We’ve all heard one or two stories related to motorcycles or motorcyclists that are at least strange and worrying, but this one about Taddy Blazusiak took on proportions that could be (even more) serious and even resulted in a fatality.

Three days ago the Pole, a true legend of world off-road competitions, reported an attack by someone who intentionally set a real trap to intentionally hurt someone, and in this particular case Blazusiak was even very close to having his throat cut. And no, we are not exaggerating, as the rider himself made a point of explaining on social media:

‘I’m posting this to let the entire Off-road community know that there are people out there that are instable enough to intentionally hurt others just because they hate Motorcycles. So here’s what happened to me, riding a trail on the way to my riding spot on Monday 11 of november I caught a wire that someone intentionally hung across the trail’ the rider wrote.

The trap could have even had another outcome, as the polish explained: ‘Thankfully somehow I caught it in an angle coming out of a corner so I took it on my right shoulder and between my helmet chin piece and goggles , if that wire would slip down from the chin piece on to my neck most probably I wouldn’t be writing this post’.

And he concluded: ‘All good here I got stitched up by a plastic surgen so hoping my face muscles and the scar are going to be OK.
I just cant stop thinking of, what if I would caught it straight on my neck… I cannot understand how someone could do something like this to another person’.

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O conteúdo Taddy Blazusiak had a close encounter to death after deliberate attack, with a trap, could have had much worse consequences (strong images) aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

The final round of the 2024 Hard Enduro World Championship culminated in an impressive victory for Billy Bolt and Manuel Lettenbichler’s fourth world title, in a race marked by challenging weather conditions in Aguilar de Campoo, Spain.

Bolt returns in style

In his second event after recovering from injury, Billy Bolt dominated the main event “El Camino Perdido” with an extraordinary performance. Although the rain made the course particularly treacherous, the Husqvarna rider proved to be back in top form, setting an overwhelming pace from the first laps of the sprint circuit.

With a multi-lap format that favors his riding style, Bolt managed to build up a significant lead by his fifth lap. In the final section of the quarry, he crossed the finish line with a comfortable seven-minute margin over Mario Roman, who finished in second place.

Lettenbichler: A title won at a cost

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Manuel Lettenbichler came into the final race of the championship with a 17-point lead and only needed to manage his position to secure the title. After a fourth place in qualifying, the 26-year-old German tackled the main event with determination, quickly rising to second position.

However, a crash in the middle of the race resulted in an ankle injury, forcing him to give up a position. Despite his injury, Lettenbichler showed his resilience by holding on to third place until the end of the two-and-a-half-hour race, thus securing his sixth podium of the season and, more importantly, the world title.

A dominant season

The 2024 season was a remarkable one for Lettenbichler, who started the year with victories in the Valleys Hard Enduro and the Red Bull Erzbergrodeo. After being forced to miss the Xross Hard Enduro Rally in Serbia due to a knee injury, the KTM rider made an impressive recovery, winning rounds four, five and six of the championship.

The podium in Hixpania, despite his injury, was the crowning glory of a season that demonstrated not only Lettenbichler’s exceptional talent, but also his determination and ability to overcome adversity, characteristics that have made him a worthy four-time Hard Enduro world champion.

O conteúdo Manuel Lettenbichler becomes four-time Hard Enduro World Champion; Billy Bolt wins Hixpania Hard Enduro aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Stark Future Racing is set to take on a significant challenge in the SuperEnduro World Championship: competing against combustion motorcycles with their fully electric Stark VARG. The team features elite riders Eddie Karlsson and Taddy Blazusiak.

The first round of the championship is scheduled for December 14th in Gliwice, Poland, with subsequent rounds taking place in Germany, Hungary, the UK, and France until March next year.

Blazusiak and Karlsson will compete in the Prestige category, the top tier of the competition. The challenge is substantial, as the Stark VARG will have to contend with limited power and extra weight compared to combustion bikes.

Anton Wass, CEO and founder of Stark Future, commented: ‘For the first time in history, electric bikes are lining up at the same gate and competing against combustion vehicles at a world championship level. We are very excited to start this journey in SuperEnduro racing. […]. Racing with extra weight and limited power will restrict our capabilities, but we will push ourselves to perform at the highest level possible within the limitations we’ve been given’.

O conteúdo Stark enters racing and takes on combustion bikes with the fully electric VARG aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

The International Six Days of Enduro (ISDE) came to an end on Saturday in Santiago de Compostela, with a home victory for Josep García. France was the strongest team overall.

