Round six of the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship saw Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Manuel Lettenbichler ride to victory at Turkey’s Sea To Sky. The defending champion rode clear of his rivals in the closing stages of the Mountain Race to take the win over Graham Jarvis (Husqvarna) in second and Sherco Factory Racing’s Mario Roman in third.
- FIM HEWC round six enjoys exciting Sea To Sky Mountain Race
- Lettenbichler secures his fifth victory of the season
- Jarvis and Roman complete the Sea To Sky podium in Turkey
The final day of racing at round six of the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship saw competitors assemble for the Sea To Sky Mountain Race. With a hugely demanding 65-kilometre course awaiting them, riders started with their wheels on the shoreline of the Mediterranean Sea before racing head-to-head to the finish line located on the summit of the nearby Olympos Mountain, some 2,365m above sea level.
Despite nursing a wrist injury following yesterday’s Forest Race qualification, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Manuel Lettenbichler was determined to keep his championship lead intact by lining up for the Mountain Race. A quick reaction off the start saw him grab the holeshot as they headed out into the early, high-speed, dusty sections.
As riders battled to establish position, Lettenbichler arrived at the early canyon riverbed section with the race lead. Sherco Factory Racing’s Teodor Kabakchiev was close behind in second, with Red Bull Leader Tread’s Wade Young and Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Billy Bolt third and fourth. Despite the disadvantage of starting from row two, Sherco Factory Racing’s Mario Roman had worked his way into fifth and was riding at a higher pace than his immediate rivals.
Roman challenges Lettenbichler for race lead
Exiting the infamous Sea To Sky canyon section, the course steadily increased in difficulty as riders began to work their way round the Olympos Mountain towards the summit. By now, Roman had reached Lettenbichler and the duo were pushing the pace, with Young and Kabakchiev in tow.
However, a rock strike after the Dark Canyon passage resulted in a damaged exhaust for Roman, which allowed Lettenbichler the breathing room he needed to escape. Opening up and then controlling his advantage across the final mountain passes, the German rode to victory for the fifth time this season.
Behind Lettenbichler the fight for the final podium places came alive in the closing stages as Roman struggled to maintain momentum with his damaged exhaust. After quietly sitting in the shadows, hard enduro legend Graham Jarvis (Husqvarna) came to the fore in the latter stages of the race.
Jarvis fights for podium result
Disposing of Bolt, Young and Kabakchiev, the Brit reached Roman. Putting his wealth of race craft to use, Jarvis incredibly took second position. Despite having produced one of his best rides of the season, Roman was unable to hold Jarvis at bay and had to settle for third. The Spaniard was still pleased with his ride, knowing he’d challenged for victory early on.
After keeping pace with the front runners for the majority of the difficult sections, Bolt – in what was his first race back from injury – ran out of steam towards the top of the mountain and had to be content with fourth.
Claiming one of the best results of his hard enduro career, Francesc Moret (Sherco) made it two Spaniards inside the top five with fifth. Moret put his vast trial skills to work in the most difficult of sections and was able to overhaul Young and Kabakchiev to secure a memorable result.
The FIM Hard Enduro World Championship now heads to Spain for the seventh and final round of the season at 24MX Hixpania Hard Enduro on October 25-27.
Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM): “I’m super stoked with the victory today. After my crash in yesterday’s Forest Race I was unsure if I could race today. I injured my wrist and needed to get it checked out. I was determined to go anyway this morning. I had a pretty good start and got the holeshot, which helped me to stay out of the dust on the opening sections. At the canyon rivers, Teo was with me. But I was trying to ride my own race as best I could. Teo, Wade, Mario and myself were altogether at the most difficult sections, fighting. I managed to get a gap on them and then control that advantage over the final mountain sections. I’m so happy to win, it was tough!”
Graham Jarvis (Husqvarna): “With it being a world championship round, the course was much longer and tougher than previous years. The difficult sections were relentless, and I had to dig deep in places. But I’m delighted with this result.”
Mario Roman (Sherco): “I’m very happy with my race. I had a mechanical issue in yesterday’s Forest Race, so I only qualified onto the second row. That meant I had a lot more dust to ride through early on. Before the canyon, I got up to fifth and could see Billy and Wade, so I realised my pace was good. After that, the course got tougher and tougher. I started passing some riders and reached Mani. We shared the race lead for a long time, but I hit one rock by mistake in an off camber and destroyed my exhaust pipe. It was a junior mistake for sure and something I’ve never done before in my career. It’s disappointing because I know the win was there for me today. As a result, the last half hour was tough physically and mentally to make the sections. I had an amazing battle with Graham, but he beat me over the line.”
Provisional Results: Round 6, Sea To Sky
Mountain Race
1. Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM) 4:43:22.26
2. Graham Jarvis (Husqvarna) 4:56:39.34
3. Mario Roman (Sherco) 4:57:17.96
4. Billy Bolt (Husqvarna) 5:07:20.52
5. Francesc Moret (Sherco) 5:10:46.88
6. Wade Young (GASGAS) 5:14:14.68
7. Teodor Kabakchiev (Sherco) 5:23:12.71
8. Matthew Green (KTM) 5:27:31.45
9. Sonny Goggia (KTM) 5:33:32.81
10. David Cyprian (KTM) 5:58:17.05
*Results to be verified by FIM Jury later today
Provisional FIM Hard Enduro World Championship Standings (after round 6 of 7)
1. Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM) 112 pts
2. Wade Young (GASGAS) 95 pts
3. Mario Roman (Sherco) 91 pts
4. Teodor Kabakchiev (Sherco) 82 pts
5. Mitch Brightmore (Husqvarna) 66 pts
Words by FIM HEWC – Feature Image courtesy of KTM – Other Images by FIM HEWC
