The fourth stop of the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship saw Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Billy Bolt claim second place at the Red Bull Outliers in Canada. Putting in a strong ride, the TE 300 mounted rider raced to second in the opening day’s urban prologue, before a race-long battle in Sunday’s multi-lap hard enduro main race saw him finish a close runner-up.
Heading to Canada for the championship’s only North American stop of 2023, Billy was in confident spirits following his strong ride at round three’s Red Bull Romaniacs. A different format to the last outing’s multi-day hard enduro rallye, the two-day mix of an urban, superenduro-style prologue and multi-lap hard enduro race was set to favour the Brit.
Always eager to impress in the prologue, Bolt immediately set the pace, winning both his heat and semi-final races with ease. The Husqvarna rider looked impressive on the short and intense course beneath the Calgary skyscrapers. With the flag dropping on the final, Bolt pushed hard to hit the front, but washed out on the tyre section and lost some valuable positions. Upping his pace he raced his way back into contention, but ultimately fell just three tenths of a second short from claiming victory.
For day two, the Red Bull Outliers headed to the nearby Badlands. An iconic stretch of Canadian desert wasteland filled with many steep, slippery clay climbs, the terrain – combined with intense heat – would prove testing.
A great start from Billy on his TE 300 saw him settle into second position behind pace setter Manuel Lettenbichler as they began the three-lap race. Knowing the heat would take its toll, Billy was happy to let Manuel take the lead early on. On the final lap, Billy made his move for the lead.
Repeatedly challenging Manuel time and time again, the Brit was just unable to make a pass stick. Giving it his all on the final climb, Billy came up short and had to settle for second.
The FIM Hard Enduro World Championship continues with round five at Hixpania Hard Enduro in Spain on October 12-15.
Billy Bolt: “It’s been a good race and a great weekend. Finishing second in the prologue and runner-up in the main race has been solid. I would have loved to win the prologue having won both my heat races, but a crash at just the wrong time cost me. For the main race I knew it was going to be tough. There were a lot of big slippery climbs, and we were racing in some serious heat. I had a good start with Mani, and we rode together early on. I had a few mistakes throughout, but generally I was happy with my riding. On the final lap I had one big mistake that allowed Mario to close the gap to me, but I managed to recover and get some breathing room coming into the final big section. I got onto Mani’s wheel there but had pushed a bit hard and just didn’t have an answer to him at the end.”
Results: Round 4, Red Bull Outliers
Main Race
1. Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM)
2. Billy Bolt (Husqvarna)
3. Trystan Hart (KTM)
4. Mario Roman (Sherco)
5. Wade Young (Sherco)
Championship Standings (After round 4)
1. Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM) 86pts
2. Billy Bolt (Husqvarna) 63pts
3. Trystan Hart (KTM) 62pts