Individually, García (Team Spain/KTM) dominated throughout the week, only missing out on wins on Day 2, when Steve Holcombe (Team Great Britain/Honda) prevailed, and on Day 6, when Brandy Richards (Team USA/KTM) was the fastest.

In the final standings, the Spaniard beat Holcombe by 2m17.44s to also win Enduro 1, with Theophile Espinasse (Team France/Beta) completing the podium 5m21.75s behind the winner. Holcombe was the strongest in the Enduro 2 class, while Kevin Cristino (Team Italy/Fantic) claimed victory in Enduro 3, finishing fifth overall.

García also secured the individual World Trophy ahead of Holcombe and Espinasse, while Max Ahlin (Team Sweden/KTM) won the Junior World Trophy by 1.31s over Cristino. Albin Norrbin (Team Sweden/Fantic) completed the category podium. Brandy Richards (Team USA/KTM) was the top winner in the Women’s World Trophy, beating Rachael Archer (Team New Zealand/Kawasaki) by 2m51.12s. Jessica Gardner (Team Australia/Yamaha) took third place.

In the team competition, France took home the World Trophy. Espinasse, Hugo Blanjoue, Julien Roussaly, and Leo Le Quere beat the United States by 5m38.08s. Spain finished third, with García, Jaume Betriu, Julio Pando, and Sergio Huertas. In the Junior World Trophy, Sweden (Norrbin, Axel Semb, and Ahlin) claimed victory, beating France by 5m50.81s, with the USA completing the podium. In the Women’s World Trophy, Team USA (Richards, Ana Silvestri, and Rachel Gutish) won, finishing 6m21.18s ahead of Australia, with Sweden completing the podium.

O conteúdo Home Gglory: Josep García triumphed at ISDE; France strongest in teams’ trophy aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

In the sixth round of the FIM World Extreme Enduro Championship (HEWC), Manuel Lettenbichler of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing emerged victorious in the Sea To Sky event held in Turkey. The reigning champion overcame his rivals in the final stages of the Mountain Race, securing first place ahead of Graham Jarvis (Husqvarna) and Mario Roman of Sherco Factory Racing, who finished second and third respectively.

The final stage of the competition, known as the Mountain Race, presented riders with a challenging 65-kilometer course. The route began on the Mediterranean coast and culminated at the summit of Mount Olympus, at an altitude of approximately 2,365 meters above sea level.

Despite a wrist injury sustained during qualifications, Lettenbichler demonstrated determination by lining up for the race. The German rider managed an excellent start, leading the pack in the initial sections of the course.

As the race progressed, Mario Roman emerged as Lettenbichler’s main challenger. However, an incident that damaged his bike’s exhaust allowed the German rider to pull away. In the final stages, Graham Jarvis staged a remarkable recovery, overtaking several competitors to secure second place.

With this victory, Lettenbichler consolidates his position in the championship, having already claimed five wins this season. The next and final stage of the FIM HEWC is scheduled for Spain, where the 24MX Hixpania Hard Enduro will take place from October 25th to 27th.

O conteúdo Manuel Lettenbichler wins sixth round of FIM World Extreme Enduro Championship in Turkey aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

On the penultimate day of competition in the 2024 EnduroGP World Championship, Josep García became EnduroGP world champion for the first time in his career. The Spanish rider secured the title in France, on a day that saw three more world titles awarded.

García’s dominance

After Friday night’s AKRAPOVIC Super Test, where CH Racing Sherco’s Zach Pichon led in front of his home crowd, the riders started the first full round of the final round of the Paulo Duarte 2024 FIM EnduroGP World Championship in France on Saturday morning.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s García dominated from the start, winning the ACERBIS Cross Test with a significant lead. However, Steve Holcombe of the Honda Racing RedMoto Enduro Team responded by going fastest in the first MAXXIS Enduro Test of the morning.

García regained the lead in the POLISPORT Extreme Test, finishing the first lap with a slight advantage over Holcombe. Andrea Verona, from GASGAS Factory Racing, followed in third, already a little behind.

On the second lap, Garcí extended his lead, winning every race. Zach Pichon impressed in the MAXXIS Enduro Test, recording the second best time.

The final lap was marked by fierce battles. Garcí narrowly won the ACERBIS Cross Test, while Verona took his only victory of the day in the final POLISPORT Extreme Test.

