Red Bull KTM Factory Racing‘s Manuel Lettenbichler is all set to take on the 2021 edition of Extreme XL Lagares. The three-day Portuguese event will be running from May 7 to 9. This marks the opening round of the inaugural FIM Hard Enduro World Championship.
Evolving from the WESS Championship, the new-for-2021 series focuses on hard enduro events in Europe and North America. Challenging riders with notoriously extreme races throughout the calendar, the FIM HEWC will feature a number of different event formats including some of the most well-known enduros on the planet.
A three-day event, round one of the FIM HEWC will take Mani to Extreme XL Lagares, held in Portugal this coming weekend. Featuring a revised format for 2021, due in part to the needed spectator restrictions, the event will undoubtedly continue to challenge riders with its mix of extreme terrain, including the infamously slippery riverbeds that will once again make things incredibly tough for all.
Manuel Lettenbichler
“I know things will be a little different at first as there won’t be many spectators, certainly at the first events, but even getting back into race mode and seeing all the other guys again is going to be good. Hopefully, as the year goes on, we’ll have some fans back to cheer us on. Testing has been going well and I’m really happy with the bike.
We’ve been doing some fine tuning on the suspension and I’m super happy with my extreme set-up on the KTM 300 EXC TPI. Hopefully, if everything goes well, I can have a good result in Portugal and then carry that on to the other events. The goal as always is to win the championship, that part never changes.”
Check out: Honda to Launch NX200 Adventure Bike?