2024 SuperEnduro Results: Billy Bolt and Ashton Brightmore take victories and titles in Newcastle
SuperEnduro World Championship final round results from Newcastle, UK where Billy Bolt sealed his fourth indoor Prestige World Championship – Ashton Brightmore follows Billy with a perfect night to follow his brother’s footsteps and win the Junior World Championship.
SuperEnduro Rnd 7 in a nutshell:
- “It doesn’t get any better than that”. Sound words from Billy Bolt’s dad, fresh from the celebrations and stinking of champagne after his son had just wrapped up his fourth SuperEnduro World Championship – taking the win even before the racing had started.
- Mathmatically all Bolt needed to do was win Superpole, claim the three points and the crown was his. True to form this championship season it was mighty close, with Jonny Walker just one tenth slower on the time sheets. But an inch is a mile and the job was done, Billy is champion for the fourth consecutive time of asking.
- Taking a breath or two after that, Prestige class moto one saw Bolt off the hook and free to ride without nerves but Walker had other plans, leading and then closely tailing the new world champ in the opening laps. Halfway through Bolt pulled clear and went on to win, leaving an intense fight for the podium places between Walker, Mitch Brightmore, Mani Lettenbichler and Will Hoare. By the flag that’s the order they finished in but a great track in Newcastle had already showed its colours and the crowds were rowdy for the home boys.
- Race two saw Mani Lettenbichler the early leader after flying through the chaos in the rock garden off the reverse grid start. Jonny Walker was on a mission again, scything through the pack to steal the lead one lap into the race.
- A Bolt-shaped shark was looming behind them after a slow start and duly took over P2 from Mani before setting about reducing Jonny’s lead. A small mistake from Walker saw the gap close, a lap later it was Bill’s turn to make a mistake, and it grew again. One more lap and the crowd was on its feet as the top three bunched up, traded places, made mistakes and got their elbows out for track position.
- When the dust settled and the flag fell it was Bolt from Lettenbichler and Walker with all three sucking big chunks of air from the effort of a frantic moto.
- Guess who won race three? No prizes for saying Billy as the hometown boy sealed what has been an epic season with one more win. It wasn’t plane sailing with Mani Lettenbichler riding consistent to close down an early lead but the KTM rider never quite grabbed it from his Husqvarna teammate and went to finished third overall on the night, and with that third in the championship.
- Playing second fiddle all season, Jonny Walker gave it everything once more, not giving up even when events went against him in the final moto. JW22 has been back on his A-game this season and it felt like the fans appreciated the effort.
Ash Brightmore 2024 SuperEnduro Junior World Champion
- The Junior World Championship began a little nervy in the first few laps for series leader Ash Brightmore with Suff Sella, Milan Schmueser, Roland Liska and Marc Fernandez all making their presence felt on his tail. But the champion elect held nerve with a confidence boosting race win to put the Junior trophy in one hand…
- Race two needed a champion’s ride from Brightmore to fend off Sella who was hounding once more for a moto win and typically was not giving up. Ash was having none of it though and sealed the win to make history with back-to-back Junior world titles for the Brightmore family.
- Moto three was a done deal for the championship but another epic race unfolded between Sella, who led, and Brightmore. Surfing on a wave of crowd noise, Ash closed the gap down and stole the final victory of the season with metres to go. But that win was returned as Ash was deducted time for going off-track and demoted to fourth.
- Credit to Suff Sella for fighting hard right to the final flag and for a very hard fought second overall in the series. More fighting went on for third overall right to the wire between Roland Liska and Milan Schmueser with the Hungarian just edging it over the German on count back.
- The national championship races were also crowd pleasing with a real mixture of UK riding talent from enduro and motocross. Sherco UK’s Jack Price mastered the track and even with a dead last race two start, after carnage in the rocks, he took two race wins for the overall. Paul Bolton showed the kids how it is done with P2 and Dec Bullock claimed third after a tie-decider with Steven Beddows.
SuperEnduro GP of Great Britain results, Prestige overall:
Final 1
Final 2
Final 3
SuperPole
SuperEnduro GP of Great Britain results, Junior overall:
Final 1
Final 2
Final 3
National race overall
Photo Credit: Future7Media | Andrea Belluschi