Garcí ended the day as overall winner and 2024 EnduroGP World Champion, having won all but two of the races. Holcombe and Verona completed the podium.

Beta Factory Racing’s Brad Freeman took fourth place, while Zach Pichon, buoyed by the support of the local crowd, equaled his best result of the year, finishing fifth.

Women’s Enduro

At the penultimate round of the 2024 season, Spanish rider Mireia Badia, from the RIEJU Factory Racing team, won the 2024 FIM Women’s Enduro World Champion title. Despite finishing second in Saturday’s race, this result was enough to secure her first world title.

The competition in the women’s category was intense, with American Rachel Gutish, from Team KBS Sherco, winning the first day in France. Rosie Rowett, also from RIEJU Factory Racing, completed the podium in third place, after losing precious time in the final MAXXIS Enduro Test.

Enduro 1

Josep Garcia, as well as securing overall victory in EnduroGP, also triumphed in the Enduro1 class. This victory allowed him to increase his lead in the overall standings to nine points.

Britain’s Steve Holcombe finished second on the first day, keeping his hopes of winning the Enduro1 world title alive. The final decision was postponed until Sunday, the last day of competition.

Zach Pichon completed the podium, finishing in third place and showing a good performance on French soil.

Enduro 2

Andrea Verona once again dominated the Enduro2 category, taking his twelfth victory of 2024. The Italian had already secured the title at the sixth round of the championship.

Honda Racing RedMoto Enduro Team’s Samuele Bernardini secured second place, while CH Racing Sherco’s Wil Ruprecht completed the podium in third.

Beta Factory Racing’s Nathan Watson was well placed for a podium place, but a crash in the final race forced the Briton to abandon the competition.

Enduro 3

Brad Freeman had a memorable day, winning his tenth world title in ten years and becoming the 2024 FIM Enduro3 World Champion. The Briton won by an impressive margin of 36 seconds over the runner-up.

Hamish Macdonald, from CH Racing Sherco, finished second, while Antoine Magain, also from Sherco, completed the podium in third, ensuring a remarkable result.

Enduro Junior

In the FIM GALFER Junior Enduro World Championship, Team KTM Pro Racing Sport’s Max Ahlin was crowned world champion for the first time on Saturday. Despite finishing second overall on the first full day of racing in France, the young Swede’s performance throughout the year was enough to secure the world title after an impressive season.

The day’s victory went to Sherco Academy France’s Thibault Giraudon, who managed a series of consistent top-two finishes in the races, much to the delight of the French public. Giraudon managed to keep Ahlin at bay, with less than three seconds separating the two at the end of the day.

Team Beta Oxmoto’s Leo Joyon completed the Enduro Junior podium in third place on home soil.

Enduro Youth

With the Enduro Youth world title already awarded to Manuel Verzeroli (KTM) at round six, the competition at the GP ACERBIS de France focused on winning the race.

Fantic Racing Junior Team’s Pietro Scardina stood out by winning an impressive seven races on the first day, topping the timesheets and taking his first overall victory of the season in the Enduro Youth category.

Frenchman Gabin Allemand (KTM) took second place on the podium, finishing one minute and 20 seconds behind Scardina. Alex Puey (Beta) completed the top three, securing third place in the standings.

O conteúdo Josep García wins EnduroGP World title on day 1 of EnduroGP de France aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

After switching to the GASGAS EC 350F and the Enduro2 category in 2023, where he finished as vice-champion, Andrea Verona dominated the current season. The Italian achieved 11 victories in 12 rounds contested and arrived at the penultimate event with a comfortable 39-point lead in the Enduro2 overall standings.

Despite a minor accident in Friday’s Super Test in Wales, Verona quickly regained his rhythm and won almost all of Saturday’s specials, securing the class victory with a 59-second advantage.

Consistency was the keyword on Sunday. Even with a fall in the cross test of the second lap, the Italian won nine of the ten specials contested and secured the Enduro2 world title with one round to spare.

With the Enduro2 title secured, Verona now focuses on the last round of the EnduroGP World Championship, where he will fight for the title with Josep García. Although he didn’t make it to the podium in Wales, the GASGAS rider currently holds second place in the EnduroGP overall standings and promises to fight until the end in the final round, which takes place in Brioude, France, between September 13 and 15.

In the end, GASGAS Factory Racing’s number 99 didn’t hide his happiness with the title:

– I’m really happy to get the Enduro2 title with one race to spare! It’s been a great season and I’m so happy to have won every single day except one. This was one of our goals for the year and we have pushed hard all season to get here. Thank you to the GASGAS Factory Racing team and everyone who has helped me all year. For sure we will take the fight to Josep Garcia at the final race for the EnduroGP title!

