Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory rider Billy Bolt stormed to victory at the 2021 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship, during the Abestone Hard Enduro in Italy.
Marking round three of the series, Bolt was joined on the podium by his teammate Graham Jarvis as the ever-green hard enduro racer secured a well-deserved third place finish.
Eager to once again show the speed that took him to the win at round one of the series, and fresh off his recent EnduroGP podium result, Bolt immediately put his TE 300i at the top of the time sheets by topping Fridayās timed training.
Faced with a special test that was repeated three times on Saturday, with each riderās best time counting, Bolt again proved fastest. Quickest in all three runs, Billy took pole position heading into Sundayās all-important final.
Leading the field away, Bolt looked comfortable out front as he negotiated the steep rocky climbs and technical forestry descents. Facing a battle with closet rival Manuel Lettenbichler, the duo swapped the lead numerous times during the two laps as they pulled away from the rest of the pack.
Knowing he held an advantage on the final descents, Bolt waited for his moment to attack, making his pass for the lead stick during the closing stages of the race and taking a well-deserved victory as well as an early lead in the championship standings.
āIām made up to stand on the top step of the podium,’ said Bolt. “Itās been a perfect weekend – winning every time I went out on track. I wanted to prove to myself that Iāve matured as a rider outdoors and I feel like Iāve showed that. I feel like Iāve proven myself in tough Hard Enduro riding. Starting first today meant I had Mani chasing me and when he caught me on lap one, the race was really on. We battled back and forth, constantly changing positions. But we were pushing so hard it meant we had a big gap over everyone else. I knew I was stronger on the descents. On the final lap I just went for the pass, made it stick and hung it out for the win!ā
