2026 Hard Enduro World Championship
Round Six – Roof of Africa – Lesotho
Teodor Kabakchiev claimed victory at the 2026 Roof of Africa, while Manuel Lettenbichler edged Wade Young by just one tenth of a second for second overall after three days of racing in Lesotho’s Maloti Mountains.
The Sherco rider finished with a combined time just under ten hours, taking the win by a little under three minutes. Behind him, the contest between Lettenbichler and Young came down to the smallest of margins, the KTM pair classified on 10h02m33.1s and 10h02m33.2s respectively.
Matthew Green finished fourth, with defending Roof of Africa winner James Moore recovering to fifth after mechanical trouble on Friday had ended his hopes of another overall victory. Moore had opened the event by winning Thursday’s time trial, while a five-minute penalty immediately put Mitch Brightmore on the back foot.
The sixth round of the championship combined a time trial with two very different days in the mountains. Thursday’s best lap counted towards the overall result, Friday brought an approximately 110-kilometre mountain race, and Saturday’s deciding stage comprised two laps of a 38-kilometre course.
Moore takes the time trial as Brightmore is penalised
Heavy rain accompanied Wednesday’s city parade through Maseru, but clearer conditions greeted the riders when competition began at Music Box on Thursday.
With each rider completing two timed laps and the quicker of those counting, Moore set the winning mark at 25m01.91s. Lettenbichler was 15.74 seconds behind, while Ashton Brightmore finished only seven tenths further back in third.
Kabakchiev opened his event in fourth, 1m09.13s behind Moore, with Young fifth and Green sixth. Thomas Scales and Lorenzo Gandola were separated by just three hundredths of a second in seventh and eighth.
Mitch Brightmore had actually recorded the quickest lap of the day at 24m11.99s, almost 50 seconds faster than Moore. A five-minute penalty, however, changed his official time to 29m11.99s and dropped him to ninth.
That was a significant setback in an event decided on accumulated time. Brightmore began Friday 4m10.08s behind Moore and almost four minutes behind championship rival Lettenbichler.
Kabakchiev moves ahead in the mountains
Friday’s long mountain stage brought Kabakchiev, Young, Lettenbichler and Green together at the front, the four establishing themselves as the leading group across the demanding Maloti terrain.
Kabakchiev completed the stage in 5h48m58s, 32 seconds ahead of Young. Lettenbichler finished third on the day, with Green fourth.
Once the time-trial results were added, Kabakchiev held an overall advantage of approximately 42 seconds over Young. Lettenbichler was around 81 seconds from the lead, leaving all three firmly in contention ahead of Saturday’s finale. Green remained fourth, less than five minutes behind Kabakchiev.
Moore’s challenge had unravelled earlier in the day when a mechanical problem cost him substantial time. The South African continued, but the time-trial winner was now facing a recovery ride rather than a fight to retain his Roof crown.
The organiser also reported mechanical problems for both Mitch and Ashton Brightmore, adding to a difficult event for the British brothers.
Kabakchiev wins as one tenth decides second
Saturday’s shorter, more technical format shifted the emphasis away from the extended navigation demands of Friday. With two laps to complete and a service stop between them, Kabakchiev carried his overnight lead into the deciding stage.
Lettenbichler started third and rode the opening lap alone, unable to close on Kabakchiev and Young. The shape of his race changed when a charging Moore caught him, the pair then pushing together on the second lap and catching Young.
Lettenbichler finished third on the final stage, but the decisive number was his gain over Young. He recovered 38.4 seconds across Saturday’s racing, enough to overturn the overnight deficit and take second overall by just 0.1 seconds.
Kabakchiev secured the overall win, with Green completing the event fourth, 34m26s behind the winner. Moore’s final-day recovery brought him fifth, 38m11s from the lead.
For Lettenbichler, the more technical final stage suited his riding, while teaming up with Moore reduced the navigation burden and helped him concentrate on making up time.
Manuel Lettenbichler
“I’m really happy to finish the Roof of Africa with another second overall. The final day was pretty good, it was a bit shorter and more intense, which was actually really cool. There was less navigation and more technical riding, so I could really focus on my riding and felt like I rode pretty well. I started third and was by myself for the whole first lap. I couldn’t catch Wade [Young] and Teo [Kabakchiev], but I was happy with my position. Then James [Moore] caught me because he was on fire today, so we pushed really hard on the second lap and caught Wade. For me, that was perfect because I had less navigation to worry about and could really focus on my riding. It was also a really good day for the championship, so I’m really stoked with the result.”
Billy Bolt misses Lesotho after knee surgery
Billy Bolt was absent from the Roof of Africa after undergoing knee surgery in the week before the event. Husqvarna Factory Racing confirmed that the decision to withdraw followed medical advice, with recovery taking priority.
Bolt had returned to competition in August and was fifth in the championship heading into Lesotho. His condition will be reassessed ahead of Sea to Sky in Turkey on October 8-10, with his participation there yet to be confirmed.
Billy Bolt
“Unfortunately, I’m not going to be able to race the Roof of Africa this week. I had surgery on my knee last week, so it’s just about taking the time now to recover properly and get things moving in the right direction. Obviously, it’s frustrating to miss another race, but there’s no point rushing things. We’ll see how the next couple of weeks go and reassess the situation before deciding on the next step. Hopefully, I can get back to feeling good and finish the season on a positive.”
Fabio Farioli – Husqvarna Factory Racing Enduro Team Manager
“It’s unfortunate that Billy won’t be able to race the Roof of Africa this week, but his health and recovery have to come first. He had surgery on his knee last week, so now the focus is on giving him the time he needs to recover properly, without rushing the process. We’ll continue to monitor his progress and reassess the situation before making any decisions about the next race. We wish Billy a smooth recovery and hope to see him back on the bike when he’s ready.”
2026 Roof of Africa Hard Enduro Results
Provisional Gold class overall results – Top Five
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Teodor Kabakchiev | Sherco | 9:59:46 |
| 2 | Manuel Lettenbichler | KTM | +2:46.9 |
| 3 | Wade Young | KTM | +2:47.0 |
| 4 | Matthew Green | KTM | +34:26 |
| 5 | James Moore | Beta | +38:11 |
2026 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship Standings
Two rounds remain on the 2026 schedule. Sea to Sky in Kemer, Turkey, follows on October 8-10, before the championship concludes at 24MX Hixpania Hard Enduro in Spain on October 23-25.
2026 FIM HEWC Calendar
The 2026 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship comprises eight rounds, reduced from nine following the cancellation of the Wildwoods event.
Round 1 – 24MX Alestrem Hard Enduro
April 17-19 – Ales, FranceRound 2 – Extreme XL Lagares
May 1-3 – Porto, PortugalRound 3 – Silver Kings Hard Enduro
June 18-20 – Idaho/Silver Mountain Resort, United StatesRound 4 – Forza Orza
August 20-22 – Orsa, SwedenRound 5 – Abestone Hard Enduro
September 4-6 – Abetone, ItalyRound 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
