Hixpania Hard Enduro: Billy Bolt fastest in qualifying at HEWC final round

Billy Bolt goes fastest in qualifying at the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship final round, Hixpania Hard Enduro in Spain, the Husqvarna Factory Racing rider rocketed 25 seconds clear of TTR Squadra Corse’s Mitch Brightmore and Red Bull Leader Tread’s Wade Young with injured Mani Lettenbichler fourth.

2024 Hixpania Hard Enduro qualification day in a nutshell:

The seventh and final round of the Hard Enduro World Championship got underway today, Saturday, in Aguilar de Campoo, Spain with the Campoo X-Treme FIM Qualification runs.
Riders faced two time trial runs on a seven-kilometre hard enduro lap with fastest of the two deciding the start position for Sunday’s main race, El Camino Perdido, and dishing up a handful of points for the top finishers.
Billy Bolt wasted no time in banging in the fastest time of the day with his first timed lap in the morning. That put him fastest by 29 seconds over Wade Young and Mitch Brightmore in third.
A rain shower meant some riders, including Bolt, opted not to ride a second lap which was an easy choice for the Husqvarna rider given his time.
But not everyone asst it out and Mitch Brightmore clocked in faster on loop two by four seconds to move up to second overall from Young and claim fastest Junior spot.
“I was pretty happy with my time from the first run.” Said Bolt. “I felt good on the bike and with the pace I was riding at. It rained a little in between our timed runs, so I decided not to use my second run, knowing my first lap was good. It’s great to qualify fastest and puts me in a good position heading into tomorrow’s main race.”
A start position inside the top 10 was the important marker for HEWC riders wanting to begin the main race from inside the cave and, last year at least, starting in pairs.
Young slipped to third but beat his championship rival, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Manuel Lettenbichler fourth ahead of Sherco Factory Racing’s Mario Roman fifth.
With a 17-point lead ahead of this final round, Lettenbichler could mathematically have sewed up the series today but fourth ensures the title won’t be decided until tomorrow’s El Camino Perdido race.
Lettenbichler is also riding injured and not at his usual pace it must be said this weekend. With that in mind, and with no real point to it anyway, Mani did not race the Straight Rhythm shootout in the evening in the city.
Carrying his pace from qualification into the SuperEncierro Straight Rhythm races, SuperEnduro World Champion Bolt blitzed the heat races to meet and beat Diogo Vieira in the final in front of the fans.
Francesc Moret claimed the third step on that podium in front of his home crowd in a shootout with Sonny Goggia.