Manuel Lettenbichler is the 2026 FIM Hard Enduro World Champion, securing his fifth consecutive title before the final two races of the season. The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider mathematically sealed the championship on Friday evening at the 24MX Hixpania Hard Enduro in Aguilar de Campoo, Spain.
Lettenbichler arrived at the final round with a 32-point advantage over Mitch Brightmore and only 33 points still available. After neither rider scored in Friday’s SuperEncierro, the gap remained unchanged with just 30 points left on offer, making Mani champion before Saturday’s Campoo Xtreme and Sunday’s Lost Road.
Billy Bolt Wins, Mani Takes the Championship
Billy Bolt won the SuperEncierro ahead of Ashton Brightmore and Teodor Kabakchiev, with championship challenger Mitch Brightmore fourth and Lettenbichler fifth. Only the top three scored points, which meant Brightmore could no longer mathematically catch the KTM rider.
Manuel Lettenbichler: “We got the results we needed. We actually didn’t get any points. We only ended up fifth in the SuperEncierro race. I had a pretty decent race, honestly, which was quite nice. But yeah, it was enough to basically clinch the title today. I was kind of surprised. The people held me back there because they wanted to do a little bit of a celebration today. I was confused at first, but yeah, pretty stoked, man. What a year. What an achievement again. I didn’t believe it at the beginning of the year.”
Five Wins from Seven Rounds
Lettenbichler’s title was built on remarkable consistency. Before Hixpania, he had won five of seven rounds and finished on the podium at every event, scoring 28 points at Alestrem before taking a perfect 33 at Extreme XL Lagares.
Mitch Brightmore responded with his maiden HEWC victory at Silver Kings, where Mani finished third, but Lettenbichler then won Forza Orza and Abestone. He finished second behind Teodor Kabakchiev at the Roof of Africa before producing one of his best comebacks of the season at Sea to Sky.
Sea to Sky Showed Why He Is Champion
A brake problem and 10-minute penalty in Türkiye left Lettenbichler 15th after the Forest Race. Starting the Mountain Race from the third row, he charged through the field and eventually won by more than four minutes.
That fifth victory of the season gave him the cushion he needed heading into Spain. Across seven rounds, even Mani’s difficult weekends continued producing major championship points.
Lettenbichler’s 2026 Season Before Hixpania
| Round | Event | Result | Points |
| 1 | Alestrem | Winner | 28 |
| 2 | Extreme XL Lagares | Winner | 33 |
| 3 | Silver Kings | 3rd | 27 |
| 4 | Forza Orza | Winner | 29 |
| 5 | Abestone | Winner | 33 |
| 6 | Roof of Africa | 2nd | 25 |
| 7 | Sea to Sky | Winner | 22 |
Five Consecutive World Titles
The 2026 crown follows Lettenbichler’s championship victories in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025, giving him five consecutive FIM Hard Enduro World Championship titles. Away from HEWC, he also claimed his fifth consecutive Red Bull Erzbergrodeo victory earlier this year.
Fabio Farioli: “Another championship in a row, and it’s amazing for Mani, for us, for all the people that trust in us, in him, and for all the people that are working hard during the year, in winter, to give Mani and also all the other riders of our team the best material. Then they ride as well as they can, and then the results are coming. So congrats to Mani, congrats to the team and to the company, another title achieved.”
Brightmore and Kabakchiev Made Him Work for It
Mitch Brightmore provided the strongest challenge for much of the season, taking his first HEWC victory at Silver Kings and holding second in the standings from Round 3 onwards. Together with Roof of Africa winner Kabakchiev, he was the only rider other than Lettenbichler to win a championship round before Hixpania.
Manuel Lettenbichler: “I think the young boys are coming, you know, everybody’s hunting me down. So I’m just trying to enjoy it as much as possible now this weekend. And we definitely have a good party on Sunday night.”
The championship may already belong to Mani, but Hixpania is not finished. Saturday’s Campoo Xtreme and Sunday’s Lost Road will decide the remaining overall positions, while James Moore and Ashton Brightmore continue their close fight for the Junior World Championship.
Roast Mode
Five consecutive world titles, five wins from seven rounds and the championship secured without even scoring in the race that decided it. Mani has apparently reached the stage where other riders need him to have a bad weekend — and he keeps forgetting to have one.
