AlesTrem confusion after the finish as official result hands win to Lettenbichler

The opening round of the 2026 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship at 24MX Alestrem ended with as much confusion as action.

During the live broadcast, viewers saw Billy Bolt, Mario Roman and Teodor Kabakchiev cross the line at the front, with the podium photos taken and the champagne already flowing. But once the dust settled, the result changed.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXU9jntiIoi/?igsh=amI5cWEyeWp6ZWtl

The revised classification now places Manuel Lettenbichler as the official winner, with Billy Bolt in second. The only rider unaffected by the reshuffle appears to be Teodor Kabakchiev, who remains in the top three.

For now, the exact reason behind the change has not been fully explained in the material released so far, although official communication is expected to follow.

Lettenbichler credited with the win

According to Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, Lettenbichler built his weekend from the start. The German topped Friday’s Xtrem Test, then stayed consistent through the prologue before taking control in Sunday’s main event. KTM says he moved into second on lap one, took over the lead on lap two, and managed the deteriorating conditions after heavy rain forced the race to be shortened by one lap.

“It’s a great way to start the season with the win at Alestrem,” said Lettenbichler. “It was a really tough weekend with a lot of different conditions, and everything kept changing, especially in the main race after the rain came in. I felt good from the start and was able to control the race early on, but once the conditions got worse it became really tricky and you had to stay focused every single meter.”

Bolt leaves France leading the standings

Husqvarna Factory Racing’s version of events confirms Bolt as runner-up in the main race, but still leaving France as the championship leader by one point thanks to his prologue win and second place overall.

The British rider was second in Friday’s Xtrem Test by just a quarter of a second, then dominated Saturday’s Minerva Prologue by winning his heat, semi-final, and final. In Sunday’s main event, Husqvarna says Bolt led early, struggled in the opening phase, then came back strongly once the rain made the course more technical and slippery.

“It was a pretty chaotic race and not an easy one to manage,” said Bolt. “I didn’t feel completely comfortable with the pace on the first lap, and Mani was riding really well, so I had to work hard to stay in the fight. Once the rain came, it changed everything. It made the track a lot more technical and slippery, which suited me better and allowed me to focus on riding clean and finding a good rhythm.”

More questions than answers

What makes this one hard to ignore is not just the result itself, but the way it unfolded. Fans, teams and media all watched one outcome on the live feed, only to see the classification changed afterwards.

That means Alestrem has opened the 2026 season with a proper talking point before round two has even started.

One thing is certain: Lettenbichler gets the win, Bolt gets second, and the championship already has controversy attached to it. Now everyone waits for the full explanation.