2025 FIM Hard Enduro Round 3 Results

Cycle News Staff | September 8, 2025

Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Billy Bolt won at the Abestone Hard Enduro, held in Italy, September 6-7. Bolt dominated the third round of the 2025 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship.

Billy Bolt - Husqvarna Factory Racing - 2025 Hard Enduro World Championship Round 3, Abestone Hard Enduro

Across the two days of racing, Bolt looked on point in the tough mountainous terrain.

Riding began with a one-hour hard enduro race on Saturday, and Bolt set the pace right from the start. Over rocky riverbeds, steep slippery climbs, and fast open mountain sections, Bolt maintained the lead throughout.

The win secured the three championship points on offer, and it also earned him pole position for Sunday’s main event.

With a similar format to Saturday, Sunday’s Gold Class Final was a two-hour race, finishing off on the X-Loop once again. Bolt claimed an early lead and set about distancing himself from the rest of the field, but KTM’s Manuel Lettenbichler made sure that wouldn’t happen, turning the race into a head-to-head battle for the win.

With the duo setting a pace no one else could match, they battled back and forth throughout the two hours, arriving wheel-to-wheel at the final X-Loop section. One last big push from Bolt saw him get the better of Lettenbichler at a critical moment, which provided him with the breathing room needed to take a hard-earned victory.

“It’s been a great weekend,” Bolt said. “To win Saturday’s race and now win the main race on Sunday is brilliant. I can’t ask for much better than that. I’m happy. To be honest, all weekend, I never felt overly comfortable with the track. But it is the sort of terrain that tends to push you out of your comfort zone a lot. I worked hard and tried to limit mistakes, which really paid off here. In the main race, I was charging the whole time. I was doing what I could to stay in front as much as possible. I’m happy to get the win after an amazing battle with Mani.”

Manuel Lettenbichler Red Bull KTM Factory Racing - 2025 Abestone Hard Enduro — **Lettenbichler enjoyed battling Bolt for the win despite finishing second.**

“What a race,” Lettenbichler said. “We were swapping the lead at the front so often, and Billy rode well, so congrats to him. I haven’t enjoyed a battle like this for a long time. I almost had him at the end. We ran into each other when I tried to make a block pass, but it wasn’t quite enough. I think it’s clear by the lead that the two of us opened up over the rest of the field that we’re both at the top of our game. If this carries on for the rest of the season, with the two of us fighting this hard for the top step of the podium, it’s going to make the championship very exciting.”

Third place went to Mitch Brightmore, who also had to shake off a crash from the start. The X-Grip Racing GasGas team rider lost touch with the two leaders ahead of him but pulled away from those behind him. James Moore, who in turn posted his best HEWC result, took fourth, and Graham Jarvis (Husqvarna) rounded out the top five overall. CN