Lettenbichler takes second at Roof of Africa to extend Hard Enduro World Championship lead
Manuel Lettenbichler finished second overall at the Roof of Africa in Lesotho, holding the lead of the 2026 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship by 29 points with two rounds to go.
- 29 points
- 160 pts
- 110 kilometers
- 0.1 seconds
What Happened
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's Manuel Lettenbichler has extended his lead in the 2026 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship after securing second overall at the Roof of Africa in Lesotho. Battling across three demanding days in the Maloti Mountains aboard his KTM 300 EXC, Lettenbichler consistently challenged for the overall win and ultimately claimed the runner-up result at the sixth round of the series.
Time Trial: second-fastest, 15.74 seconds behind the benchmark, earning a strong starting position for Friday. Each rider completed two laps, with the fastest lap setting the result.
110-kilometer Mountain Race through the Maloti Mountains: finished third on the stage, and his combined time from Thursday and Friday put him third going into Saturday.
Two-lap Main Race: finished third on the day, closed 38.4 seconds on Wade Young in the final stage, and took second overall by one tenth of a second on combined times.
29points
Lettenbichler's advantage at the top of the 2026 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship with two rounds remaining.
“I'm really happy to finish the Roof of Africa with another second overall. The final day was pretty good, it was a bit shorter and more intense, which was actually really cool. There was less navigation and more technical riding, so I could really focus on my riding and felt like I rode pretty well. I started third and was by myself for the whole first lap. I couldn't catch Wade [Young] and Teo [Kabakchiev], but I was happy with my position. Then James [Moore] caught me because he was on fire today, so we pushed really hard on the second lap and caught Wade. For me, that was perfect because I had less navigation to worry about and could really focus on my riding. It was also a really good day for the championship, so I'm really stoked with the result.”
- 1. Teodor Kabakchiev (BUL), Sherco, 9:59:46
- 2. Manuel Lettenbichler (GER), KTM, 10:02:33.1, +2:46.9
- 3. Wade Young (RSA), KTM, 10:02:33.2, +2:47
- 4. Matt Green (RSA), KTM, 10:34:12, +34:26
- 5. James Moore (RSA), Beta, 10:37:57, +38:11
- 1. Manuel Lettenbichler (GER), KTM, 160 pts
- 2. Mitch Brightmore (GBR), GASGAS, 131 pts
- 3. Teodor Kabakchiev (BUL), Sherco, 104 pts
- 4. Ashton Brightmore (GBR), GASGAS, 95 pts
- 5. Billy Bolt (GBR), Husqvarna, 76 pts
The series now moves on to round seven, Sea to Sky in Türkiye, scheduled for October 8-10. That leaves two rounds of the eight-round calendar after Lesotho, with Lettenbichler on 160 points ahead of Mitch Brightmore on 131. The championship advantage he carries into Türkiye is 29 points.
Previously from KTM AG
KTM's racing programme had a strong run in the days before the Roof of Africa. On September 21, FMF KTM Factory Racing's Grant Davis won Round 10 of the 2026 GNCC series in rain-soaked Ohio, while Brandy Richards took second in WXC and Dante Oliveira finished second in the Hare & Hound Pro class. On September 25, KTM rider Sei Katsuyama won the JEC Hidaka 2 Days for the second year running on a KTM 500 EXC-F.
- Grant Davis wins John Penton GNCC as KTM riders take podiums in GNCC and Hare & Hound
- Sei Katsuyama takes back-to-back JEC Hidaka 2 Days wins on a KTM 500 EXC-F
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of KTM AG's official releases.
Why this matters
The result keeps KTM's Manuel Lettenbichler at the top of the hard enduro standings as the season enters its final two rounds, so the championship fight is still his to lose. For followers of the series, the margin at the front is razor thin: he took second overall by just one tenth of a second over Wade Young, both riding KTMs.
Terms in This Story
- FIM Hard Enduro World Championship
- The international hard enduro racing series run over a season of rounds, in which riders score championship points at each event.
- Time Trial
- The opening timed stage at this event, in which each rider completes two laps and their fastest lap determines the result.
- Main Race
- The decisive final stage of the event, run over two laps, whose result combines with earlier stages to set the overall classification.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.