Mani perfect in Portugal as Bolt salvages points at Extreme XL Lagares

2026 Hard Enduro World Championship

Round Two – Extreme Lagares

Manuel Lettenbichler left Portugal with the 2026 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship lead after completing a clean sweep of Extreme XL Lagares, but the Red Bull KTM rider was made to work for the final part of that perfect weekend.

Lettenbichler splashes through one of the rocky creek sections on his way to victory, with Mitch Brightmore close enough to keep the pressure on.

Lettenbichler won Friday’s Endurocode Stage, Saturday’s Extreme Penafiel race and Sunday’s Extreme XL Lagares main race, banking maximum points across the three-day second round. It was enough to move the German to the top of the championship standings after two rounds, 15-points clear of Teodor Kabakchiev.

The Friday Endurocode Stage podium set the tone for the weekend, with Manuel Lettenbichler on top ahead of Graham Jarvis and Mario Román.

The weekend started in more decisive fashion. Lettenbichler was already in control on Friday’s 60-kilometre Endurocode Stage, where he finished more than three-minutes clear of the field. He backed that up on Saturday across the 120-kilometre Extreme Penafiel route, stretching the margin to more than eight-minutes.

Manuel Lettenbichler picks his way down a narrow hillside track during Extreme XL Lagares, part of a perfect three-day weekend for the Red Bull KTM rider.

Sunday was different.

The two-hour-plus-one-lap main race produced the tightest contest of the weekend, with Mitch Brightmore keeping Lettenbichler honest throughout and pushing the KTM rider all the way to the line. Lettenbichler ultimately held on by just 7.9-seconds, taking the win in 2h24m05s ahead of Brightmore’s GASGAS.

Sunday’s Extreme XL Lagares podium: Manuel Lettenbichler took the win ahead of Mitch Brightmore and Teodor Kabakchiev after a much tighter main race than the previous two days suggested.

It was still another clear statement from the defending champion, but Brightmore’s ride was one of the strongest of his Hard Enduro World Championship career and moved him to fourth in the provisional standings, just one point behind Billy Bolt.

Teodor Kabakchiev continued his consistent start to the season with third for Sherco, finishing 4m27s behind Lettenbichler. The Bulgarian now sits second in the championship, ahead of Bolt, and has established himself as a genuine front-runner across the opening two rounds.

Bolt threads the Husqvarna through the slick boulder garden, where precision and patience were just as important as outright pace.

Mario Román was fourth for Husqvarna, 5m19s from the win, while Bolt completed the top five after arriving in Portugal with a hand injury.

Bolt’s weekend was more about damage limitation than outright pace. The Husqvarna rider used Friday’s racing to settle into the event before taking seventh in Saturday’s demanding 120-kilometre Hard Enduro. He then dug deep on Sunday to finish fifth, enough to retain third in the championship standings.

“Coming here to Portugal with a hand injury, I knew this race would be a matter of survival and simply trying to salvage points,” Bolt said. “I’m pretty made up with fifth place to be honest. Like I said, I genuinely came just to score as many points as I could. Along with taking seventh yesterday, it’s been a job well done for me. The focus now is on healing up and getting healthy.”

Billy Bolt works his Husqvarna up a shale-strewn Portuguese hillside at Extreme XL Lagares, where the Brit salvaged fifth overall despite carrying a hand injury.

Behind the established front-runners, James Moore was sixth and the best-placed Junior rider, ahead of Ashton Brightmore in seventh. Wade Young finished eighth, Eddie Karlsson put the Stark inside the top ten in ninth, and Lorenzo Gandola completed the first ten home for Sherco.

Billy Bolt picks his way through the wet rock sections at Extreme XL Lagares, with the Portuguese crowd close enough to see every inch of commitment.

For Lettenbichler, the weekend was exactly the response required after the complicated Alestrem opener. He now holds the red plate and a 15-point championship advantage as the series turns toward its next phase.

A tired but happy Manuel Lettenbichler with his Extreme XL Lagares finisher award after completing a maximum-points weekend in Portugal.

“Full house this weekend, we’ll definitely take that!” Lettenbichler said. “To win all three days and come away with maximum points is exactly what we were aiming for, and I’m really happy with how everything came together here in Portugal. I felt good on the bike from the start and was able to ride consistently across all the different stages, which was key with how tough and varied the terrain was. The main race was super intense, especially towards the end, but I stayed focused and pushed right to the finish. Overall, I’m really stoked with my riding this weekend and it’s a great feeling to take over the championship lead.”

Manuel Lettenbichler with the Sunday gold trophy after completing the Extreme XL Lagares clean sweep and taking the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship lead.

Lettenbichler’s next major outing will be the Red Bull Erzbergrodeo in Austria on June 4-7, where he will defend his crown. The FIM Hard Enduro World Championship then resumes with round three, Silver Kings Hard Enduro in the United States, on June 18-20.

2026 Extreme Lagares Results

2026 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship Standings

2026 FIM HEWC Calendar

The 2026 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship is set to span eight rounds across Europe, North America and Africa, reduced from nine following the cancellation of the Wildwoods event.

• Round 1 – 24MX Alestrem Hard Enduro
  April 17-19 – Ales, France
• Round 2 – Extreme XL Lagares
  May 1-3 – Porto, Portugal
• Round 3 – Silver Kings Hard Enduro
  June 18-20 – Idaho/Silver Mountain Resort, United States
• Round 4 – Forza Orza
  August 20-22 – Orsa, Sweden
• Round 5 – Abestone Hard Enduro
  September 4-6 – Arezzo, Italy
• Round 6 – Roof of Africa
  September 23-26 – Maseru, Lesotho
• Round 7 – Sea to Sky
  October 8-10 – Kemer, Turkey
• Round 8 – 24MX Hixpania Hard Enduro
  October 23-25 – Aguilar de Campoo, Spain