After six rounds, the 2025-26 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship ended in style in Douai, France, on March 7. Billy Bolt skipped the race because he and his wife are expecting their first child. With freshly crowned World Champion Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Bolt absent, it opened the door for a new winner to emerge. Rising to the occasion, X-Grip Racing GasGas’ Mitch Brightmore took a debut victory in the Prestige class.
Photos by Future7Media
In the first Prestige final of the night, Stark Future’s Eddie Karlsson grabbed the holeshot, ahead of X-Grip Racing’s Ashton Brightmore and KTM’s Manuel Lettenbichler. Karlsson immediately pulled a three-second gap over his rivals, as Mitch Brightmore worked his way up to second. With over two minutes to go, Mitch Brightmore was on the rear wheel of Karlsson. Battling hard, Mitch finally made an overtake on Karlsson stick, and the Brit was able to ride clear to his debut race win in Prestige. With Karlsson second, Lettenbichler held off a late attack from Ashton Brightmore to take third.
Triumph Factory Racing’s Jonny Walker was quickest off the mark in race two and took the holeshot. As Mitch Brightmore rode his way into second, Walker built up a six-second advantage. However, Mitch Brightmore was determined to reel him back in. Little by little, he chipped away at Walker’s lead, ultimately setting up for a grandstand finish. Both riders swapped positions, and with it all coming down to the run to the finish line, Walker managed to grab the victory by less than a second. A solid ride by Lettenbichler saw him take third, with Karlsson and Stark Future’s Toby Martyn completing the top five.
Taking the final holeshot of the entire season, Karlsson took an early lead in race three, with Martyn second to make it a Stark 1-2 on lap one. Mitch Brightmore made a double overtake on the Stark duo, moving from third to first. Martyn also capitalized on Mitch Brightmore’s move to take up second position. A menacing Walker closed in on Karlsson and Martyn, eventually getting past both riders with about four laps to go. But by then, Mitch Brightmore was in full control of the race lead and charged ahead to a comfortable win. Walker was second and Karlsson took third, with Lettenbichler and Ashton Brightmore completing the top five.
“I’m pretty happy with my riding tonight,” Mitch Brightmore said. “I feel like I gave 100 percent. On quite a technical track, I was able to find the skill to get a win.”
With two race wins on the night, Mitch clinched his debut overall SuperEnduro Grand Prix victory. Walker edged out Karlsson on a tie-breaker to finish as runner-up. Behind the top three, Lettenbichler enjoyed a strong night to take fourth, with Martyn also impressing for fifth.
Although missing in France, Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Billy Bolt had already clinched the SuperEnduro World Championship. The battle for the remainder of the podium placings was tight, with Walker beating Mitch by three points to finish as vice-champion. Karlsson and Martyn ended the championship in fourth and fifth, respectively, and as a result, Stark Future won the Manufacturer Award for the 2025-26 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship. CN
2025-26 FIM SuperEnduro Round 7 Results
OVERALL (Top 10)
- Mitch Brightmore (GG) 1-2-1
- Jonny Walker (Tri) 5-1-2
- Eddie Karlsson (Sta) 2-4-3
- Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM) 3-3-4
- Toby Martyn (Sta) 6-5-6
- Marc Fernandez (Hus) 8-6-7
- Ashton Brightmore (GG) 4-DNF-5
- Tim Apolle (Bet) 7-7-8
- Alfredo Gomez (Bet) 9-8-9
- Aleksander Gotkowski (Suz) 10-9-10
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Click here to read the 2025-26 FIM SuperEnduro Round 7 Results in the Cycle News Digital Edition Magazine.
