Making it four overall victories in a row, Billy Bolt has won the fourth round of the 2024 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship in Cluj, Romania.
Brit Jonny Walker was second overall ahead of Manuel Lettenbichler.
Battling through a knee injury sustained at the previous round in Germany, Bolt fought hard to claim two wins from three starts and with it, extend his championship lead to 19 points, Walker was the victor in the other heat.
Although unable to ride his bike since round three due to injury, Bolt wasted no time in settling back into his fast rhythm by topping the afternoon timed practice in Cluj. Proving a much-needed confidence boost, Billy now felt optimistic about the night ahead on what would ultimately be a technical course to master.
Disappointed with placing fourth in the SuperPole hot lap, Billy lined up for race one aiming to put himself back at the sharp end of the results sheet. Knowing the tight and complicated course would prove difficult to navigate under racing conditions, he tried to pace himself during the opening laps. Avoiding trouble where best he could, he ended race one in second position behind Jonny Walker.
Taking to the start line for race two, Billy was determined to get his first victory of the night on the scoreboard. From row two he made short work of the early traffic and quickly slotted into fourth position on lap one. Battling through, he fought his way into second and set his sights on race leader Jonny Walker. With the duo going wheel-to-wheel, Billy put an incredible overtake on Walker as they began the final lap. Holding firm, he rode clear to a well-deserved race win.
With the overall victory in Romania up for grabs heading into the third and final race, Billy was focused on delivering the goods. A strong opening lap saw him slot into fourth position. Capitalising on mistakes from the riders in front of him as they ended lap two, Bolt dived into second position. On the following lap, he disposed of early pace setter Eddie Karlsson to take over the race lead. Despite slippery track conditions, Billy kept his advantage intact during the final four minutes of racing to claim the win and with it, the overall victory at round four.
“It was a night where momentum sort of came to me as the racing progressed,” Bolt explained. “After a tricky start with SuperPole and race one, winning race two built the confidence back up. I felt better about my riding and really went for it in the final race to take the overall. I was disappointed with how SuperPole went. I made a mistake, but I have to accept these things happen sometimes. Overall I’m massively pleased with the outcome here tonight. Despite my injury, we’ve won again and strengthened the championship lead further.”
Jonny Walker admitted it was a difficult night but feels he is making gains.
“The track was tight and technical tonight and after I messed up the Superpole I was determined to try and get good starts and give Billy a fight,” Walker said. “In the first race I was in a good spot and I managed to win, I felt happy with that but I knew I’d be on the ‘wrong’ side of the gate for the reverse grid race and it wasn’t easy. Billy is a machine, and he got the better of me in the end. A difficult night for all of us physically with this layout, but I feel like I’m improving with each round.”
Manuel Lettenbichler was happy to make the final podium spot and also feels he is improving with each round.
“I’m definitely making improvements and finding more pace at every round,” Lettenbichler said. “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.”
Thanks to his fourth consecutive overall victory in the 2024 FIM SuperEnduro World Championshi and now heads to round five in Budapest, Hungary on February 3rd with a 19-point lead.
Results – 2024 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship – Round 4, Romania
Prestige Overall
1 Billy Bolt (Husqvarna) 57pts
2 Jonny Walker (Beta) 54pts
3 Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM) 43pts
4 Dominik Olszowy (Rieju) 37pts
5 Eddie Karlsson (Husqvarna) 31pts
Prestige Race 1
1 Jonny Walker (Beta) 11 laps, 7:07.645
2 Billy Bolt (Husqvarna) 11 laps, 7:21.009
3 Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM) 11 laps, 7:23.827
Prestige Race 2
1 Billy Bolt (Husqvarna) 11 laps, 7:07.496
2 Jonny Walker (Beta) 11 laps, 7:10.431
3 Dominik Olszowy (Rieju) 11 laps, 7:31.001
Prestige Race 3
1 Billy Bolt (Husqvarna) 11 laps, 6:45.093
2 Jonny Walker (Beta) 11 laps, 7:06.612
3 Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM) 11 laps, 7:13.515
Championship Standings (After Round 4)
1 Billy Bolt (Husqvarna) 239 Points
2 Jonny Walker (Beta) 220 Points
3 Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM) 153 Points
4 Will Hoare (Rieju) 146 Points
5 Dominik Olszowy (Rieju) 132 Points
