SuperEnduro Rd 6 Recap - GP Bulgaria
Story: Noel Flatters | Editor - Enduro.Media
February 25, 2024
Billy Bolt Dominates to Clinch the Championship!
Image courtesy Husqvarna Motorcycles GmbH Media and Public Relations
As we came into the penultimate round of the 2024 FIM SuperEnduro Championship, we had written “Let’s be honest with ourselves here, shall we? It’s going to take a disaster for Billy Bolt lose a round in this year’s Championship. The man is riding with a badly injured left knee/leg for the past two rounds, and STILL nobody has a real answer for him. Bolt is clearly the class of the field. Until someone proves that they can actually beat the man in one round… It. Is. Over.” Well, not surprisingly, no-one had an answer for the British superstar and with a 59 point lead in the Championship it’s all over for Jonny Walker if Bolt takes 4 points from the finale in Newcastle next weekend. And to be absolutely clear, Billy Bolt will take home many more than 4 points barring catastrophe.
WHAT?
Billy Bolt (Husqvarna Factory Racing) effectively clinched the 2024 SuperEnduro Championship after taking home a dominant 1-1-1 win (plus the Superpole for an extra three points) at the GP Bulgaria on Saturday night.
Jonny Walker (Beta) came down with a severe case of food poisoning on race day and still managed to gut it out (see what we did there?) and finish the night off with an incredible P4. Unfortunately, this ended whatever remote chance that he had to challenge Bolt for the Championship.
Mani Lettenbichler (FMF KTM Factory Racing), coming into the round in a battle for 3rd overall in the Championship delivered a tremendous P2 result on a fast track that we wouldn’t normally expect to play to his strengths.
Will Hoare (Rieju Factory) scored a podium for his new team with a well-deserved P3 overall, returning to his form from the first two rounds of the Championship.
Ashton Brightmore (TTR Racing) went 1-1-1 in the Junior class to solidify his lead (now at 26 points) over Suff Sella (Gomez Team).
British junior rider Ashton Brightmore rode to a very strong 1-1-1/P1 finish at GP Bulgaria, likely securing the overall Championship in the class.
Image courtesy SuperEnduro.org
SO WHAT?
Bolt’s victory in Sofia gives him a 59 point lead over Walker in the Championship. With a maximum 63 points available it’s still mathematically possible for Walker to win, but over here in the real world… That ain’t gonna happen. Bolt seems to not even notice his injured left leg when he’s racing now. Not that it really matters as Bolt still won on the day the injury happened.
The real excitement now becomes the race for third overall, but even that has been dampened by Lettenbichler’s tremendous race here. Fast tracks have been the bane of his existence for the most part this season, but Mani rose to the occasion and pulled off his best finish yet with a P2. In combination with Mitchell Brightmore having a slightly off night, Lettenbichler now owns a 32 point lead over Hoare. Could Hoare find a way in Newcastle pull off a 33 point win over Lettenbichler? Sure, especially with the home crowd support in Newcastle, but in reality this is now Lettenbichler’s overall podium position to lose.
In the Junior class, Brightmore looked smooth and very fast for the most part of the night, while Sella seemed to struggle under the pressure of trying reel Brightmore in. It’s going to be tough for Sella to find a way past Brightmore in Newcastle, but he already has P2 overall secured and has nothing to lose in the finale. These could be the most fun motos to watch of the night on Saturday!
NOW WHAT?
We head into the 2024 SuperEnduro finale this coming Saturday in Bolt’s hometown of Newcastle and it’s going to be crazy in the arena! We’re going to see Bolt’s coronation as the Series champion, and we’re highly likely to see the coronation of Ashton Brightmore in the Junior class in front of the home crowd. It’s going to be a heck of a night, and you should absolutely consider investing some money to watch it!
Your GP Bulgaria podium: Billy Bolt P1 (centre), Manuel Lettenbichler P2 (left), and Will Hoare P3 (right)
Image courtesy SuperEnduro.org
