Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Manuel Lettenbichler has claimed his second podium finish of the 2024 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship, finishing third overall at round four in Cluj, Romania. In front of a packed stadium of fans, Mani steered his KTM 300 EXC to runner-up in Superpole, and 3-5-3 race results, to move himself up to third in the championship standings.
The track at the BT Arena in Cluj was technical and physically demanding, and left no room for error. But Mani immediately gelled well with the tight course, placing second in SuperPole, narrowly missing out on the top spot by less than one second. Transferring his impressive pace into race one, Mani initially emerged in seventh place from the gate. However, the KTM 300 EXC rider swiftly found his rhythm, making his way through the field to ultimately claim an impressive third-place finish.
Starting from the second row in the reverse-grid race two, and despite getting caught up in a series of crashes off the frenzied start that left him in last place, Lettenbichler quickly showcased his skill to push through the pack. Though the tricky log sections caught many riders out, Mani put his head down and focused to deliver a near mistake-free ride and bring home his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing machine in fifth place.
Happy with his riding and hungry to end the event on a high, Mani wasted no time in getting to the sharp end of the pack when the gate dropped for race three. Moving into second early on, the young German hung on to a top-three position for the duration of the race, taking third at the checkered flag, for third in the overall event classification.
Manuel Lettenbichler: “I’m definitely making improvements and finding more pace at every round. The top two guys are still a little way ahead in terms of speed, but I’m happy with how I rode today. I’m really trying to get that gap down though and in fact, on the first race, I was able to hang on for quite a lot of the moto. The races are just so intense, so physically demanding, but I’m learning and hopefully I can carry the speed and what I’ve learned here in Romania on to Budapest.”
The seven-round 2024 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship continues with round five in Budapest, Hungary on February 3.
Results – 2024 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship – Round 4, Romania
Prestige Overall
1. Billy Bolt (GBR), Husqvarna, 57 points
2. Jonny Walker (GBR), Beta, 54 pts
3. Manuel Lettenbichler (GER), KTM, 43 pts
4. Dominik Olszowy (POL), Rieju, 37 pts
5. Eddie Karlsson (SWE), Husqvarna, 31 pts
Prestige Race 1
1. Jonny Walker (GBR), Beta, 11 laps, 7:07.645
2. Billy Bolt (GBR), Husqvarna, 11 laps, 7:21.009
3. Manuel Lettenbichler (GER), KTM, 11 laps, 7:23.827
4. Will Hoare (GBR), Rieju, 11 laps, 7:32.146
5. Dominik Olszowy (POL), Rieju, 11 laps, 7:35.262
Prestige Race 2
1. Billy Bolt (GBR), Husqvarna, 11 laps, 7:07.496
2. Jonny Walker (GBR), Beta, 11 laps, 7:10.431
3. Dominik Olszowy (POL), Rieju, 11 laps, 7:31.001
4. Mitchell Brightmore (GBR), GasGas, 11 laps, 7:48.825
5. Manuel Lettenbichler (GER), KTM, 10 laps, 7:14.947
Prestige Race 3
1. Billy Bolt (GBR), Husqvarna, 11 laps, 6:45.093
2. Jonny Walker (GBR), Beta, 11 laps, 7:06.612
3. Manuel Lettenbichler (GER), KTM, 11 laps, 7:13.515
4. Eddie Karlsson (SWE), Husqvarna, 11 laps, 7:31.751
5. Dominik Olszowy (POL), Rieju, 10 laps, 6:46.767
Championship Standings (After Round 4)
1. Billy Bolt (GBR), Husqvarna, 239 points
2. Jonny Walker (GBR), Beta, 220 pts
3. Manuel Lettenbichler (GER), KTM, 153 pts
4. Will Hoare (GBR), Rieju, 146 pts
5. Dominik Olszowy (POL), Rieju, 132 pts