The first round of the season opened at the French GP in the Arena Stade Couvert de Liévin. It was the first time that Northern France region hosted the MotoZ FIM SuperEnduro World Championship.
Words and Images courtesy of SuperEnduro
Almost 5,000 enthusiastic spectators came to fill the stands to discover the madness of SuperEnduro races. The evening was a real success, organizers and promoters are delighted with the return of the world championship to French territory. It seems that the appointment has already been set for next season.
Manuel LETTENBICHLER full of emotion for his return
The German rider is coming back in the SuperEnduro World Championship. The goal for Mani, in this first round, is to make his mark. Double Hard Enduro World Champion, the KTM official is a man of the outdoors. He has not ridden in a SuperEnduro arena for 2 years. “We have only just finished the outdoor season and we already have to dive into the indoor season. I didn’t do any really specific work during the season. I started working on the SuperEnduro 15 days ago now. I know I’m not the fastest, but I think I have my chance to play this year.” The goal for him is to gradually gain strength. LETTENBICHLER will have had an evening full of twists and turns. Qualified 4th after the Akrapovic Superpole, he quickly made a mistake in the first final. When he gets up, he has fallen down to 9th position. Combative and determined, he managed to move up to 3rd place by passing the Pole Dominik OLSZOWY at the start of the last lap, but an error in the matrix caused him to fall. In the second final, Mani again experienced ups and downs. He ranks 8th in this round. In the last final, the German fought once again to finish in the Top 3. He finished this round in 5th position, satisfied and confident for the future, Manuel
LETTENBICHLER admits: “I will have to continue to work and above all have to toughen up a bit my game. I no longer want to be the Mr. Nice Guy that everyone can push around. I can guarantee you that for the next round I will be very solid and tough on the track.” Sixth in his first GP, Mani begins the season on a solid base with the guarantee that this is only the beginning. The objective is to reach full capacity by mid-season.”
Mitch Brightmore satisfied with his first round
The 2023 Junior champion has taken the plunge into the Prestige class. Seventh in his first Grand Prix, the eldest of the BRIGHTMORE brothers is satisfied with his great first appearance in Prestige. Often involved in battles at the heart of the peloton, the Englishman admits that he could have made the difference on a slightly more technical route: “I’m not going to be hard on myself, but for the first time it’s pretty good. The track was faster than I expected and I know I’m more comfortable with less speed and more technique. I think I’m starting off on a good basis, we’ll see what happens next in the season.”
Mitch BRIGHTMORE can count on his mental and physical condition to bravely try his luck during the second round and the Polish GP in Krakow in a few weeks.
Dominik OLSZOWY knows his room for improvement
Becoming an official rider with the Iberian manufacturer Rieju, Dominik OLSZOWY (POL) has already moved into another dimension. The Pole is coming off a season of Endurocross across the Atlantic. Tenth overall, he was able to perfect his racing experience. He arrives in Liévin with great ambitions in mind. Driven by the desire to do well, the Pole suffered a heavy crash during free practice, fortunately without any physical consequences for him! He did it again during his warm-up lap during the Akrapovic Superpole, this fall being more of an error of concentration than anything else. P3 in the Superpole, the Pole will offer a great performance throughout the GP. 3rd in the first final, he finished 10th in the second before, in a burst of pride, pulling himself together in the last round. Fighting for a place in the Top 5, he placed 4th in the last final of the French GP. He finished his first 2024 GP at a good 4th place which could allow him to prepare for more positive results this season.
The Pole was rather lucid about his evening: “I concentrated really hard to make a good start to the season, which has always been a bit of my weakness. I made a lot of little mistakes tonight. But I can take a lot of positive things out of my entire evening, can’t wait for my national GP in a few weeks, it’s going to be fantastic.” The only Polish representative on the grading list, OLSZOWY is preparing to experience an intense Polish GP. He could make history in his country in the event of a good results.
Taddy BLAZUSIAK showcased his Stark Future
The other Polish star of the MotoZ FIM SuperEnduro World Championship is obviously the six-time world champion Taddy BLAZUSIAK (Stark Future). 2024 is a year of big change for Taddy as he has decided to end his contract with GASGAS, his last employer, after all his years with KTM (since 2008). The Pole is embarking on a new adventure after signing with the brand Stark Future. The manufacturer is one of the pioneering brands in the manufacturing of 100% electric off-road motorcycles. After demonstrating his know-how in Cross and Supercross, the challenge was offered to the Polish star to take on SuperEnduro riding a 100% electric Varg.
The Pole did not take too long to jump on this new technological and human challenge. Everything seemed to be going well, BLAZUSIAK appearing on the entry list for the first round of the season at the French GP. But a few hours before the start of the event, the FIM decided not to authorize BLAZUSIAK and his Varg to come and compete against the other competitors. If certain countries such as France allow you to enter an electric motorcycle, this does not give you permission to ride in a FIM competition. Stark Future and the FIM will work to find an agreement to allow the Polish legend to start soon. It seems unlikely that this will be for the next round in Krakow. During a short interlude between the evening finals, he was able to show to an interested audience the potential of his astonishing machine.
Milan SCHMUESER suffered in Junior
Third in the world championship last year, Milan SCHMUESER (GER-Sherco) starts in 2024 with the firm intention of winning this new year in Junior. Ashton BRIGHTMORE can no longer count on his brother to make the Sherco pilot suffer. The opening will, despite all this positivity, start very difficult for SCHMUESER. It is subject to the law of Suff SELLA (ISR-KTM) and BRIGHTMORE. He finished this first meeting in 4th place overall without really being able to give the feeling of being able to defend himself 100%. Dom gives us the explanation: “I arrived in France with pain in my ankle and during free practice I fell badly and hurt my ankle even more. I suffered a lot and I couldn’t attack as much as I would have liked. But hey, I remain convinced that I have my role to play this season, so I will take care of myself and rest to be 100% in Poland during the next GP.”
Open Category: Dan PEACE first winner
The Open class was very enjoyable to watch on Saturday evening. The level of competition was high and the riders played their luck bravely on a less technical track than usual. This slightly less demanding circuit above all allowed all the competitors not to suffer too much on insurmountable difficulties. The race was intense during the two heats. Not qualified in Prestige, the winner of the 2023 European Cup, the Briton Dan PEACE and Jordan SCOTT (GBR-TM) put on a very nice show. SCOTT took the first round ahead of PEACE and Gerard SALA GARCIA (ESP-KTM). These boys had to work hard because they were a little delayed at the start of the final. The second round was a bit like the previous one PEACE and SCOTT going blow for blow. PEACE finally won in front of SCOTT and SALA GARCIA.
