The third round of the 2025-26 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship marked another dominant performance by Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Billy Bolt, with the Brit claiming the top step of the podium in Bilbao, Spain, January 17. In front of a sellout crowd, Bolt won all three Prestige races, bolstering his lead in the championship.
Photos by Future7Media
With the top seven riders gathered for SuperPole, Bolt secured the fastest time for the third run this season. The Husqvarna rider set a perfect lap, becoming the only rider to go under the 34-second mark. Triumph Factory Racing Enduro Team’s Jonny Walker was the closest to Bolt, finishing just 0.667 of a second behind. Stark Future’s Eddie Karlsson edged out Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Josep Garcia for third, while Raposeira Bubbles Racing Team’s Diogo Vieira rounded out the top five.
In the first of the three Finals in the Prestige class, Walker took the holeshot. But with Bolt right on his wheel tracks, there was no time to relax. For the first three minutes, the duo battled fiercely as Walker fended off every attack from the five-time World Champion. However, a crash by Walker as they entered lap five handed Bolt the race lead, and ultimately the victory by 17 seconds. Walker remounted to secure second but was disappointed by what could have been. Karlsson enjoyed a comfortable ride for third, while X-Grip Racing’s Mitch Brightmore finished fourth. Achieving a season-best result, Beta AG Racing’s Alfredo Gomez completed the top five.
For Prestige Final two, it was Brightmore who grabbed the all-important holeshot. The young Brit, who dislocated his shoulder during the morning training, used the clear track to his advantage to control an early race lead. Riding strongly, he led for the first three laps before Walker and Bolt pushed their way through. Walker held off Bolt for a further three laps before Bolt found a way past the Triumph rider with about five laps to go. Bolt rode clear for his second victory of the night, with Walker second. A heroic ride saw Brightmore claim third, with Rieju Factory Racing’s Dominik Olszowy fourth. A three-way battle for fifth on the final lap resulted in Garcia completing the top five.
In race three, Walker was fastest out of the starting gate. Once again, he had Bolt on his wheel tracks as the duo quickly separated themselves from the rest of the pack. Walker was determined to keep his rival at bay and for five laps maintained the race lead despite numerous attacks by Bolt. But with five laps to go, a mistake by Walker in the rock garden was enough to let Bolt through, claiming his third victory of the night over Walker in second. Another solid ride by Brightmore saw him finish third, with Karlsson and Vieira rounding out the top five ahead of Toby Martyn (Stark Future) in sixth.
Three wins, along with claiming the SuperPole, led to Bolt earning his third consecutive overall victory of the season. Walker, enjoying his best performance of the season, finished as the runner-up. In what proved to be the ride of the night, Brightmore managed his dislocated shoulder for third place. Karlsson scored strongly for fourth overall, while Garcia edged out Gomez on a tiebreaker to complete the top five.
“It’s been another good night for me,” Bolt said. “The track was difficult to master, but my speed and timing were good out there. My main focus was to stay calm and work through any problems.”
Walker said, “The speed was not quite there tonight to beat Billy, so I knew I needed to get good starts and defend my place as best I could. I feel like I had a good fire in me tonight.”
“I was running on adrenaline tonight with the shoulder injury,” Brightmore said. “In a positive way, it forced me to slow down and ride without pressure. That paid off with a podium result.”
After three of seven rounds, Bolt leads with 186 points, followed by Walker with 146, and Brightmore and Karlsson, who are tied on 118 points. CN
2025-26 FIM SuperEnduro Round 3 Results
Prestige Overall (Top 10)
- Billy Bolt (Hus)
- Jonny Walker (Tri)
- Mitch Brightmore (GG)
- Eddie Karlsson (Sta)
- Josep Garcia (KTM)
- Alfredo Gomez (Bet)
- Dominik Olszowy (Rie)
- Diogo Vieira (GG)
- Toby Martyn (Sta)
- Tim Apolle (Bet)
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