Manuel Lettenbichler won the inaugural Forza Orza hard enduro round in Orsa, Sweden on August 22, 2026, crashing on the second-to-last lap of a two-hour main race and still crossing the line 3:36 ahead of Mitch Brightmore. It’s Red Bull KTM’s second big Swedish-forest result of the month, and it stretches Lettenbichler’s championship points lead to 15 with the season past its halfway point.

I watched the onboard of that crash about six times in a row instead of doing literally anything on my Sunday to-do list. He goes down, gets the bike upright in what looks like one motion, and just… keeps winning. Some guys ride hard enduro. Mani apparently negotiates with it.

The result: a crash, a recovery, and still a 3:36 win

Forza Orza ran across three days on the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship calendar – a Thursday prologue, a one-hour Friday sprint, and Saturday’s two-hour main race, all in the forests around Orsa. Lettenbichler was only fifth-fastest in the prologue and took second in the sprint, then dominated the main event until a crash on the penultimate lap threatened to hand the round away. He didn’t let it: final time 2:20:41, still 3:36 clear of GasGas’s Mitch Brightmore (2:24:17) and 7:16 up on Brightmore’s brother Ashton (2:27:58) in third.

“Yeah, it was a crazy race, honestly,” Lettenbichler said afterward. “I think I did exactly what I had to do, and it’s great to come away with the win.”

Rider Bike Main race time Gap
Manuel Lettenbichler KTM 2:20:41 —
Mitch Brightmore GasGas 2:24:17 +3:36
Ashton Brightmore GasGas 2:27:58 +7:16
Eddie Karlsson Stark 2:24:09* +10:15
Billy Bolt Husqvarna 2:25:21 +11:59

*Karlsson’s raw time sits ahead of Bolt’s despite the larger overall gap – results reflect any penalties applied on top of raw stage time.

Billy Bolt (Husqvarna) racing at the 2026 Forza Orza hard enduro round in Orsa, Sweden

What this does to the championship

Lettenbichler now leads the 2026 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship on 117 points, with Mitch Brightmore second on 102, Kabakchiev third on 74, Ashton Brightmore fourth on 73, and Bolt fifth on 65. A 15-point cushion with several rounds still to run is comfortable but not settled – hard enduro punishes exactly the kind of late-race mistake Lettenbichler made here, and it just as easily could have cost him the round instead of merely the prologue and sprint wins.

This is also Lettenbichler’s second big Swedish-forest result inside a month – he equalled Graham Jarvis’s record-tying seventh Red Bull Romaniacs win in Sibiu at the start of August, and Jarvis himself led Romaniacs by over fifteen minutes heading into that event’s final day before Lettenbichler took over. Different forest, different country, same rider putting together the kind of season that makes the rest of the championship look like it’s racing for second.

FAQ

Who won the Forza Orza hard enduro round?

Manuel Lettenbichler (Red Bull KTM), with a final main-race time of 2:20:41 on August 22, 2026, despite crashing on the second-to-last lap.

Where is Forza Orza held?

In the forests around Orsa, Sweden, as a round of the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship, run across a Thursday prologue, Friday sprint race, and Saturday’s two-hour main race.

How big is Lettenbichler’s championship lead?

15 points over second-placed Mitch Brightmore (117 to 102), with the season past its halfway point.

Did Lettenbichler crash during the race?

Yes – he crashed on the second-to-last lap of the main race but recovered to win by 3:36 over Mitch Brightmore.