Hard Enduro World Championship, Roof of Africa: Teodor Kabakchiev triumphs in Lesotho

For many, the Roof of Africa is rightly regarded as the ‘mother of all hard enduro races’. Set in the Maloti Mountains of Lesotho, on trails at altitudes ranging from 1,400 to over 3,000 metres, the sixth round of the 2026 Hard Enduro World Championship took place over three days – a classic event that pushes people, equipment and even the top riders to their absolute limits. Championship leader Manuel Lettenbichler arrived as the man to beat, whilst title contender Billy Bolt had to sit out following knee surgery.

It was someone else who set the tone on Thursday: James Moore. The young South African and last year’s winner set the fastest time of 25:01.91 minutes in qualifying, under bright sunshine and on a drying track – ahead of Lettenbichler (+15.74 s) and Ashton Brightmore. Teodor Kabakchiev finished fourth, with Wade Young in fifth. Curiously, Mitch Brightmore clocked the fastest raw time but received a five-minute penalty and dropped back to ninth place.

A distinctive feature of the Roof of Africa is that, unlike the other World Championship rounds – where the main event on the final day alone decides the overall winner – the combined total time from all three days counts; at the Roof, these are known as the ‘Time Trial’, ‘Big Loop’ and ‘Final Ascent’. Consequently, the gaps were still very tight after the Time Trial ahead of the remaining two days.

On Friday came the ‘Big Loop’, covering around 110 kilometres – rocky terrain, river crossings, thin mountain air. This was Kabakchiev’s moment to shine: the Bulgarian won the day in 5:48:58 hours and took the overall lead, 42 seconds ahead of Wade Young. Lettenbichler kept in touch in third place. It was a bitter day for Moore: an early mechanical problem cost the defending champion over 44 minutes and saw him drop back to 11th place. Young, a nine-time Roof winner, back in 2025 following his injury lay-off, had his sights set on a tenth triumph.

The race was decided on Saturday in the main event, the ‘Final Ascent’, consisting of two laps of 38 kilometres each. Kabakchiev controlled the race from the start and confidently held onto his lead to the finish. With a total time of 9:59:46.2 hours, he was the only rider to finish in under ten hours and won by a margin of 2:46.9 minutes – his first World Championship race victory of the season. Behind him, a nail-biting battle unfolded: Lettenbichler pulled away from Young on the final stage and secured second place by a razor-thin margin of 0.1 seconds.

Manuel Lettenbichler bei der Roof of Africa

Foto: KTM

Once again, Moore made the headlines: After Friday’s drama, he clocked the fastest time of the day on Saturday (3:39:25.8 hours, over five minutes faster than the rest), stormed up to fifth place in the overall standings and, to top it all off, secured victory in the junior class. Young completed the podium in third place, but narrowly missed out on his historic tenth victory.

In the World Championship, Lettenbichler further extended his lead by finishing second, whilst Kabakchiev made a long-deserved statement with his first win of the season. The action continues at the Sea to Sky in Kemer, Turkey (8–10 October), before the 24MX Hixpania in Spain (23–25 October) brings the season to a close.

Teodor Kabakchiev: “I’m absolutely delighted; my mind’s still on the race. Both laps went really well for me and I had a solid lead right from the start. So I told myself: stay calm and see it through to the finish. I’m lost for words – I made it to the finish line, and I’m happy, not just for myself but also for the Sherco Factory Racing Team, my family, my fans, all Bulgarians and the people of the Balkans. I thank God for this victory.”

Manuel Lettenbichler: “The final day was quite short and intense – less navigation, more technical sections. I started in third place and was actually on my own for the whole of the first lap. I couldn’t quite catch up with Wade and Teo, but James then caught up with me – he was really fast today. In the second lap, we really pushed hard, and I managed to catch up with Wade after all. That was perfect for me, because it meant I didn’t have to concentrate so much on navigation. Second again at the Roof of Africa, which is good for the championship.”

Wade Young: “Mani beat me by the narrowest of margins – 0.1 seconds. I’ve had a pretty tough year and I’m not quite back to 100 per cent yet, especially compared to the others. But I gave it my all and I’m happy with the result.”

Roof of Africa 2026 Results – Overall Standings:

2026 Hard Enduro World Championship – Overall standings after Round 6 (Roof of Africa):