Enduro
WESS is roaring back into life for 2020 with an updated four-round championship that’s set to test the best riders in the world.
2020 sees the WESS Enduro World Championship revving up to return for its third season. Last year’s event provided exactly what we hoped – intensity, heroics and cross-country speed to provide an event like no other, with thousands of pro and amateur competitors testing themselves on the toughest tracks in the world.
Using his smart technical riding style, Red Bull athlete Manuel Lettenbichler was crowned the ultimate enduro world champion after delivering an incredible performance to come out on top at the GetzonRodeo WESS finale. Indeed, an almost mistake-free run was a fitting end for one of the series’ favourites, and saw Lettenbichler beat out Spaniard Alfredo Gómez in second place with the UK’s Jonny Walker in third.
While the opening rounds of 2020 may have been cancelled, Lettenbichler was able to demonstrate his skill once again at the beginning of the year, claiming third place in the brutal King of the Motos event in the California desert. With the WESS Enduro World Championship returning in July, Lettenbichler proves once again that he’s one of the riders to watch.
Talking after clinching the championship at last year’s final event, he explained, “It was such a long, tough race and it’s been such a long season. To finish the year with a first place in front of my home fans is amazing, but to win the championship as well is unbelievable. I’m on top of the world right now.”
We wouldn’t bet against him repeating the feat in 2020.
Riders to watch in 2020
It’s no doubt that Lettenbichler is one of the favourites for the 2020 Championship, but the competition will be fierce. Billy Bolt, who was crowned champion in 2018 but suffered an injury that potentially hampered his performance in 2019, is back to full fitness and looking to reclaim his title. His form, too, is ominous, having been declared 2020 FIM World Champion after the SuperEnduro series was unable to find an alternative date for the final round.
South Africa's Wade Young didn't compete in the full WESS series in 2019. However he did start the year strong with a runner up finish at the Extreme XL Lagares in Portugal. Unfortunately he spent some time on the sidelines during the middle of the season after having to withdraw from Red Bull Romaniacs due to a crash. He came back strong during the latter part however, winning the American Hard Enduro Series (AHES) series as well as stringing together a host of big results around the globe, including second place at Sea to Sky, winning the Uncle Hard Enduro in South Borneo, Indonesia in late November and claiming the one-day Wildwood Rock Extreme earlier the same month. He also chalked up yet another Roof of Africa title - his fifth (and his third in a row). With that victory, Young cemented second place in the all-time Roof of Africa hall of fame ahead of Graham Jarvis (four victories) but getting closer to the legendary Alfie Cox, who has nine..
Nathan Watson is another rider to look out for, whose background lies more in Classic Enduro and Beach Racing (he was crowned 2020 French Beach Race Champion at Enduropale du Touquet). Watson jumped in at the deep end of Hard Enduro, picking up point-scoring rides at the majority of races, and performing superbly at WESS 2019, picking up a number of wins including the Sprint Enduro qualifier and bossing round six, coming out on top on home soil at the Hawkstone Park Cross-Country. With such rich pedigree, Watson will surely be hoping to better last year's seventh place finish.
Of those who claimed the other fist place finishes during last year, Gómez, who clinched second place having ridden his way back to fitness following a serious knee injury in 2018, looks to be a real challenger for the championship. Team-mate of Bolt, the Spaniard will be full of confidence that he can go one better at this year’s event.
Finally, Walker, who returned to competitive action at last year’s event to claim third place having crashed out of the championship lead at Red Bull 111 Megawattin 2018, will be looking to make his mark on WESS 2020. His talent has been evident since his first full Enduro season saw him reach the top of the podium. 2020 is another chance for Walker to prove he’s the ultimate comeback kid.
Are there any wildcard title contenders?
Veteran rider and highly successful privateer Paul Bolton is a long-time crowd favourite, and is sure to be in the mix at the more technical and challenging rounds. As with friend and rival Graham Jarvis – another veteran to keep an eye on – Bolton will only be competing in select rounds, however.
Sherco’s Cody Webb could also be in the mix, having dominated the Tennessee Knockout for six of the past nine years. Although the event has been postponed from the WESS calendar until 2021, you can expect to see the intelligent rider fighting for top honours at other events. Bolton and Jarvis aren’t the only friends competing against each other, and Webb will also be going up against Colton Haaker, two-time SuperEnduro champ and a man who’s previously described himself as the best rider around.
Who are the young riders to watch out for?
Jamie McCanney is an enduro specialist from the Isle of Man, winning a world championship at junior level before coming second for two years running in the FIM Enduro 2 World Championship. Last year saw McCanney switch to the Dakar Rally, and now he’s taking on the world of WESS with a surprising amount of experience for a man in his mid twenties.
Which events are on the 2020 WESS calendar?
