Claiming his debut victory at Red Bull Romaniacs, Germany’s Manuel Lettenbichler not only impressively put his name to the world’s toughest Hard Enduro Rallye but importantly moved himself back into the lead of the World Enduro Super Series, with just three rounds remaining.
Filled with motivation following his historic victory in Romania – where he became the event’s youngest winner at 21 years, three months and four days – Manni’s now hoping to carry his winning momentum to Great Britain, and on to the final rounds of the series.
As the 2019 WESS season enters the home straight, and with the Hawkstone Park Cross-Country rapidly approaching, the talented German is 100 per cent focused on his championship chances…
Back on top of the WESS Championship…
“It’s amazing to lead the championship again having held the lead after round three. I really wanted to deliver a strong start to the championship because I always felt like that’s where my best races were. I’ve done my best to be on the podium in as many Hard Enduro races as I can and winning Red Bull Romaniacs has been the icing on the cake.
“We have three rounds to go and things can change again because Cross-Country and Classic Enduro aren’t my disciplines. But I’m working hard to improve and be ready for the Hawkstone Park Cross-Country.”
Learning from experience to be Cross-Country ready…
“My main goal for the Hawkstone Park Cross-Country is to try and ride smoother and not crash so much! I made some stupid mistakes during the opening laps last year and that really cost me a lot of time, energy and positions during the race.
“So, I want to try and have a good start, find a good rhythm from the beginning and ride smart for the full race. If I can do that then I should improve on my result from last year.”
Becoming a WESS winner for the first time…
“It was unbelievable to win Red Bull Romaniacs. I’m over the moon about it. To win that race is just such a big achievement – it means more to me than the other races simply because of how long and tough it is. It’s a race where anything can happen and there are so many things that can go wrong.
“Even in the final moments it was crazy, but thankfully we got it done. I’m pumped because it’s my first win in WESS and it put me back leading the championship again, too!”
Keeping it in the family…
“For my father and myself both to have won at Red Bull Romaniacs, well, it’s something no family has ever achieved, so it’s a surreal feeling. When my Dad won, I was only 11 and just a kid. I rode my bike for fun and honestly had never really dreamed of becoming a professional rider – racing bikes was just something my Dad did.
“But, as I got older, better and more experienced that gradually changed and now it’s kind of come full circle. I put the Lettenbichler name back on the top step. It’s awesome, but hopefully there will be more victories to come.”
Getzenrodeo Is going to be huge…
“My focus is very much on the Hawkstone Park Cross-Country and the penultimate round of the series in Spain, but it’s great to have Getzenrodeo in the 2019 WESS calendar.
“Even better that it’s the final round of the championship. It’s such a good event and the spectators are real Enduro fans who come out in their thousands to watch. Of course, it’s also a home race for me and I’m excited to go there, especially having won it last year. With home support hopefully I will be in a position to end the season on a high.”
Dreaming Of Becoming The Ultimate Enduro World Champion…
“To win the 2019 WESS title would be amazing. It’s only year two of the series, but it’s getting bigger all of the time. I was runner-up to Billy Bolt last year and now with three rounds to go I’m leading the championship again. Of course there’s still a lot of racing left and anything can happen, but it would mean so much to me to become champion.”
The World Enduro Super Series continues with round six at Hawkstone Park Cross-Country in Great Britain on September 21-22.
WESS Championship Standings (After round 5)
1 Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM – GER) 3570 pts, 2 Graham Jarvis (Husqvarna – GB) 3460 pts, 3 Alfredo Gomez (Husqvarna – ESP) 3164, 4 Mario Roman (Sherco – ESP) 2940 pts ,5 Billy Bolt (Husqvarna – GB) 2725 pts, 6 Jonny Walker (KTM – GB) 2700 pts, 7 Josep Garcia (KTM – ESP) 2615 pts, 8 Taddy Blazusiak (KTM – POL) 2590 pts, 9 Nathan Watson (KTM – GB) 2091 pts, 10 Pol Tarres (Husqvarna – ESP) 1965 pts…
