Stamping his authority on the 2024 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship, Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Billy Bolt has won his fourth consecutive world title with a dominant ride on home soil in Newcastle, United Kingdom. Enjoying a fairytale ending to an incredible season, the Brit won the seventh and final round of the championship, along with topping the SuperPole hot lap standings, to complete a clean sweep of overall victories on his FE 350.
Words and Images by Husqvarna Motorcycles
Growing up just a stone’s throw from the Newcastle Utilita Arena, Billy arrived at his home race as the champion-elect thanks to a 59-point lead. Knowing a win in SuperPole would see him clinch his fourth consecutive world title, Billy attacked the course with all his might on his FE 350.
Linking together what proved to be the perfect lap, the hometown hero topped the timesheets in front of his passionate Newcastle crowd. Immediately celebrating with his Husqvarna Factory Racing team, family, and friends, he then set about capping off an incredible indoor campaign by racing for his seventh Grand Prix victory.
Opting for the favoured outside gate for race one, Billy blasted off the start line on his FE 350 and emerged from the opening rock garden with the holeshot. A small mistake dropped him back to second, but on lap two he put himself back in control of the race lead. Keeping the pace high, the Husqvarna rider went on to win race one by 12 seconds.
From the second row of the grid for race two, Billy tactically set about moving himself up the leaderboard. Up to seventh on lap one, he claimed another four positions within the space of one lap to slot into third. With three minutes to go, Billy had found his way into second on his FE 350 and began pressuring race leader Jonny Walker. Despite an increasingly slippery track, the Husqvarna rider muscled his way past Walker and hung on to claim his second victory of the night.
Determined to end his home round on a high, Billy took the holeshot for race three and set about building a lead. Increasing his advantage in the opening stages, he built up a seven-second gap over Manuel Lettenbichler in second place. However, just when his third victory looked within reach, a crash in the rocks saw Lettenbichler close that gap. Quickly remounting and regrouping, Bolt got back into his high-paced rhythm and pushed ahead to claim his third race win of the night.
Making it three wins from three starts, along with securing the SuperPole hot lap, the Husqvarna Factory Racing star took the overall victory on the night in Newcastle. Making it seven overall wins from seven starts, Billy ended his FIM SuperEnduro World Championship campaign undefeated, while also clinching his fourth consecutive world title indoors.
Billy Bolt: “I’ve always dreamed of racing in front of my hometown. So to come here tonight and not only win but clinch the world championship for a fourth time is mind blowing. I grew up in Newcastle, it’s my home, so I can’t thank everyone enough for coming out like this to support me. I’m glad we’ve been able to put on a show for them too. The track got tougher as the night went on. It was hard not to make a mistake. Overall, it’s been a challenging season, especially with my injury midway, but thanks to my team we’ve won the championship. We’ll celebrate tonight!”
Results – 2024 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship – Round 7, United Kingdom
Prestige Overall
1. Billy Bolt (Husqvarna) 63pts
2. Jonny Walker (Beta) 49pts
3. Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM) 47pts
4. Mitch Brightmore (GASGAS) 39pts
5. Will Hoare (Rieju) 32pts
Prestige Race 1
1. Billy Bolt (Husqvarna) 11 laps, 7:17.419
2. Jonny Walker (Beta) 11 laps, 7:29.414
3. Mitch Brightmore (GASGAS) 11 laps, 7:34.693
Prestige Race 2
1. Billy Bolt (Husqvarna) 10 laps, 7:01.058
2. Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM) 10 laps, 7:03.173
3. Jonny Walker (Beta) 10 laps, 7:05.164
Prestige Race 3
1. Billy Bolt (Husqvarna) 10 laps, 6:57.323
2. Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM) 10 laps, 7:03.000
3. Jonny Walker (Beta) 10 laps, 7:09.941
Final Championship Standings
1. Billy Bolt (Husqvarna) 427pts
2. Jonny Walker (Beta) 354pts
3. Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM) 287pts
4. Will Hoare (Rieju) 240pts
5. Mitch Brightmore (GASGAS) 230pts
