Cycle News Staff | November 2, 2021
The GetzenRodeo in Drebach, Germany played host to the final round of the 2021 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship, and it was German rider Manuel Lettenbichler who emerged victorious from the two-part extreme race. But a second-place finish from Billy Bolt was enough to clinch the championship, making the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider the first FIM Hard Enduro World Champion in the sport’s history.
Manuel Lettenbichler took the win in his home country. Photo: Red Bull
Coming into the eighth and final round of the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship, the overall title was on the line between Red Bull KTM’s Manuel Lettenbichler and Britain’s Bolt. If Lettenbichler won in front of his home crowd, a runner-up finish from Bolt is all it would take to win the championship on a tiebreaker. That is exactly how it played out between the duo that has put on some spectacular battles in the inaugural series.
Third in the GetzenRodeo went to Sherco rider Mario Roman, just ahead of his teammate Wade Young. But in the championship, Young finished on the overall podium, taking third in the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship ahead of his teammate, Roman. Beta’s Johnny Walker finished fifth at both the GetzenRodeo and in the overall championship.
A second-place finish from Billy Bolt was enough to clinch the championship. Photo Future7 Media
“Right now, I’m struggling to process what’s just gone on,” said Bolt. “I’m a whirlwind of emotions. I can’t believe I’m the FIM Hard Enduro World Champion. It’s an incredible feeling!”
The final round was anything but smooth sailing for the would-be champion, however. Bolt struggled in the early going and lingered in the top-10 before battling his way back to the runner-up position.
“I had hurt my finger in the morning race and needed to figure out how to adapt,” said Bolt. “I made a bunch of mistakes and that was like a tornado of errors. I think I dropped to sixth, but I regrouped and knew I could recover. I settled in and enjoyed the second half of the race, finding new lines and finding a flow. Once I got up to second, I knew the title was back on, so I held my ground and did it!”
The day’s racing started with the two-hour morning GetzenRace, with 60 riders battling for a top-15 qualifying position. After a race-long battle, Lettenbichler just beat Bolt to the line for the win. Then came the GetzenChamp race, an 80-minute-plus-one-lap final featuring the 15 qualifying riders. It was there that Lettenbichler did the only thing he could do—put in a flawless race in a final bid for the title. While he was happy to taste victory on his home turf, the KTM rider had to settle for second in the championship.
Billy Bolt was crowned the 2021 FIM Hard Enduro World Champion. Photo: Future7 Media
“I knew coming into it that it would be hard to win the title with how the points were, but I gave it my best shot,” said Lettenbichler. “The fight was good early on, but when Billy made some mistakes, it gave me a gap. I feel like I rode a good race after that. I did what I had to do by winning but the luck was missing. Hats off to Billy; I’m proud of him, too. We had a great season together.” CN
VIDEO | 2021 Getzenrodeo Highlights
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