Leon Hentschel took victory in the opening round of the HardEnduroSeries Germany after a rain-soaked day in Neuhaus-Schierschnitz, where over 150 riders faced one of the toughest season openers in recent years.

The 2026 Auner HardEnduroSeries Germany began in familiar fashion at Neuhaus-Schierschnitz — mud, rain and a brutal track demanding smart riding from the first prologue to the final lap.

Conditions echoed the soaked 2023 event, with light rain setting in early and continuing through most of race day. The MC Isolator club had also extended the course for this year, adding a sandpit section for the first time and several new technical obstacles which became decisive later in the day.

Stark Varg takes first prologue landmark

The ACE Bikes Prolog Award opened proceedings and initially it looked like Hentschel had set the pace. But a three-second penalty for missing part of the course dropped the Beta rider down the order.

That handed the fastest time to Arvid Meyer on a Stark Future Stark Varg — the first time an electric bike has topped qualifying in HESG history.

Henry Strauss, last season’s vice-champion, had to settle for third after struggling with the slippery opening conditions.

Group races split the field

The morning group races already produced close battles. Group one saw Meyer lead early before battery management issues forced him to stop one lap from the finish. Strauss then took control, setting a rapid 9:51 lap to secure victory ahead of Marc Wulf and Matthis Millich.

The 85cc Kids riders shared that race, with Loris Solbrig taking the class win ahead of Paul Wirth and Marcel Gorajski.

Group two belonged to Hentschel, who used his experience in the worsening conditions to win ahead of Florian Geisenhofer and Luca Kropitsch.

In the women’s class, Hedi Baum claimed victory over Dorothea Maaz and Katrin Hodapp, while defending champion Julia Bittner retired after the first lap.

Final decided by Hentschel vs Strauss

The 55-minute final began on a drying track as the rain finally eased, but the course remained technical and slippery.

A head-to-head quickly developed between Strauss and Hentschel. Strauss led early and looked in control before Hentschel waited for his chance and made a decisive move for the lead.

Strauss closed again on the final lap, but small mistakes from both riders in the final sections left Hentschel able to hold on for the season-opening win.

Marc Wulf completed the podium, while Meyer recovered strongly from his earlier battery issue to finish fourth, narrowly missing the podium.

Class winners

The top four overall also filled the Pro class. Emil Kessler took Junior honours with eighth overall, ahead of Linus Albert and Luca Kropitsch. Jakob Blazovich won the Amateur class, while Manuel Woessner claimed Senior victory ahead of defending class champion Kai Uebe. In the electric category, Meyer headed Eric Seifert and Peter Fakler.

The youth classes saw Karl König win 50cc and Emil Doras top the 65cc category.

Next stop Reetz

Round two follows quickly on March 28 in Reetz, Brandenburg, with the opening round already showing a deep and competitive field for 2026.

More information: www.hardenduro-germany.de

Photo: Michel Kuchel / MC Isolator