Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Manuel Lettenbichler extended his lead in the 2026 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship with a dominant victory at round five, the Abestone Hard Enduro, in Italy, September 5-6. Aboard his KTM 300 EXC, the reigning champion earned maximum points in Saturday’s Prologue and Sprint race, then won Sunday’s main race by six minutes.
Lettenbichler began the weekend in perfect fashion, topping Saturday morning’s Prologue to claim three championship points. The German then carried that pace into the one-hour Sprint race, leading the Gold class from start to finish and securing another 10 points. With Lettenbichler taking the full haul of championship points available on Saturday, he headed into Sunday’s Gold Final in a strong position.
Starting Sunday’s two-hour main race at the front, “Mani” immediately established himself as the rider to beat. The KTM rider controlled the race from the opening lap, maintaining a relentless pace as he steadily increased his advantage over the chasing field. Continuing to push throughout the full race distance, Lettenbichler crossed the finish line way out in front to claim his fourth HEWC victory of the season so far.
“It was tough on the body, but I think we managed the weekend really well,” Lettenbichler said. “It’s pretty insane to take another win here, especially with such a strong gap at the finish. I had a small crash in the river towards the end when I was pushing a little too hard and trying to extend the gap to Mitch [Brightmore], but thankfully it didn’t cost us.”
The Brit, Brightmore, took second in the feature race, six minutes and seven seconds behind Lettenbichler.
There was quite the battle for the last spot on the podium. Bulgarian Teodor Kabakchiev (Sherco), South African James Moore (Beta) and Spaniard Mario Roman (Husqvarna) spent the day trading positions, and it was the Bulgarian who found the extra gear when it counted. Kabakchiev brought his Sherco home third, holding off Moore by more than four and a half minutes on a course that punished every mistake.
The result sees Lettenbichler extend his championship lead to 24 points over Brightmore with three rounds remaining. Kabakchiev is third in points, just three points ahead of Ashton Brightmore (GasGas), and lurking behind in fifth is Great Britain’s Billy Bolt (Husqvarna).
The series now heads to Lesotho for round six, the Roof of Africa, taking place from September 23-26.CN
2026 FIM Hard Enduro Round 5 Results
OVERALL (Top 5)
- Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM) 2:07:12
- Mitch Brightmore (GG) 2:13:20 +6:07
- Teodor Kabakchiev (She) 2:14:54 +7:41
- James Moore (Bet) 2:19:26 +12:13
- Mario Roman (Hus) 2:21:43 +14:30
