With the confident Brightmore brothers, the X-GRIP Racing Team headed to the 5th event of the FIM SuperEnduro World Championship 2025.
In the Hungarian capital, Budapest, over 10,000 spectators were treated to exiting racing action around the impressive SuperEnduro track at the MVM Dome.
On the fast, slippery sections, Ashton and Mitch initially struggled to find the right recipe for fast lap times. After making small adjustments to their bikes and setups, both were satisfied with their equipment and impressed with fast laptimes during qualifying. Mitch posted the best lap time, while Ashton finished close behind in 3rd place.
Top four positions were separated by just 0.3 seconds!
The Superpole event took place on a heavily watered track, where the competition was also extremely tight. Small mistakes made a big difference this time. Both young Brits didn’t manage a perfect lap; Mitch secured 3rd place and earned a single point, while Ashton finished 4th.
Local hero Norbert Zsigovits once again was participating in the Europe Cup, with the support of the X-GRIP Racing Team. For him, this was one of the most important races of the calendar, and he started strong from the very beginning.
The Supercross elements suited him well, and he clearly enjoyed the incredible atmosphere in the nearly sold-out arena. After narrowly missing out on the pole position, the start of the first final run didn’t go as planned. However, after just a few laps, he moved up to 2nd place and immediately began attacking the leader. In front of a cheering crowd, Zsigo took the lead and didn’t look back.
The Hungarian native secured the important home win in the first race in a commanding fashion!
Mitch Brightmore crashed in the first corner of the Prestige Race 1, while Ashton made it through the first sections well and positioned himself in 3rd place.
After the early crash, Mitch didn’t find his usual flow. Several other mistakes prevented him from making a successful comeback, and he had to settle for a disappointing 7th place. Ashton also didn’t have a perfect race. A few more riding mistakes didn’t help him either, he could only finish in 3rd place in this race.
X-GRIP Racing Team youngster Vale Hutter ventured onto unfamiliar terrain.
After just a few practicing hours, he competed in the Youth class of the SuperEnduro World Championship 2025 and clearly had fun. His 3rd and 4th place finishes in practice gave hope for a good result. Vale surprised everyone in Race 1 by securing the Holeshot! The young Austrian even led the competition for several laps before making a mistake in the rock section and being overtaken. Despite his lack of experience, Vale put in a strong race and finished an excellent 2nd place!
Europe Cup starter, Norbert, had a good second start and was in 3rd place. For a long time, he got stuck in a battle for 2nd place, losing sight of the leader. The fans “carried” Zsigo around the track, allowing him to finally pass the rider ahead of him, to catch up to the leader and set up an exciting fight for the win.
On the final attack, the Hungarian hero misjudged his move and had to give way just before the finish. However, his second-place finish in the second race was enough for Zsigo to enjoy the Hungarian anthem from the top step of the podium in the overall standings!
A collision in the rock section right after the start cost Vale Hutter a lot of time in the second Youth final. In his attempt to make up positions, he collided once again with another competitor. Vale fell and missed the overall podium by just ONE point, finishing 8th in the 2nd race. Despite the disappointing 4th place overall, it was a strong first showing for the young GASGAS rider.
Even with the unpopular reversed-grid start in the second Prestige race, Ashton felt better this time.
After a good start, there was a collision in the rock section involving both X-GRIP Racing Team riders. The second race was a bit chaotic, countless crashes and other collisions happened on the challenging obstacles.
Ashton finished in 4th place despite the mayhem on the track and was quite satisfied with his performance. Mitch also seemed aggressive, and he found good lines. “I was pushing way too hard”, he stated afterwards. As a result, he made several mistakes on the slippery surface and finished in 6th place.
In Race 3, the Brightmore brothers held positions 2 and 3 after the start.
Ashton followed his older brother closely and didn’t let him get away. Mitch maintained a good rhythm and found good lines through the rock section. This meant Ashton had no chance of passing his brother. Towards the end of the race, Jonny Walker caught up and passed Ashton in the penultimate lap.
For Mitch, it was all about “STAYING ON TRACK” in the final laps as he successfully defended his 2nd position, narrowly missing out on 3rd place in the overall standings. Ashton finished 4th in Race 3, which again earned him a top 3 overall result. With 41 important points, he was rewarded with 3rd place.
In three weeks’ time, the Brightmore brothers will compete in their home race in the United Kingdom. Both are already looking forward to racing in front of their home crowd for the X-GRIP Racing Team!