2020 has already been a tough year for motorsports, and although the WESS season was initially spread over nine rounds throughout the year, the opening rounds have been cancelled. Riders are now looking at a season comprising four rounds, with the action kicking off in Romania in July. There are some truly iconic venues on the calendar, sure to create that perfect blend of racing Enduro fans crave.
Round 1: Red Bull Romaniacs
- Where is it: Sibiu, Romania
- When is it: July 21-25
- What discipline: Hard Enduro Rallye
- How long is it: Five days
- How many people compete: TBC
- Characteristics: An urban prologue followed by four demanding days in the mountains
- Biggest challenge: Not getting lost!
- Rider with the most wins: Six – Graham Jarvis
- Who’s going to do well: Those who can confidently navigate virgin trails by GPS
- Who’s going to struggle: Everyone! It’s a beast of a race
In contrast to some of the other circuits here, Red Bull Romaniacs throws competitors out into the wild, isolated wilderness of Romania’s Carpathian Mountains. Held over five days, riders are teased into action with the iconic Sibiu prologue before covering up to 160km of virgin trails by GPS navigation during each of the four offroad days. In 2019, Lettenbichler took the win, ten years after his father won the very same race.
Round 2: Hawkstone Park Cross-Country
- Where is it: Shropshire, UK
- When is it: September 26-27
- What discipline: Cross-country
- How long is it: Two hours and 30 minutes
- How many people compete: 400
- Characteristics: A mass-start, multi-lap cross-country
- Biggest challenge: Hawkstone Park’s unforgiving deep sandy terrain
- Rider with the most wins: One – Josep García
- Who’s going to do well: Those willing to take risks
- Who’s going to struggle: Maintaining a fast, consistent pace is key, so anyone who has trouble with that
From Romania to the United Kingdom, the Hawkstone Park Cross-Country at the famous Shropshire circuit offers traditional enduro riders an opportunity to flaunt their speed. After qualification on Saturday, riders will take to the start line on Sunday for a rough and physical two-hour 30-minute cross-country battle across unrelenting sandy bumps, tight and technical woodland, combined with the fast and flowing motocross circuit.
Round 3: Toyota Porto Extreme XL Lagares
- Where is it: Lagares, Portugal
- When is it: October, TBC
- What discipline: Hard Enduro
- How long is it: Three days
- How many people compete: 350
- Characteristics: A fearsome test of Superenduro, urban street racing and then slippery wet rocky river beds
- Biggest challenge: Battling the world-heritage cobbled streets of Porto
- Rider with the most wins: Three – Alfredo Gómez and Graham Jarvis
- Who’s going to do well: Long-legged riders with good, technical trials skills
- Who’s going to struggle: Those with short legs!
Now 16 years old, Portugal’s Toyota Porto Extreme XL Lagares’s three-day format throws riders straight in the deep end with SuperEnduro, urban and Hard Enduro action. A definite spectacle of the weekend and not to be missed is Saturday’s prologue in the heart of world heritage city Porto. Here, the narrow cobbled streets are transformed into a world-class enduro race track.
Round 4: Hixpania Hard Enduro
- Where is it: Aguilar de Campoo, Spain
- When is it: October 9-11
- What discipline: Hard Enduro
- How long is it: Three days
- How many people compete: 300
- Characteristics: A mixture of urban, cross-country and Hard Enduro (that starts in a cave) across three days
- Biggest challenge: Scaling the vertical quarry bank to reach the finish line.
- Rider with the most wins: One each for Graham Jarvis, Alfredo Gómez and Mario Roman
- Who’s going to do well: Those with a fast-paced technical skill set
- Who’s going to struggle: Fitness will be key to holding pace and position
Now entering its fifth edition, the event has become the country’s must-do Hard Enduro race. Held over three days, it too embodies the spirit of WESS with its multi-discipline urban, cross-country and Hard Enduro elements. Already a favourite with some of the sport’s top competitors, its inclusion in WESS for 2020 ensures the stakes will be raised this time around.
Bonus event: Kenda AMA Tennessee Knockout Extreme Enduro
- Where is it: Tennessee, USA
- When is it: August 15-16
- What discipline: Hard Enduro
- How long is it: Three days
- How many people compete: TBC
- Characteristics: A Friday amateur prologue kicks off the action to determine starting positions, followed by two rounds of amateur racing on Saturday and a four round Sunday competition.
- Biggest challenge: Staying upright over incredibly rocky and slippery terrain.
- Rider with the most wins: Six - Cody Webb
- Who’s going to do well: Riders with the best all-round skill sets
- Who’s going to struggle: Those who specialise in particular areas
Initially scheduled as the third round of the WESS Enduro World Championship, the Kenda AMA Tennessee Knockout Extreme Enduro was removed from the calendar for 2020 earlier this year. It'll be back on the tour for 2021, but in the meantime the race itself will still go ahead, just on a smaller, more local scale. A multi-knockout format sees riders go head-to-head around the challenging woodland terrain, and only those with the best combined trials, enduro and motocross skills will come out on top.
