Round one of the 2025 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship sparked into life at the Valleys Hard Enduro in hot, dry, and dusty conditions — Red Bull KTM’s Manuel Lettenbichler picked up right where he left off with a commanding win ahead of Billy Bolt and Teo Kabakchiev.

Dry and dusty conditions in Wales still feel surprising, but that’s two years running now where the opening round of the Hard Enduro World Championship has run under a blazing sun. Dust became a defining feature of the weekend, starting with Saturday’s qualification laps on a short course to set Sunday’s grid, followed by a dusty EnduroCross shootout for the top 48 riders.

Elimination heats trimmed the field and established start rows for Sunday’s main race. Despite topping the timing sheets, Billy Bolt — like all others — had to fight through the knockouts to secure a front-row start.

Among the casualties was Mitch Brightmore, who hit the rocks hard during one of the shootout heats. Although he and brother Ashton wowed the crowd with their fearless line choices, Mitch’s chain came off in the crash, dropping him to a fourth-row start for Sunday.

In the final shootout, a quick getaway proved essential — with the top two spots off the line crucial for visibility (and safety). As Mario Roman put it, “It wasn’t worth the risk” to be anywhere else. Lettenbichler and Ash Brightmore nailed the start, ran clear, and finished one-two.

Bolt’s hopes took a knock after a clash with Kabakchiev’s handlebars sent him to the ground. “My bottom lip came out,” he admitted after a disappointed 12th-place finish — but he still secured a front-row slot for Sunday.

Race Day: Classic Mani

The main race got underway at midday Sunday, and Lettenbichler repeated his holeshot from Saturday. In his trademark relentless style, he quickly built a lead and, with reduced bottlenecks on course, maintained a blistering pace. By lap two, his advantage was over a minute.

Behind him, Bolt and Kabakchiev resumed their duel, swapping positions several times. Bolt eventually pulled clear, cheered on by the crowd all the way to keep ahead of the Sherco rider, who says he struggled with dust in Billy’s wheeltracks for so long.

By laps three and four, tougher alternate lines came into play, but the dry conditions meant the pace stayed high — more sprint than slog. 

Had the promised rain arrived, the event could have unfolded very differently. Organisers had to plan for both extremes — a dry sprint or wet chaos.

Wade Young began strong but faded, while Mario Roman gained ground steadily. As the race wore on, the Spaniard reeled in the front pack to finish within sight of his teammate.

Lettenbichler, however, was untouchable. Fast off the line, ruthless through the rock gardens, and fit to the finish, he scaled the final climb alone — a carbon copy of last year’s win and a textbook Mani performance.

 

Bolt and Kabakchiev fight for the Podium

While the win may have escaped him, Billy Bolt can be satisfied with a hard-fought second place. After a tough Saturday, he regrouped to beat Kabakchiev to the line, edging the Sherco rider in an intense battle through much of the race.

Last year’s Sherco two-three finish became a three-four in 2025, as Mario Roman surged late to claim fourth behind his teammate.

The Brightmore brothers followed, with Ash in fifth and Mitch right behind in sixth — a commendable result considering Mitch’s fourth-row grid slot. With each row staggered by a minute to manage dust and congestion, Mitch’s recovery was one of the rides of the day.

Veteran Graham Jarvis delivered his usual steady climb through the ranks to finish P7, picking off Wade Young in the closing stages. The 2024 championship runner-up, Young will be disappointed with an eighth-place finish to start his season.

Want to read more on this opening HEWC round? Enduro21 Notebook: What we learned in the Valleys – Hard Enduro World Championship Rnd1

2025 Valleys Hard Enduro Results:

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Complete results for all classes here

 

Photo Credit: Future7Media | Elliot Spencer