(ENG) Lettenbichler breaks the 10,000-point barrier as Continent & Nations Ranking goes live

Vienna / Sibiu – 30 September 2026 – Manuel Lettenbichler is pulling clear in the Hard Enduro World Ranking. The Red Bull KTM factory rider is the first to break the 10,000-point mark, now sitting on 10,600 points. The website also now features a Continent & Nations Ranking. And here is why only each rider’s eight best results count — and why, at unregistered events, only the Top 20 score.

Red Bull KTM factory rider Manuel Lettenbichler has stretched his lead with further wins and has now cracked the 10,000-point barrier. After victories at the only two Supreme-category events in the Hard Enduro World Ranking — Red Bull Erzbergrodeo and Red Bull Romaniacs — the Kiefersfelden rider has kept delivering near-flawless results. At Abestone in Italy he swept the lot, winning the prologue, the sprint and the main event. Second place at Roof of Africa then underlined his grip on the top.

Tight fight for second

While Manuel held a 3,260-point lead over young Briton Mitch Brightmore after Abestone, that margin over the runner-up shrank to 2,920 following the Roof. Bulgaria’s Teo Kabakchiev, who had struggled on his Sherco in recent races, used his Roof of Africa win to jump ahead of Brightmore, who finished tenth in Lesotho. Mitch remains within striking distance of Teo — the battle for second is still wide open. Further down the order it is equally tight through to Matt Green in eighth, so the remaining rounds can still shuffle the pack.

How the scoring works: the eight best results count

One rule matters for reading the ranking: a maximum of eight results per rider are counted — across all categories (Supreme, Premier, Masters and Challenger). Only the eight highest-scoring results are kept; everything else drops out. In the current standings you can already see previously counted points from earlier races falling away once they are no longer among a rider’s best eight. Example: Manuel Lettenbichler’s 500 points from the Red Bull Tennessee Knockout have been dropped.

Why not every finishing position scores

In recent weeks riders have repeatedly asked why they received no points at events listed in the Hard Enduro World Ranking. The rule is this: at events that did not register themselves on the platform and were added because of their relevance for the scene’s top riders, only the Top 20 of the main event score — if the organisers have not submitted full results.

New: Continent & Nations Ranking

The Hard Enduro World Ranking website now also shows a Continent & Nations Ranking. The Continent Ranking lists total points and rider numbers per continent. The Nations Ranking lists the combined points of each nation’s riders. Click a nation to open the national ranking.

Minas Riders returns to Brazil — five race days and a grand finale in Mineirão Stadium

Minas Riders ran in 2016 and 2017. Since then hard enduro in Brazil has grown faster than many expected — there are even dedicated moto hotels for riders. After more than a year of preparation, Minas Riders is back.

Racing starts on Tuesday, 29 September, with timed qualifying, followed by four off-road days across Minas Gerais. Around 100 riders are expected in Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron, from Brazil, Mexico, Australia, Hawaii and beyond. They will cross open grassland, rock sections and dense jungle — with Minas Gerais’ slippery red clay adding extra bite.

The Minas Riders crew is largely Brazilian; the driving force behind the comeback is organiser Martin Freinademetz. He has brought some of his Red Bull Romaniacs “secret weapons”: Santiago and Mogli are working the tracks with the Brazilian crew, Andy is building the stadium finale, and Diana is taking the Brazil stories to an international audience.

On 3 October the riders reach a finish like no other on this route: the grand finale inside Estádio Mineirão in Belo Horizonte. Andy Fazekas, creator of the Red Bull Romaniacs prologue, is building a stadium course with more than 20 man-made obstacles. After four days in the Brazilian hinterland, the race ends in a venue famous for football.

Anticipation for the return of Minas Riders is high. Final preparations are underway, the team is ready to welcome the riders — and three CFMOTO IBEX 450 bikes will be awarded as prizes at the grand finale.

Final track inspections are running in Minas Gerais while the obstacles take shape inside Mineirão. In a few days the first riders will see what the team has been building for more than a year.