Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Manuel Lettenbichler has placed fourth overall at the second round of the 2024 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship. Delivering a strong performance on the Polish dirt inside the Tauron Arena in Krakow, including a third-place finish in the final race, Mani now lies fourth overall in the series standings.
Lettenbichler made a strong start to his night, completing his one-lap Superpole in fifth place and ensuring an early gate pick for the Prestige finals. A great start in race one saw Mani move up into fourth place on the first lap where he immediately started challenging for the top three. Despite delivering a solid performance over the 10-laps, without any major mistakes, Mani wasn’t quite able to clinch a podium position and had to settle for fourth place at the checkered flag.
Starting from the second row in the reverse-grid race two, Lettenbichler quickly showcased his skill on his KTM 350 EXC-F. Following a powerful launch off the gate, he then fought his way into the top 10 by the end of the first lap. Demonstrating outstanding focus on the tight and technical track, Mani steadily worked his way through the field, fighting his way up to sixth with one lap to go. Finally, in sight of the finish, Lettenbichler executed a skillful pass on early leader Mitch Brightmore to secure a commendable fifth-place result.
Making his best start of the night, Mani was in fourth place going into the first turn in race three. What followed was a race-long fight for the podium with Dominik Olszowy. Mani kept the pressure on, and with one lap to go, a mistake by the Polish rider in the rocks enabled Lettenbichler to move into third and secure his best race result of the season so far.
With his 4-5-3 result, Mani placed fourth for the night and now moves up to fourth in the overall Prestige class standings.
Manuel Lettenbichler: “I’ve got mixed feelings about today to be honest, I was hoping for a little more. I did a lot of testing during the week to try and find a better rhythm on the bike and came here to Poland aiming for a podium. My speed has definitely improved but I’m a little way off the pace of the top two guys. I’m still riding a bit stiff, and so it’s not easy to find a good flow, especially on such a tight track. Overall though, it was an awesome event. It’s so sick to ride in front of so many fans – the atmosphere in the arena was incredible. We have a little break now, then back at it at home in Germany for round three.”
The 2024 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship continues with round three from Riesa, Germany on January 6.
Results – 2024 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship – Round 2, Poland
Prestige Overall
1. Billy Bolt (GBR), Husqvarna, 60 points
2. Jonny Walker (GBR), Beta, 56 pts
3. Will Hoare (GBR) Beta, 43 pts
4. Manuel Lettenbichler (GER), KTM, 39 pts
5. Dominik Olszowy (POL), Rieju, 32 pts
Prestige Race 1
1. Billy Bolt (GBR), Husqvarna, 10 laps, 7:23.624
2. Jonny Walker (GBR), Beta, 10 laps, 7:32.481
3. Will Hoare (GBR), Beta, 10 laps, 8:01.946
4. Manuel Lettenbichler (GER), KTM, 10 laps, 8:03.021
5. Dominik Olszowy (POL), Rieju, 10 laps, 8:07.908
Prestige Race 2
1. Jonny Walker (GBR), Beta, 10 laps, 7:32.380
2. Billy Bolt (GBR), Husqvarna, 10 laps, 7:33.184
3. Will Hoare (GBR), Beta, 10 laps, 7:54.681
4. Dominik Olszowy (POL), Rieju, 10 laps, 8:01.319
5. Manuel Lettenbichler (GER), KTM, 10 laps, 8:11.503
Prestige Race 3
1. Billy Bolt (GBR), Husqvarna, 10 laps, 7:12.059
2. Jonny Walker (GBR), Beta, 10 laps, 7:26.177
3. Manuel Lettenbichler (GBR), KTM, 10 laps, 7:42.173
4. Will Hoare (GBR), Beta, 10 laps, 7:55.605
5. Alfredo Gomez (ESP), Rieju, 9 laps, 7:20.024
Championship Standings (After Round 2)
1. Billy Bolt (GBR), Husqvarna, 123 points
2. Jonny Walker (GBR), Beta, 109 pts
3. Will Hoare (GBR), Beta, 82 pts
4. Manuel Lettenbichler (GER), KTM, 71 pts
5. Dominik Olszowy (POL), Rieju, 67 pts