Watch: Wild Racing at 2022 SuperEnduro Opener in Poland
Mitch Kendra

Features

Watch: Wild Racing at 2022 SuperEnduro Opener in Poland

The 2022 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship kicked off over the weekend with the GP Poland. The track looked absolutely brutal and provided for some interesting racing. Husqvarna’s Billy Bolt ended up coming away with the overall win with 1-1-1 race finishes, but the entire night of racing was wild. Check out the full highlights and results from the opening round below.

FIM SUPERENDURO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Round 1 (of 5) — GP Poland — Lodz, Poland

Prestige Class

Heat 1

Prestige Class Heat 1
Prestige Class Heat 1

Heat 2

Prestige Class Heat 2
Prestige Class Heat 2

Heat 3

Prestige Class Heat 3
Prestige Class Heat 3

Prestige Class Standings

Prestige Class Standings
Prestige Class Standings

Here is the full press release on the FIM SuperEnduro World Championship website:

PRESTIGE: BOLT TURNS THE SCREW

Billy BOLT made it clear from the get-go that he was ready to start where he left off. The factory Husqvarna rider and reigning SuperEnduro champion looked very comfortable on the short but technical Polish track. After setting the best time in the practice sessions, he proceeded to log an impressive time in the Akrapovic SuperPole (55.133), BOLT was emphatically back. In this important qualifying it was BOLT’s teammate Colton HAAKER next up and Germany’s Manuel LETTENBICHLER 3rd. Home hero Taddy BLAZUSIAK (POL-GasGas) and Cody WEBB (USA-SHERCO) got off on the wrong foot after they both fell in SuperPole, forcing them to start at the back of the grid in the Prestige class.

At the start of the 1st race, things didn’t improve for WEBB and BLAZUSIAK, the two men separately found themselves on the ground in the 1st turn, they had to push extremely hard to stand a chance of a comeback as the pace hotted up. WEBB, plagued with brake issues, was in big trouble and was not able to demonstrate his potential. He fell several times over the course of the race and finished 10th. Meanwhile, BLAZUSIAK, carried by a crowd totally committed to his cause, managed to fight back to a strong 3rd position. Despite his bad start, the Polish rider put together a string of very quick laps and overtook his opponents on all the most technical parts of the track. This top three finish was certainly the result of Taddy not willing to give up. Out front it was a different story for Billy BOLT as he controlled the race pace to perfection. For a while he was followed by his teammate HAAKER, but as soon as the American went down in a sandy corner, the Brit was away. Feeling the effects of jet lag, HAAKER couldn’t fight off a tenacious Taddy in the closing laps. Jonny WALKER (GBR-Beta) had a good opening race with his new Beta machine, taking his first top 5 of the season and keeping himself in the game. The 2016 Junior champion, Manuel LETTENBICHLER finished a decent second to Billy BOLT by showing calmness and consistency; which could be great qualities to have this year! The podium of the first race, therefore, was as follows: BOLT, LETTENBICHLER, and the hero of the crowd: BLAZUSIAK.

As is tradition in SuperEnduro, the second race of the night saw a reverse grid start. This offered a great opportunity to Magnus THOR (SWE-Husqvarna) to take the holeshot and run with it. The European Champion did a good job but was not able to hold off Colton HAAKER for long, as the Husqvarna rider made an excellent start to the second race. HAAKER seemed to have everything under control as he rode smoothly, but that's without taking into account the thunderous comeback of Billy BOLT. Incredibly, the Brit caught Colton, but just as he was on his tail he dropped it, he was quickly back in the saddle and made up the lost ground. The two teammates then engaged in the most spectacular battle of the night. BOLT made an amazing pass on HAAKER before making another mistake and suffering another crash. Billy once again made up all the time he lost, closing Colton in the last 3 corners of the Polish track and executing an amazing pass just before the closing section of the lap. This second victory of the night for BOLT not only demonstrated his pace and skill, but also his sheer determination. It was another tough race for Taddy BLAZUSIAK, who made another brave comeback after falling heavily at the start. He had to be content with 7th place. Cody WEBB, still struggling with brake problems, took his first top 5 of the year. Behind BOLT and HAAKER, a quietly quick Jonny WALKER rounded off the race 2 top 3. The Brit is making his mark with his brand new two-stroke, and this podium is sure to have given him a confidence boost.

The last race in Poland was practically a formality for Billy BOLT who began by taking his second “Airoh Holeshot” of the night. He won the final by more than 26 seconds ahead of a once again impressive LETTENBICHLER. This victory, taken with relative ease, was the icing on the cake for the Brit after not feeling his best in recent days. BOLT is already laying a very solid and serious foundation this season, and showing his rivals what he’s capable of. But SuperEnduro is always unpredictable and there are many talented and quick riders filling the ranks this year. After his excellent start and consistency, LETTENBICHLER has to be counted as a contender. And plenty more, such as Jonny WALKER, Colton HAAKER, and Taddy BLAZUSIAK have lost none of their fight or desire. We also hope to see Cody WEBB back at 100% next time out. This new season in the Prestige class will be a fascinating one for sure.

We should also take note of the solid results by Will HOARE (GBR-GasGas) who finished 6th overall on this opening night. The youngster showed great control and fought hard against regulars in the Prestige category such as Diogo VIEIRA (POR-GasGas) and Pol TARRES (ESP-Yamaha).


Main image courtesy of Husqvarna Images/Future7Media