Excitement is building as the seven-round 2023 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship gears up for the season opener next week in Serbia.
Images courtesy of FIM Hard Enduro Championship
Continuing to go from strength to strength, this year’s championship will see more than 40 riders from 20 nations fight it out for top honours. The FIM Hard Enduro Junior World Championship supported by KLIM, led by reigning champion Matthew Green (KTM), features 23 riders eager to showcase their skills.
- The 2023 championship will be decided over seven rounds
- Competitors from 20 nations are signed up to compete for title honours
- The season gets underway in Serbia next week
The off-season is over, the long winter months are now behind us – it’s go time for the 2023 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship! With the countdown complete, this year’s seven-round season gets underway in Serbia with the Xross Hard Enduro Rally.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Manuel Lettenbichler begins the new season as defending champion and will have to fend off a whole host of talent if he wants to secure another crown. In the FIM Hard Enduro Junior World Championship supported by KLIM, Rigo Racing’s Matthew Green leads the way as 2022 world champion.
Seven rounds to decide this year’s title fights
Across seven rounds, the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship will visit Serbia, Austria, Italy, Romania, Canada, Spain, and Germany. Xross Hard Enduro Rally will have the honours of hosting the 2023 championship opener. New to the series last year, the four-day Serbian rally proved an instant hit with riders thanks to its breath-taking landscapes and wild terrain. Lettenbichler topped the pile in 2022, enroute to winning the title, and would love to start this year in the same fashion.
From Serbia, competitors head to Austria for the iconic Red Bull Erzbergrodeo. Preparing for its 27th edition, it’s arguably one of the world’s most famous offroad motorcycle races. With up to 1,800 riders expected to compete across the weeklong festival, it’s one not to be missed.
Red Bull Abestone starts a busy month for riders in July with the Italian race hosting round three before moving on to Red Bull Romaniacs in Romania for round four 16 days later. Established in 2021, Red Bull Abestone is now that biggest Hard Enduro race in Italy.
Marking the midway point in the season, round four’s Red Bull Romaniacs is a formidable beast. World renowned as the toughest Hard Enduro Rallye, it puts competitors through their paces across five physically demanding days of racing.
Making the trip to North America for round five, Canada’s Red Bull Outliers is in stark contrast to round four. A mass start sprint race, it takes place in a truly unique region known as the Canadian Badlands.
Spain’s 24MX Hixpania Hard Enduro will host the penultimate stop of the season in Aguilar de Campoo. Across multiple days it features an urban prologue, cross-country race and then Hard Enduro final. After a one-year absence, the championship will sign off in Germany with the 24MX GetzenRodeo. Always spectacular, the event attracts over 10,000 spectators creating an incredible atmosphere to bring the championship to a close.
New categories and opportunities for riders in 2023
Continuing to develop a broader platform of classes and opportunities within the championship, the FIM Hard Enduro Junior World Championship supported by KLIM will host a KLIM Junior Camp in Zlatibor, Serbia before racing gets underway. With tutor Paul Bolton on hand to offer guidance and expertise, the goal is to best prepare riders ahead of the championship opener.
At each round there will also be a Women’s Hard Enduro Performance Award supported by GASGAS. Awarded to the best performing female at each round, the objective is to encourage more female competitors to participate in the sport.
World’s best riders set to compete
A long list of competitors are signed up to compete and fight for this year’s title. Manuel Lettenbichler starts as defending champion. He’s got company with a healthy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Billy Bolt aiming to win back the crown he last held in 2021.
Sherco Factory Racing will have Mario Roman and Wade Young pushing for wins, while Jarvis Magpul Racing privateer Graham Jarvis can never be counted out. Teo Kabakchiev (ECONT Bulgaria), alongside Michael Walkner (GASGAS) were breakthrough talents in 2022 and will aim to grab podium results this year.
The 2023 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship gets underway with round one in Zlatibor, Serbia on May 17-20.
