Lettenbichler Locks Up the 2026 Hard Enduro World Title at Hixpania While Billy Bolt Wins Two of Three

Manuel Lettenbichler is the 2026 FIM Hard Enduro World Champion. He wrapped it up at the season-ending Hixpania in Spain, finishing on 223 points, 40 clear of Mitch Brightmore on 183, with Teodor Kabakchiev third on 149, according to MCNews' Moto Wrap.

How it got settled

The title came down to the first race of the weekend, Friday's SuperEncierro. Lettenbichler finished fifth, and his closest rival Brightmore was fourth, which was enough to put the championship out of reach before the weekend was over. It is a fairly quiet way to clinch for a rider who is usually in the thick of it, but hard enduro is a points game over a long season, and he simply had more of them.

Different sources are counting his career world titles differently right now, so we are leaving the tally out rather than guess. What is not in doubt is that he finished the 2026 season well ahead of the field.

Billy Bolt owned the weekend

If the championship was Lettenbichler's, the race wins were mostly Billy Bolt's. Bolt won Friday's SuperEncierro by 5.56 seconds over Ashton Brightmore, then won Saturday's Campoo Xtreme by 3.5 seconds with Lettenbichler second. On Sunday he took third in the Lost Road finale after passing someone on the final lap following a slow start. Mario Roman won that race, 1m00.82s ahead of Lettenbichler.

Bolt finished seventh in the championship on 104 points, and his next focus is the 2027 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship, which starts in December.

Also on the world-title calendar

Hard enduro was not the only title decided this week. Britain's Tim Neave won the 2026 FIM Flat Track World Championship at the Argentina double-header in Totoras, clinching on Sunday by winning his third heat, which earned the one point he needed. He is the first British rider to take the title, riding for the Ducati-backed VRX Power Maxed Dirt Store team, per the same Moto Wrap.

On the rally side, Dakar organisers have moved the 2027 edition out of Saudi Arabia because of the escalating Middle East conflict. Reports point to a prologue in Spain or Portugal and the main competition in Morocco, January 9 to 22, but ASO has not released an official route yet, so treat the details as unconfirmed until it does.

Why a trail rider should care

Hard enduro is the far end of what a dirt bike does: rock slabs, roots, steep climbs and loose, wet clay, where the bike is the least of the problem and line choice is everything. Most of us will never ride a Lost Road finale, but the lessons carry down to a Saturday trail ride. Pick the line early, keep momentum, and carry the right tools, because a flat or a pinched tube a long way from the truck ends a ride faster than any obstacle.

Gear worth having

• Tusk Tire Iron Kit with Carry Bag: compact enough to live in a pack, and the difference between riding out and walking out.
• Motion Pro BeadPro Bead Breaker and Lever Set: a stubborn bead is the real trailside problem, and this handles it.

Track your own hard days

You will not be chasing a world title, but you can track how a rough day on the trail actually went. BraapTrax logs your distance, time and elevation for every ride, so after a tough one you can look back at what the climbs really added up to, and compare it to the next. Drop a hazard report when something nasty shows up, so the next rider knows.

Some links above are affiliate links. BraapTrax may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.