Cycle News Staff | August 29, 2022
Germany’s Manuel Lettenbichler won round seven of the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship, Red Bull Outliers in Canada, August 26-28. The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider overcame a titanic battle with home favorite FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Trystan Hart to take the win and claim the championship lead with just one round remaining. Sherco Factory Racing’s Mario Roman pushed the duo hard all the way to round out the podium in third.
Making its first-ever stop on Canadian soil, the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship witnessed a bar-to-bar battle at Red Bull Outliers. In the heart of its Badlands region, the world’s best Hard Enduro riders went head-to-head at the penultimate round of the season.
Staged across two days, racing got underway in downtown Calgary with an urban Endurocross prologue. However, with the weather turning sour, extremely heavy rain meant the action was short-lived with racing brought to an early close for the day.
On Sunday, riders faced a two-and-a-half-hour multi-lap battle through the Badlands region. Famed for its dinosaur fossils, the barren area also served up a mean course. Steep climbs, tricky off-camber traverses and tough drop-offs ensured a brutal course to master.
Chasing a home win, Hart meant business and was eager to add to the victory he secured last time out at Red Bull TKO. However, with round seven also serving as the penultimate stop of the season, it was crunch time for both Roman and Lettenbichler in the championship fight. Separated by only one point, in Roman’s favor, going into the event both knew a winning result in Canada could dramatically turn the tables heading into round eight.
Hart was quick off the line and tried to make a break, but Lettenbichler, and Roman soon after, had closed the gap. Numerous times each rider pushed to open a lead, but every time they were pulled back in. Back and forth, the lead changed hands multiple times.
With the laps closing down, Lettenbichler made a final break for it, taking Hart with him, but Roman unable to respond this time. The duo was neck and neck. With the final climb set to decide the outcome, Lettenbichler put it all on the line. Despite a mistake in the final 20 yards, he was quick to remount and took the win by just six seconds.
Although missing out on the home win he came to get, Hart was happy with his efforts for second. Completing the podium, Roman finished just three minutes behind in third. With the top three breaking away, Jarvis Racing Team’s Graham Jarvis took fourth, while GasGas Factory Racing’s Taddy Blazusiak rounded out the top five.
With one round remaining, advantage is now on Lettenbichler’s side. The German holds a four-point lead over Roman, with just the eighth and final round of the 2022 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship remaining, the 24MX Hixpania Hard Enduro on October 7-9. CN
Red Bull Outliers Hard Enduro Results
- Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM)
- Trystan Hart (KTM)
- Mario Roman (She)
- Graham Jarvis (Hus)
- Taddy Blazusiak (GG)
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