Manuel Lettenbichler is 2019 Enduro World Champion

2019 enduro season concludes

“I’m over the moon, I can’t describe it. To be honest I nearly cried on the podium. It was such a long, tough race today and it’s been such a long season. To finish the year with a first place in front of my home fans would have been amazing, but to win the championship as well is unbelievable. I’m on top of the world right now," – these are the exact words of Manuel Lettenbichler after he was crowned 2019 World Enduro Super Series (WESS) champion at the GetzenRodeo in Germany last weekend.

^{Manuel Lettenbichler}

In what turned out to be a thrilling closure to the WESS Enduro World Championship season, the GetzenRodeo tested all riders with one of the toughest courses seen in this year’s series. Beginning with a two-hour qualifier, which decided the 20 riders who would go through to the afternoon’s final, it ended with a brutal 80 minutes plus a one lap extreme main race. Lettenbichler’s qualifying win cemented his name in the history books as it secured  the WESS title for the KTM ace.

^{Manuel Lettenbichler}

With nothing to lose and his home-crowd behind him, Lettenbichler delivered a winning performance in the main race to stamp his authority as the newly crowned WESS Enduro World Champion. The German racer was only once challenged for the lead by Red Bull KTM Factory Racing star, Taddy Blazusiak, who stormed through the field to finish with a podium third at the event and fourth in the standings. Lettenbichler reached the finish line after completing the grueling final Red Bull X-Loop, visibly exhausted and emotional as celebrations began for his incredible championship-winning season.

^{Johnny Walker}

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jonny Walker finished the event in the sixth position, aboard his KTM 300 EXC TPI, to confirm a third place in the overall championship standings following a 2019 series that tested the riders’ abilities across a number of different enduro disciplines. In the quest to highlight the most complete enduro rider, the 2019 WESS Enduro World Championship included famous races such as the classic Trèfle Lozérien, the world-renowned, ErzbergRodeo Red Bull Hare Scramble, the incredibly tough, Red Bull Romaniacs, as well as the Hawkstone Park Cross-Country race.

^{Taddy Blazusiak}

In addition to the GetzenRodeo, Lettenbichler won the Red Bull Romaniacs event whilst also taking a number of podium finishes during the season. A pivotal moment for the 21-year-old was perhaps his second-place result at Hawkstone Park aboard his KTM 350 EXC-F, despite his ‘enduro expertise’ and preference being in the hard enduro discipline. The complete 2019 WESS resultes can be viewed here.