Wade Young takes Sea To Sky Forest Race win at FIM HEWC round six

Qualification for round six of the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship at Sea To Sky saw Red Bull Leader Tread’s Wade Young take the Forest Race win. The South African delivered a near-flawless performance, topping the time sheets by three minutes over Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Manuel Lettenbichler in second.

• Wade Young sets the pace to win the Sea To Sky Forest Race

• Manuel Lettenbichler and Billy Bolt take second and third

• Young earns position of top qualifier ahead of Saturday’s Mountain Race

Round six of the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship saw competitors get down to business early on Friday morning in Kemer, Turkey for qualification at Sea To Sky. The Forest Race marked the first points-paying outing for riders, following yesterday’s Beach Race opener. 

A demanding 45-kilometre course, ridden in a time trial format, took riders through some of the best forest trails of the region. With an expected ride time of nearly two hours for the front runners, it would prove a challenging race for all.

Making his return to the FIM HEWC for round six following injury, Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Billy Bolt wasted no time in getting up to speed and won Thursday’s Beach Race over Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Manuel Lettenbichler and Red Bull Leader Tread’s Wade Young.

 That resulted in Bolt leading the field out early this morning for the Forest Race. After 30 seconds Lettenbichler was next to start, with a determined looking Young giving chase a further 30 seconds later. 

Clearly enjoying the trails, Young quickly closed in on the two leaders. Catching up to them early on, he took over control of the race lead and was never challenged. Riding ahead, he went on to claim a very impressive three-minute-and-11-second margin of victory. In doing so, he also secured three important championship points.

Despite working his way past Bolt, Lettenbichler wasn’t able to match the pace set by Young in the Forest Race. Keeping a comfortable rhythm, he did enough to finish second and secure two championship points.

A promising ride from Bolt showed he’s getting back up to speed following his recent layoff. The Brit rode well to open the course and keep Young and Lettenbichler within range, eventually taking third place and the final championship point on offer.

Sherco Factory Racing’s Teodor Kabakchiev took fourth, finishing just under 30 seconds behind Bolt on corrected time. Completing the top five was David Cyprian (KTM). The Czech rider looked strong today and will hope to carry that momentum into tomorrow’s Mountain Race final.

Saturday, October 12, marks the final day of racing at Sea To Sky for round six of the FIM HEWC. The all-important Mountain Race will see riders start with their wheels on the shoreline of the Mediterranean Sea before racing head-to-head to the finish line located on the summit of the nearby Olympos Mountain, some 2,365m above sea level. Through sandy beaches, canyon riverbeds, forest tracks and finally scaling rocky mountain peaks, the 65-kilometre course is every bit as spectacular as it is physically demanding.

Provisional Results: Round 6, Sea To Sky

Forest Race - FIM Qualifying

1.⁠ ⁠Wade Young (GASGAS) 1:44:22.97
2.⁠ ