Billy Bolt has raced a motorcycle in anger for the first time since May, and the timing could hardly be better. The Husqvarna Factory Racing rider took a wildcard entry at the EnduroGP of Wales in Rhayader from 7–9 August — an event outside the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship — and immediately reminded everyone what he can do against the clock.
Third Fastest On His First Night Back
In Friday's Akrapovič SuperTest, Bolt stopped the clock at 1:54.74. That was third fastest overall, just 0.96s off pace-setter Zach Pichon and behind newly crowned EnduroGP World Champion Josep Garcia. Fellow Hard Enduro name Jonny Walker was fourth on the Triumph. Not bad for a rider who had spent more than three months off the bike with a hand injury.
Bolt contested the Enduro3 class on a TE 300 — deliberately, according to Husqvarna team manager Fabio Farioli, because it is the same machine Bolt will ride for the rest of his Hard Enduro season. The EnduroGP of Wales carries no HEWC points; it was a shakedown, and it worked.
What Bolt Missed — And What He Can Still Do
The injury has been costly. Bolt scored 29 points at 24MX Alestrem and 15 at Extreme XL Lagares before sitting out Silver Kings entirely. He currently sits sixth in the championship on 44 points, 44 adrift of leader Manuel Lettenbichler on 88. With five rounds still to run and Bolt's raw prologue speed intact, sixth is not where this ends.
The Rest Of The Field Has Been Busy Too
Lettenbichler arrives in Sweden fresh from a record-equalling seventh Red Bull Romaniacs victory — again, a non-championship event — winning by 1h03m from Teodor Kabakchiev, with James Moore third, Matthew Green fourth and Mitch Brightmore fifth. Five HEWC-registered riders in the Romaniacs top five says plenty about the depth of the current grid.
Kit Corner: New Rubber For Rough Ground
Championship partner Plews Tyres has expanded distribution of its EN1 Grand Prix Spec B rear — a 140/80-18 with a 15mm knob height, Soft Performance Compound and a new carcass, using CCT and CCRC construction to resist knob tearing. Note the 15mm profile exceeds the FIM/ACU competition limit, so it is a training and open-event tyre rather than a race tyre. Fellow partners S3 Parts and Factory Links remain fixtures in the HEWC paddock.
Next Up: Sweden Makes History
Round 4 of the 2026 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship is Forza Orza, 20–22 August in Orsa Grönklitt — the first HEWC round ever held in Sweden, run over Scandinavian forest, rock and climbs above Lake Orsasjön. Lettenbichler leads on 88 points from Mitch Brightmore on 75 and Kabakchiev on 68. Home hope Eddie Karlsson sits seventh. Follow every point at the 2026 championship standings.