Manuel Lettenbichler

A PERFECT STORM! 

If variety really is the spice of life then the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship must surely be one of the most flavour-packed disciplines on the global calendar. 

This year’s championship was staged over six rounds in six different countries and with such differing event formats – some multi-day, some much shorter and sharper, but all of them incredibly challenging – it was going to take a very special rider with unmatched all-round skills to emerge on top. 

For the second consecutive year that rider was Germany’s Manuel ‘Mani’ Lettenbichler – KTM who not only defended his title, he did it with one round still to run and with an unblemished five victories from five starts which is an incredible achievement in a sport where so much can go wrong and so many factors are outside of a rider’s control. 

A former junior Trial champion, Lettenbichler drew first blood at the opening round – Serbia’s Xross in May – with his combined time of just under ten hours following three days of racing giving him a winning advantage of over thirty-three minutes. 

Over the next three months the wins kept piling up, firstly in the iconic Red Bull Erzbergrodeo in Austria followed by his fourth victory in the infamous four-day Red Bull Romaniacs before he maintained his one-hundred per cent season record when the series crossed the Atlantic for Canada’s Red Bull Outliers. 

Having carved out a healthy advantage at the top of the points table, Lettenbichler then put the title out of reach of his rivals when he dominated Spain’s Hixpania Hard Enduro in the middle of October. Based in the medieval town of Aguilar de Campoo, Lettenbichler clinched the crown with the concluding round – the GetzenRodeo in his native Germany – still to run. 

PALMARES 

FIM Hard Enduro World Champion: 2022, 2023
FIM SuperEnduro Junior World Champion: 2016

THE HARDER THEY COME!

If you are looking for a contender for the title of roughest, toughest, most gruelling off-road motorcycle discipline on the planet then Hard Enduro is a great starting point – although the world ‘Hard’ does not do this sport proper justice!

This year’s championship was staged over eight rounds and with a wide variety of event formats – some multi-day, some much shorter and sharper, but all of them supremely challenging – the eventual winner was always going to be a World-class all-rounder.

Step forward German powerhouse Manuel Lettenbichler, a former junior Trial champion whose name has become synonymous with technical talent, lightning speed and true grit and determination.

Lettenbichler, the son of Enduro legend Andreas, sat out the opening round of the series – the Minus 400 set in Israel’s Dead Sea region, the lowest place on Earth – following knee surgery, but he was back in action in mid-May for Serbia’s Xross.

After over eleven hours in the saddle the twenty-four-year-old emerged on top and he made it back-to-back victories when he won the infamous Red Bull Erzbergrodeo.

Completing his hat-trick at round four – Italy’s Abestone event in early-July – he then had to settle for sixth in the four-day Red Bull Romaniacs, but a strong second in the Tennessee Knockout put Lettenbichler firmly back on track.

Heading north to Canada next for the Red Bull Outliers at the end of August, Lettenbichler led home just five finishers across thirty-seven checkpoints to set up one final push for the title at Spain’s Hixpania Hard Enduro in October.

Based in the medieval town of Aguilar de Campoo, the three-day event provided a fitting end to a great series and Lettenbichler did the business with his fifth win of the year to lift the coveted crown.

PALMARES

FIM SuperEnduro Junior World Champion: 2016
WESS Enduro World Champion: 2019
FIM Hard Enduro World Champion: 2022