O conteúdo Andrea Verona is E2 world champion and now focuses on the EnduroGP title: ‘We will take the fight to Josep García at the final race!’ aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Manuel Lettenbichler secured the victory in the Red Bull Romaniacs on Saturday, conquering the event for the fifth time. The Romanian race was part of the Hard Enduro World Championship.

On the final day, Teodor Kabakchiev (Sherco) was the fastest, outpacing his teammate Mario Roman by 3m00s. However, Lettenbichler (Red Bull KTM) only needed to finish third on the stage to achieve overall victory. Although the German was 08m08s slower than Kabakchiev on the day, he ended up winning the event with a 33m22s gap over the Bulgarian. Roman completed the podium in third place.

In the Silver category, Kornel Ott (Go Racing Beta Romania Nordicamoto) won on Saturday, finishing 6m30s ahead of Chris Birch (Leatt Say No To Slow/KTM), with Patrick Riegler (Lietz Sport Checkdrive.at/KTM) taking third place.

David Ignat (ProfiMotoShop Factory Garage/KTM) set the fastest time of the day in the Bronze category but couldn’t prevent Kevin Gallas (Freshcells Yamaha) from taking the win. Ignat finished in third place, behind Josh Kirby (K and N Surfacing Ltd./Husqvarna), who was 9m21s behind the winner.

In the Iron category, Dhmhtrhs Margos (Plimira Racing RidingPower Movarikou Mok/KTM) dominated throughout, winning all stages and finishing the Romaniacs with a 14m48s lead over Peter Wuth (WIET Race/Husqvarna). Konstantinos Dimitriou (Leo’s Xtreme/Husqvarna) secured third place, contributing to a double podium for Greece.

In the Atom category, Alexander Petroiu (Alebo Racing/KTM) also won every stage, finishing with a significant 54m03s advantage over Valentin Ganea (ValX Experience Enduro/KTM). Dmitriy Reznitskiy (Fa-Fa Racing/Husqvarna) rounded out the podium in third place.

O conteúdo Manuel Lettenbichler wins the Red Bull Romaniacs for the fifth time aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Mario Roman was the fastest on the penultimate day of the Red Bull Romaniacs, a round of the Hard Enduro World Championship held in Romania. However, Manuel Lettenbichler remains at the top of the overall standings.

On the third day, Roman (Sherco) took 5h19m24s, beating Lettenbichler (Red Bull KTM) by 2m26s, with Wade Young (GasGas) following. Teodor Kabakchiev (Sherco) and Michael Walkner (GasGas) completed the top five.

Lettenbichler hasn’t won since the first day, but he holds a significant lead in the standings, 40m45s ahead of Roman. Kabakchiev, who was the fastest yesterday, is in third place, 41m30s behind, with Young in fourth and Walkner in fifth.

In other categories, Chris Birch (Leatt Say No To Slow/GasGas) won the day in Silver and is second overall, 1m13s behind the leader Kornel Ott (Go Racing Beta Romania Nordicamoto). In Bronze, Eligh Cobb (Rid Xpower/Sherco) set the pace on Friday, but Kevon Gallas (Freshcells Yamaha) leads the category, just 13 seconds ahead of Josh Kirby (K and N Surfacing ltd./Husqvarna).

Dhmhtrhs Margos (Plimira Racing Riding Power Movarikou Mok/KTM) won the day in Iron category and now leads with a 13m40s advantage over Peter Wuth (WIET Race/Husqvarna). In Atom, Alexander Petroiu (Alebo Racing/KTM) maintains a perfect winning record and leads the category by 44m12s ahead of Valentin Ganea (ValX Experience Enduro/KTM).

O conteúdo Manuel Lettenbichler leads Red Bull Romaniacs with one day to go; Mario Roman fastest on the penultimate day aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

The Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship continues and last week there was another round of the competition, at Gelnica, Slovakia. If Andrea Verona was the fastest on the first day, then on the second it was Josep García.

As usual there were a lot of moments of action and intense racing, with the riders facing off each part of the nature at the best possible way, generating superb images and videos.

You can see the highlights of the day 2 at Gelnica in the following video, shared by the championship’s official YouTube channel:

O conteúdo Video: Best moments of the second day of EnduroGP of Slovakia aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.