2026 Hard Enduro World Championship
Round Two – Extreme Lagares
Manuel Lettenbichler left Portugal with the 2026 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship lead after completing a clean sweep of Extreme XL Lagares, but the Red Bull KTM rider was made to work for the final part of that perfect weekend.
Lettenbichler won Friday’s Endurocode Stage, Saturday’s Extreme Penafiel race and Sunday’s Extreme XL Lagares main race, banking maximum points across the three-day second round. It was enough to move the German to the top of the championship standings after two rounds, 15-points clear of Teodor Kabakchiev.
The weekend started in more decisive fashion. Lettenbichler was already in control on Friday’s 60-kilometre Endurocode Stage, where he finished more than three-minutes clear of the field. He backed that up on Saturday across the 120-kilometre Extreme Penafiel route, stretching the margin to more than eight-minutes.
Sunday was different.
The two-hour-plus-one-lap main race produced the tightest contest of the weekend, with Mitch Brightmore keeping Lettenbichler honest throughout and pushing the KTM rider all the way to the line. Lettenbichler ultimately held on by just 7.9-seconds, taking the win in 2h24m05s ahead of Brightmore’s GASGAS.
It was still another clear statement from the defending champion, but Brightmore’s ride was one of the strongest of his Hard Enduro World Championship career and moved him to fourth in the provisional standings, just one point behind Billy Bolt.
Teodor Kabakchiev continued his consistent start to the season with third for Sherco, finishing 4m27s behind Lettenbichler. The Bulgarian now sits second in the championship, ahead of Bolt, and has established himself as a genuine front-runner across the opening two rounds.
Mario Román was fourth for Husqvarna, 5m19s from the win, while Bolt completed the top five after arriving in Portugal with a hand injury.
Bolt’s weekend was more about damage limitation than outright pace. The Husqvarna rider used Friday’s racing to settle into the event before taking seventh in Saturday’s demanding 120-kilometre Hard Enduro. He then dug deep on Sunday to finish fifth, enough to retain third in the championship standings.
“Coming here to Portugal with a hand injury, I knew this race would be a matter of survival and simply trying to salvage points,” Bolt said. “I’m pretty made up with fifth place to be honest. Like I said, I genuinely came just to score as many points as I could. Along with taking seventh yesterday, it’s been a job well done for me. The focus now is on healing up and getting healthy.”
Behind the established front-runners, James Moore was sixth and the best-placed Junior rider, ahead of Ashton Brightmore in seventh. Wade Young finished eighth, Eddie Karlsson put the Stark inside the top ten in ninth, and Lorenzo Gandola completed the first ten home for Sherco.
For Lettenbichler, the weekend was exactly the response required after the complicated Alestrem opener. He now holds the red plate and a 15-point championship advantage as the series turns toward its next phase.
“Full house this weekend, we’ll definitely take that!” Lettenbichler said. “To win all three days and come away with maximum points is exactly what we were aiming for, and I’m really happy with how everything came together here in Portugal. I felt good on the bike from the start and was able to ride consistently across all the different stages, which was key with how tough and varied the terrain was. The main race was super intense, especially towards the end, but I stayed focused and pushed right to the finish. Overall, I’m really stoked with my riding this weekend and it’s a great feeling to take over the championship lead.”
Lettenbichler’s next major outing will be the Red Bull Erzbergrodeo in Austria on June 4-7, where he will defend his crown. The FIM Hard Enduro World Championship then resumes with round three, Silver Kings Hard Enduro in the United States, on June 18-20.
2026 Extreme Lagares Results
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manuel Lettenbichler | KTM | 2:24:05 |
| 2 | Mitch Brightmore | GASGAS | +7.9s |
| 3 | Teodor Kabakchiev | Sherco | +4:27.2 |
| 4 | Mario Román | Husqvarna | +5:19.4 |
| 5 | Billy Bolt | Husqvarna | +5:41.9 |
| 6 | James Moore | KTM | +6:17 |
| 7 | Ashton Brightmore | GASGAS | +9:10 |
| 8 | Wade Young | KTM | +9:17 |
| 9 | Eddie Karlsson | Stark | +11:25 |
| 10 | Lorenzo Gandola | Sherco | +15:04 |
2026 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship Standings
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manuel Lettenbichler | KTM | 61 |
| 2 | Teodor Kabakchiev | Sherco | 46 |
| 3 | Billy Bolt | Husqvarna | 44 |
| 4 | Mitch Brightmore | GASGAS | 43 |
| 5 | Mario Román | Husqvarna | 35 |
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 – Ales, 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 – Arezzo, 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
