KTM’s Mani Lettenbichler charged from 15th on the starting grid to win the 2026 Sea to Sky Hard Enduro in Kemer, Turkiye, October 8-10. The German topped Mario Roman and James Moore in the seventh and penultimate round of the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship.
Photos by Future7Media
Lettenbichler overcame a difficult start to the weekend to claim another important victory in his pursuit of a fifth consecutive world title. Brake problems and a 10-minute penalty for restarting his motorcycle during refueling in Friday’s Forest Race left the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider 15th on the starting grid for Saturday’s deciding Mountain Race.
Starting from the third row, Lettenbichler wasted little time working his way through the field. He eventually caught race leader Teodor Kabakchiev, and the two battled before Lettenbichler pulled away on the more technical sections of the climb.
The 40-mile Mountain Race featured 16 checkpoints and finished at the summit of Mount Olympus (Tahtali), 7800 feet above sea level. Lettenbichler completed the demanding course in one hour, 40 minutes and one second, winning by more than four minutes.
“I wanted to win today, but I wasn’t entirely sure how things would go,” Lettenbichler said. “I felt like I had to unleash the beast within and give it my all.
“Starting from the third row, I had to push as hard as I could. When I took the lead, I rode alongside Teo for a while before managing to pull away. I’m very happy with the victory and also for having strengthened my position in the championship.”
Roman also had his work cut out for him after a 10-minute penalty in Friday’s Forest Race left him starting 14th. Despite heavy dust and difficult passing conditions, the Spaniard quickly moved into the top 10 before engaging in a lengthy battle with South Africa’s James Moore.
The two swapped positions several times, and a GPS malfunction sent Roman down the wrong descent, costing him additional time. Roman recovered to finish just behind Kabakchiev on the road, but the Bulgarian was disqualified for receiving outside assistance, which promoted Roman to second overall, four minutes and 11 seconds behind Lettenbichler.
“Today we started from way back, with a lot of dust, and it was quite dangerous,” Roman said. “I managed to get into the top 10 relatively quickly. Then I rode with James for half the race, but I think I should have overtaken him earlier.
“I’m happy. It’s been a tough season, but getting a podium finish at the Sea to Sky, one of the most prestigious Hard Enduro races, is always special.”
Kabakchiev, who had won Friday’s Forest Race, was Lettenbichler’s closest challenger for much of the Mountain Race. The Bulgarian crossed the finish line second and was initially given a 10-minute time penalty for receiving outside assistance when a wire caught in his rear wheel just before the finish but was ultimately disqualified following a protest and lost all the points from the hillclimb.
Moore was promoted to third overall and continued his strong weekend after finishing third in the Beach Race and second in the Forest Race. Beach Race winner Mitch Brightmore moved to fourth place overall and Thomas Scales rounded out the top five.
In the revised results, Ashton Brightmore finished sixth, followed by David Cyprian, Alfredo Gomez, Danila Chernyaev and Dieter Rudolf.
Hard Enduro veteran Graham Jarvis finished 11th aboard the electric-powered Jarvis-E, becoming the first rider to complete the Sea to Sky on an electric motorcycle.
With the victory, Lettenbichler strengthened his championship lead heading into the season finale, the Hixpania Hard Enduro, October 23-25, in Aguilar de Campoo, Spain, where he will attempt to secure his fifth consecutive world championship and sixth career title.CN
2026 FIM Hard Enduro Round 7 Results
OVERALL
- Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM) 3:40.01
- Mario Roman (CFM) +4:11
- James Moore (Bet) +14:26
- Mitch Brightmore (GG) +16:21
- Thomas Scales (Bet) +18:50
- Ashton Brightmore (GG) +22:48
- David Cyprian (KTM) +34:23
- Alfredo Gomez (Bet) +39:33
- Danila Chernyaev (Hus) +51:23
- Dieter Rudolf (GG) +55:32
*Teodor Kabakchiev posted an response to his disqualification on social media:
To everyone who followed Sea to Sky, on the tracking, the live timing and on the mountain: After such a close and exciting weekend, you deserved a fight for the win right to the end. I wanted to give you that fight, and it was taken from all of us. On one of the last sections of the race (Alcatraz), barbed wire from a fence got severely tangled in my rear wheel.
I called for an official marshal to assess the situation, but there was none. Spectators nearby saw what was happening and stepped in to remove the dangerous wire. My motorcycle was in perfect working condition. No repairs, adjustments, or fixes were done to the bike. No tools were exchanged. The only thing that was cut was a piece of barbed wire—a dangerous foreign object that was never part of my motorcycle and should never have been on the racecourse. After losing valuable time and dropping to third position, I got back on my bike, kept fighting, rode fastest over the last checkpoints, and crossed the finish line in second place.
After the race, I explained to the officials what had happened. They gave me a 10-minute penalty, the same penalty other riders had received that weekend for outside assistance in different circumstances. I accepted that decision, and the way it was reached, with respect for everyone involved. That decision was then appealed by another rider. With no new evidence presented, my 10-minute penalty was changed to a disqualification. The penalty table in our rules reserves disqualification for help a rider asks for. I never asked the spectators for help, and nothing was shown to say I did. After losing my chance to fight for the win, being told I gained an advantage is something I cannot agree with.
There should also be accountability for those responsible for the safety and condition of the track. The blame cannot always fall on the rider. Penalising the rider might be the easiest decision, but that doesn’t make it the fairest one.
I fully respect the rules of our sport, but I believe there is a big difference between gaining an unfair advantage and receiving help to remove a dangerous object that should never have been on the racecourse in the first place. This is not only about my result. There was no fight for the win on the last climbs. The fight for second place in the championship should have gone to the last round. Now it is almost over, decided in a meeting room and not on the mountain. You, the fans, have lost this too. I gave everything out there. I was fighting for the win, and despite everything, I finished second. Thank you to everyone standing behind me.
