Round three of the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship got underway in Serbia, with TTR Squadra Corse’s Mitch Brightmore fastest in qualification at the Xross Hard Enduro Rally. It was a Brightmore 1-2 in the AKRAPOVIC Prologue with Ashton claiming second ahead of Sherco Factory Racing’s Teodor Kabakchiev in third.
- Round three of the FIM HEWC gets underway in Serbia
- Mitch Brightmore secures the win in qualification
- Three tough Offroad Days now await the 54 Pro class riders
Marking a thrilling start to the third round of the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship in Zlatibor, Serbia, racing got underway with an all-action SuperEnduro-style qualification. The short course, featuring manmade obstacles on a mixture of asphalt and dirt, was made harder as riders also had to overcome the intense heat in the region.
At the end of the opening qualification lap, it was TTR Squadra Corse’s Mitch Brightmore who had set the benchmark, recording the fastest lap time by over one second. Setting the tone for the racing to come, his younger brother Ashton was second quickest, with South Africa’s James Moore (GASGAS) in third.
Lining up for the eight-lap Pro class final, all eyes were on the Brightmore brothers to see who would come out on top. Wasting no time in hitting the front, Mitch and Ashton made short work of the challenging course.
Pushing each other on, the TTR Squadra Corse duo began to distance themselves from the chasing pack. Keeping his cool in the heat, Mitch kept Ashton at bay to take a well-deserved win. Although giving it his best shot, Ashton just couldn’t better Mitch and ultimately had to settle for the runner-up position.
Behind the top two, it was another close battle for the final step of the podium between Sherco Factory Racing’s Teodor Kabakchiev and RIEJU Factory Racing’s Alfredo Gomez. In the end, it was the Bulgarian Kabakchiev who took third. Gomez shadowed him across the line, placing just one second behind the Sherco rider in fourth.
Completing the top five was Sherco Factory Racing’s Mario Roman in fifth, with Red Bull Leader Tread’s Wade Young in sixth.
With Mitch and Ashton placing first and second overall, they also finished 1-2 in the FIM Hard Enduro Junior World Championship supported by KLIM category. Riding to eighth overall in the final, Suff Sella (KTM) was the third quickest Junior rider.
With all of the championship’s main contenders placing at the sharp end of the results in qualification, attention now turns to tomorrow’s opening Offroad Day. With 100 kilometres of testing Serbian terrain awaiting them, it will be exciting to see who can master the mountains.
AKRAPOVIC Live Experience
Don’t forget, you can follow all the action from round three at Xross Hard Enduro Rally on the AKRAPOVIC Live Experience on iridehardenduro.com. Filled with information, it will feature all the official results, event coverage and schedules to help you stay up to speed with the action.
Results: FIM HEWC, Round 3 Qualification
Pro Class
1. Mitch Brightmore (Husqvarna) 8 laps, 6:53.48
2. Ashton Brightmore (Husqvarna) 8 laps, 6:55.68
3. Teodor Kabakchiev (Sherco) 8 laps, 7:05.90
4. Alfredo Gomez (RIEJU) 8 laps, 7:06.82
5. Mario Roman (Sherco) 8 laps, 7:19.70
6. Wade Young (GASGAS) 8 laps, 7:26.30
7. Graham Jarvis (Husqvarna) 8 laps, 7:31.39
8. Suff Sella (KTM) 8 laps, 7:32.20
9. Marc Riba (KTM) 8 laps, 7:37.99
10. James Allen (Husqvarna) 8 laps, 7:39.29
Words and Images by FIM HEWC
