Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Manuel Lettenbichler has travelled to Italy to race Abestone Hard Enduro. Marking the third round of the 2021 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship, the three-day event looks set to test all competitors with a variety of race formats leading up to a three-hour, technically demanding Super Final on Sunday, July 11.
Keen to get his Hard Enduro World Championship season truly underway, following the restrictions imposed at round one and the cancellation of round two, Manuel Lettenbichler is definitely ready to take on the new challenge of Abestone Hard Enduro. Friday evening will see Mani will face an Extreme Test that, while optional, will decide the start order for Saturday’s time trial – three laps of a fast, but technical 10km course in the mountains close to the town of Abetone.
The top 50 riders from Saturday will then go on to contest the event’s Super Final, a short, ultra-challenging 20km hard enduro featuring steep climbs and descents, as well as the toughest terrain seen over the entire weekend.
Coming into the event feeling fit and keen to get some extreme racing under his belt, Lettenbichler is confident of fighting for the podium places. A strong result at Extreme XL Lagares earlier in the year, followed by an equally impressive top-10 finish in the Enduro2 class at the GP of Italy, has shown the young German is unquestionably on form and up to speed.
Eager to take on the new challenge of Abestone Hard Enduro, and to write his name in the history books as the first rider to earn top race honors in the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship, Mani will be going all-out for the win.
Manuel Lettenbichler: “I’m feeling pretty good and I’m excited to be racing again this weekend. It’s an all-new event, new for everyone, so that adds a little bit of excitement I think, and it’ll be interesting to see how it all plays out. The location for the race looks awesome so I can’t wait to get started and see what the course has to offer. My training has been going really well and I feel great on the bike, so I’ll be giving it my best and then we’ll see where we end up Sunday.” (source: ktm)
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INTERVIEW with Abestone Hard Enduro Organiser Michele Bosi: “I like No Help Zones.” (July 2021)
STORY: Manuel Lettenbichler Ready For 2021 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship (April 2021)
photos (c) Future7Media & KTM & Markus Berger