Alestrem Explained: Why Billy Bolt Crossed First, But Manuel Lettenbichler Took the Win

The opening round of the 2026 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship at 24MX Alestrem ended in confusion, and many fans were left wondering what really happened.

Billy Bolt crossed the finish line first, but after a protest, video review and Jury decision, the official win was awarded to Manuel Lettenbichler.

According to the official clarification shared by the organizers and championship, worsening weather during the Main Race forced a safety-related course adjustment. After Checkpoint 8, Manuel Lettenbichler misunderstood the deviation, and the statement says this happened through no fault of the rider. Billy Bolt and the riders behind him were then directed through the corrected shortcut to the finish.

That version of events matches what both riders explained afterward. Lettenbichler said the original plan was a three-lap race inside four hours, but heavy rain after lap two led race control to shorten the final lap. He said he had passed Bolt and was leading when, near the end of the forest section, marshals spoke to him in French. He understood that as a warning about time, not as an instruction to take the road shortcut, so he stayed on the original race line and reached the finish only in fifth place. As Manuel put it:

Manuel Lettenbichler Statement

“So I was leading, um, like really pushed hard till I get into the finish and then like probably the last five to ten minutes of forest section, there were like two marshals and they just told me something like, something in French, I can’t speak French, so sorry for that. Um, they just showed me something like, “Eh, um, what’s the time?” Or like it’s quite… I understood it as like ten minutes only to go until the finish in this four hours. And I was like, “Oh, I’m hurrying up.” So I slowed down, continued on the race track. But they meant that everybody on lap three kind of could shortcut on the road into the finish. So I did still this forest lap and came into the finish fifth, because everybody else went on the street, and I was the first guy, so probably they didn’t know what to do properly. But, uuum, yeah, I got it on GoPro and it was just quite a bit of confusion, to be honest. Anyways, but the race control or the FM decided at the end to like finish up the race on the last checkpoint.

Was it the right decision? Fuck. Probably not. Probably yes. I’m not sure, but I think it’s so hard to make a decision like this because the whole organization changed the whole race during the race. So maybe it would have been better just to like stay on the plan and finish it at like one checkpoint where everybody could like go almost in time.

But yeah, they tried to like get everybody into the finish, so this changed a little bit and, um, yeah, it changed the whole race results a little bit. So basically I won, Billy got second, Mario and Theo, they had like a pretty decent battle at the finish line up hill, so this changed a l- again. So just a lot of confusion and a lot of questions and yeah, I’m not sure what I have done, but it’s a pretty bit of a mess.”

Bolt, meanwhile, said he did technically cross the finish line first, but only after being sent off the track and onto the tarmac road, cutting out the last five to ten minutes of forest. He explained that he even asked if it was the correct way and was told yes. When he reached the finish, he immediately realized Lettenbichler was not there and suspected that Manuel had stayed in the forest section. Bolt added that video evidence later showed Manuel had not been clearly told to take the same shortcut, which is why the result was changed.

Billy Bolt Statement

In Billy’s own words, “I did technically cross the finish line first, but what happened was the whole of the last lap got altered ’cause, um, we were– wouldn’t have finished within the four hours. Uh, now the– hands out, they probably shouldn’t have altered it and just let the race run out of time and then go back a checkpoint, but, I mean, there definitely would’ve been less upset people. Anyway, that’s besides the point.

What happened was they altered basically the whole second half of the last lap. We ended up riding the first lap track and then about two kilometers from the finish line, there was two marshals sending me off the track on the tarmac road till I’d cut out the last, I don’t know, five to ten minutes of forest and I was a bit like, “Ooh, really?” But the whole track had been altered, so I went with it, and then I went… As I went around the corner, there was, one of the track men that I knew, and I was like, “Is this the right way?” And he’s like, “Yes!” Anyway, I get to the finish line, get to the final hill. I’m looking for time marks. I’m like, couldn’t see any time marks. Hit the hill, get to the top. Everyone’s gone ballistic, and I’m like, “I’m a bit excited for a second.” Realize that Manny’s not there.

So I was like, “Oh, he’s probably doing that last bit of forest, as I meant to do it.” Obviously, then everyone else arrives that had been took out. The marshals weren’t clear to Manny that it was cut out. His camera was still rolling. It was on video. That was why the result got changed, because the video showed that Manny didn’t get told to stay on the road.

So yeah, finished second, which I kinda was expecting to happen. Didn’t really wanna stand on the top step of the podium, but it is what it is. There, there was no real right decision to make, in my opinion, once that had happened because, you know, arguably we could have been on the last hill together and we could have battled.

The actual result was now took back a checkpoint, so it meant Mario has gone from second to fourth, I think, unless that’s changed again since I went to sleep last night. Yeah, fucking chaos. There’s never a dull moment, is there? Just to clear it up, it is what it is. I crossed the finish line thinking I was second. Was first for a little bit. Ended up second.”

Official FIM and Alestrem Statement came fast

The official clarification says the finish order no longer reflected the true race progression because the deviation affected how the leaders completed the final part of the lap. A formal protest was then submitted by rider No. 304, Lettenbichler, and the case was reviewed by the event Jury. After reviewing the available evidence and holding a formal vote, the Jury decided the fairest solution was to base the final classification on the positions at Checkpoint 8, before the point where the deviation changed the race.

In simple terms, Billy Bolt was first across the line, but Manuel Lettenbichler was declared the official winner because the Jury ruled that the route change had unfairly altered the outcome after Checkpoint 8. That is why the result was revised after the finish. And who is probably the most affected by this, is Mario Roman who had such a strong ride!!