2027 Hard Enduro World Championship: Nine events – and two versions of its own calendar

The International Motorcycling Federation (FIM) and Hard Enduro Promotion LLC (HEP) have published the calendar for the 2027 Hard Enduro World Championship – and are presenting it as a step forward, when on closer inspection it is, above all, one thing: old wine in new bottles. Nine rounds in eight countries – one more than in the 2026 season, which has been scaled back to eight races. The season kicks off on 17–18 April with the Tong Hard Enduro in the UK, whilst the finale takes place on 23–24 October at the GetzenRodeo in Germany, which is held only every two years. In between: Portugal, Italy (twice), the USA, Sweden, Spain and Turkey.

The Tong Hard Enduro has long been known in the scene as Wild Willy’s Extreme Enduro, a well-established round of the British Extreme Enduro Championship in which Billy Bolt, Manuel Lettenbichler and Mario Román have been competing for years; the GetzenRodeo also has a long tradition in Germany. However, two tried-and-tested venues do not solve a single one of the structural problems that the World Championship has been grappling with for the past two years. At best, they merely mask them.

Two announcements, two situations

The third event is particularly revealing. In the press release sent by email, it is still referred to as the ‘Italian Hard Enduro’ – with no name and no location, both of which are to be announced later. On the FIM website, however, the same round taking place from 14 to 16 May has long had a name: Wild Woods Stone Extreme – the very event that was dropped from the calendar in 2026 due to a lack of permits. Two official channels, two versions of the same calendar: there is a lack of agreement even in their own announcement. Furthermore, the XL Lagares in Portugal ‘could’ host the first round of an Adventure World Cup – ‘subject to FIM approval’. And the website’s footer still refers to ‘eight rounds’ and ‘four continents’, whilst the headline and text announce nine races. Wherever you look, there is the subjunctive and vagueness rather than certainty. Not even the date of the final is settled: the FIM lists the GetzenRodeo as taking place on 23–24 October, whilst the organiser itself states 22–23 October on its website – a discrepancy of 24 hours, even before the season has begun.

More races – against the riders’ stated wishes

Things get really interesting when viewed against the backdrop of last year. In early 2026, the dispute between top riders and the organisers had escalated: The stars organised under the WERA – including Lettenbichler, Román, Bolt and Gómez – wanted to limit the World Championship to a maximum of six rounds, citing budgets, logistics and the costs of overseas travel. The promoter countered defensively by emphasising growth and professionalisation. The response for 2027 is a slap in the face for precisely these riders: not six rounds, not eight, but nine.

There is one concession, though the announcement glosses over it: with the Roof of Africa in Lesotho, one expensive overseas race has been dropped, and the French opener in Alestrem has also been cancelled. Outside Europe, at least the Silver Kings (USA) and Sea to Sky (Turkey) remain – two long-haul trips instead of three. The announcement makes no mention whatsoever of whether this settles the actual dispute over costs. And the classics that are so dear to the hearts of many riders and fans – the Red Bull Romaniacs and the Erzbergrodeo – are still missing from the World Championship calendar.

Marketing over sport

The way the series promotes its races speaks volumes: not through the character of the routes or their sporting significance, but through social media metrics. 33.6 million views during the Hixpania race week, 325,000 engagements at Forza Orza, and the UK as the series’ ‘second-largest Instagram audience’. Reach as currency – whether the championship becomes more predictable, fairer and, for privateers and amateurs – who, from an event perspective, contribute significantly to its economic success – even affordable at all, is of no interest in this narrative.

Championship Director Ross Whitehead comes across as emphatically self-critical: “We admit our mistakes every year and do our best to rectify them to the extent that, in the end, everyone is satisfied.” A revealing statement. Anyone who admits to mistakes every year and then makes the same mistakes again has not, in fact, rectified them – they have simply come to terms with them.

Conclusion: The 2027 calendar is more comprehensive, not better. Two tried-and-tested venues cannot hide the fact that the series fails to answer any of the fundamental questions that brought it to the brink of a riders’ and teams’ revolt in 2026. Instead of relief, there is expansion; instead of commitment, there is marketing – and right in the middle of it all, a round that the FIM doesn’t even name in its own press release.

2027 Hard Enduro World Championship calendar: