Lettenbichler on winner Mitch Brightmore: “He rode brilliantly!”

Following his fifth consecutive victory at the world’s most prestigious one-day hard enduro event, the Red Bull Erzbergrodeo, the next showdown took place in the USA at the Silver Kings in Idaho between Manuel Lettenbichler and his Canadian team-mate Trystan Hard, who finished second at the Erzbergrodeo. However, victory went to 23-year-old Briton Mitch Brightmore (GASGAS). SPEEDWEEK.com spoke exclusively to Manuel Lettenbichler.

So it’s happened. Mitch has won his first World Championship race. What did you make of his performance?

What can I say, he was absolutely on fire! It’s really brilliant what Mitch has achieved there. He rode incredibly well. So, respect and congratulations! Mitch was simply better than Trystan and me on the climbs and was therefore able to make up a lot of time. Otherwise, we were all actually riding at the same pace. It’s great to see the younger generation coming through now, and his team are doing an absolutely brilliant job too. Well done to the X-Grip boys!

With your fifth victory at the Erzbergrodeo under your belt, were you perhaps not quite at 100 per cent motivation?

Yes, perhaps not quite, but I was still motivated to score as many points as possible and finish ahead of Mitch. I gave it my all, but it just wasn’t meant to be. I’d already ridden strongly on Friday, though Trystan was a notch better. During the race, we swapped positions about seven times, and this time someone else ended up in front. That’s perfectly fine.

How did the Main Event go for you, and where did you fall short?

The start was all right; I was in about 10th place. A little later, Mitch, Trystan and I were at the front and that’s when the battle really kicked off. It actually carried on like that for the full two hours right up to the final climb. That’s why this was one of the best races in a long time. We haven’t seen a three-way battle like that for ages, which is really good for the sport. Towards the end of the final lap, I had to let the gap open up a bit at first; Trystan and I got held up briefly. Then there was a bit of traffic, and with so little time left, the gap was too big to close, even though I could still see them ahead of me on the final climb.

What sort of race are you expecting at Forza Orza in Sweden?

I’m really looking forward to it; a new race on new terrain naturally always brings extra motivation. As always, we’ll give it our all to finish right at the top again. If Mitch keeps this up, he’ll certainly be a real contender for the championship too. But as I’ve already mentioned: winning the Erzbergrodeo this time was an exceptional achievement that brought a great sense of relief. It’s simply one of the most important races of the whole season, and clinching that fifth title takes some of the pressure off, and naturally your motivation shifts a little too. When you’re on a winning streak like that, staying motivated can be a bit of a challenge here and there.

Has it been decided yet whether you’ll be riding the Roof of Africa and Sea to Sky?

No, that hasn’t been finalised yet, but at the moment it looks as though we’ll be competing. But I’m curious to see what happens.

Manuel Lettenbichler beim Silver Kings

Foto: KTM

World Championship standings, Hard Enduro World Championship after race 3 of 8:

1. Manuel Lettenbichler (D, KTM) 88 points

2. Mitch Brightmore (UK, GASGAS) 75

3. Teodor Kabakchiev (BG, Sherco) 68

4. Ashton Brightmore (GBR, GASGAS) 49

5. Mario Roman (E, Husqvarna) 48

6. Billy Bolt (UK, Husqvarna) 44

7. Eddie Karlsson (Sweden, STARK) 31

8. Wade Young (ZA, KTM) 30

9. James Moore (ZA, Beta) 29

10. Lorenzo Gandola (I, Sherco) 28