hard Enduro
June 18-20 – Idaho/Silver Mountain Resort, United States - Round 4 – Forza Orza
August 20-22 – Orsa, Sweden - Round 5 – Abestone Hard Enduro
September 4-6 – Abetone, Italy - Round 6 – Roof of Africa
September 23-26 – Maseru, Lesotho - Round 7 – Sea to Sky
October 8-10 – Kemer, Turkey - Round 8 – 24MX Hixpania Hard Enduro
October 23-25 – Aguilar de Campoo, Spain
