Blue skies, dry rock and a valley full of fans. Day 1 of the Abestone Hard Enduro, Round 5 of the 2026 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship, delivered close to perfect conditions in Val di Luce, and the field responded with a pace that had the crowd on its feet from the first lap to the last light of the evening.
Qualification: 0.79 Seconds Between the Best in the World
The day opened with Qualification, a single lap on a course shared by the Bronze, Silver and Gold classes. Manuel Lettenbichler set the benchmark at 6:59.14, but only just, Billy Bolt was within eight tenths of a second at 6:59.93, having posted the fastest second sector of anyone in the field.
James Moore was third for AG Racing Beta Italy at 7:04.22, with Mitch Brightmore just 0.15 seconds further back in fourth and Ashton Brightmore fifth. Teodor Kabakchiev, Lorenzo Gandola, Thomas Scales, Eddie Karlsson and Robert Crayston completed the Gold top ten. In Silver, Hennessy took the honours ahead of Sandra Gómez, while Ghorbani led the Bronze class from Franco Schiavi.
Sprint Race: Mani Again and Two Juniors on the Box
The classes then headed out for their Sprint Races, and Lettenbichler underlined why he leads the championship. The Red Bull KTM rider was the only Gold rider to reach the fifth checkpoint on the third lap, and set the fastest lap of the race at 20:17.7 on his way to a commanding win.
Behind him came the story of the day. James Moore took second and Ashton Brightmore third, both riders competing in the Junior Championship.
Mitch Brightmore recovered to fourth ahead of Eddie Karlsson and Kabakchiev. Bolt, still building race fitness after injury, finished seventh despite setting the second-fastest lap of the race at 20:51.6. Mario Román, Gandola and Thomas Scales rounded out the Gold top ten, with Toby Martyn eleventh.
Straight Rhythm Under the Lights
The evening belonged to the fans. A Straight Rhythm knockout brought the action into a stadium-style arena for head-to-head eliminations, pure spectacle, and pure noise from the packed Abetone crowd. Beyond the entertainment, it carried real weight: the knockout sets the grid for Sunday's finals, so a good night's work translates directly into clean air when it matters most. Billy Bolt showed everyone why he si the World SuperEnduro Champion, taking the win
Everything to Play For
Sunday builds through the Bronze and Silver Finals to the Gold Final, where the World Championship points are decided. Lettenbichler arrived in Italy leading the standings from Mitch Brightmore and Kabakchiev, but on this evidence, the podium is not his to assume. Moore and Ashton Brightmore have both shown they can run at the front over a full race distance, and Bolt's lap times suggest he is closer to full strength than his Saturday result implies.
The Gold Final at the Abestone Hard Enduro gets underway on Sunday 6 September in Abetone, Italy. From there the championship heads to Lesotho for Round 6, the Roof of Africa, on 24-26 September. Track every point at the 2026 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship standings.