Making it four overall victories in a row, Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Billy Bolt has won the fourth round of the 2024 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship in Cluj, Romania. Battling through a knee injury sustained at the previous round in Germany, the FE 350 rider fought hard to claim two wins from three starts and with it, extend his championship lead to 19 points.
Report by Husqvarna Racing – Images courtesy of Future7Media
Although unable to ride his bike since round three due to injury, Bolt wasted no time in settling back into his fast rhythm by topping the afternoon timed practice in Cluj. Proving a much-needed confidence boost, Billy now felt optimistic about the night ahead on what would ultimately be a technical course to master.
Disappointed with placing fourth in the SuperPole hot lap, Billy lined up for race one on his FE 350 aiming to put himself back at the sharp end of the results sheet. Knowing the tight and complicated course would prove difficult to navigate under racing conditions, he tried to pace himself during the opening laps. Avoiding trouble where best he could, he ended race one in second position.
Taking to the start line for race two, Billy was determined to get his first victory of the night on the scoreboard. From row two he made short work of the early traffic and quickly slotted into fourth position on lap one. Battling through, he fought his way into second and set his sights on race leader Jonny Walker. With the duo going wheel-to-wheel, Billy put an incredible overtake on Walker as they began the final lap. Holding firm, he rode clear to a well-deserved race win.
With the overall victory in Romania up for grabs heading into the third and final race, Billy was focused on delivering the goods on his FE 350. A strong opening lap saw him slot into fourth position. Capitalising on mistakes from the riders in front of him as they ended lap two, Bolt dived into second position. On the following lap he disposed of early pace setter Eddie Karlsson to take over the race lead. Despite slippery track conditions, Billy kept his advantage intact during the final four minutes of racing to claim the win and with it, the overall victory at round four.
Thanks to his fourth consecutive overall victory in the 2024 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship, the Husqvarna Factory Racing rider now heads to round five in Budapest, Hungary on February 3rd with a 19-point lead.
Billy Bolt: “It was a night where momentum sort of came to me as the racing progressed. After a tricky start with SuperPole and race one, winning race two built the confidence back up. I felt better about my riding and really went for it in the final race to take the overall. I was disappointed with how SuperPole went. I made a mistake, but I have to accept these things happen sometimes. Overall I’m massively pleased with the outcome here tonight. Despite my injury, we’ve won again and strengthened the championship lead further.”
Results – 2024 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship – Round 4, Romania
Prestige Overall
1. Billy Bolt (Husqvarna) 57pts
2. Jonny Walker (Beta) 54pts
3. Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM) 43pts
4. Dominik Olszowy (Rieju) 37pts
5. Eddie Karlsson (Husqvarna) 31pts
Prestige Race 1
1. Jonny Walker (Beta) 11 laps, 7:07.645
2. Billy Bolt (Husqvarna) 11 laps, 7:21.009
3. Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM) 11 laps, 7:23.827
Prestige Race 2
1. Billy Bolt (Husqvarna) 11 laps, 7:07.496
2. Jonny Walker (Beta) 11 laps, 7:10.431
3. Dominik Olszowy (Rieju) 11 laps, 7:31.001
Prestige Race 3
1. Billy Bolt (Husqvarna) 11 laps, 6:45.093
2. Jonny Walker (Beta) 11 laps, 7:06.612
3. Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM) 11 laps, 7:13.515
Championship Standings (After Round 4)
1. Billy Bolt (Husqvarna) 239pts
2. Jonny Walker (Beta) 220pts
3. Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM) 153pts
4. Will Hoare (Rieju) 146pts
5. Dominik Olszowy (Rieju) 132pts
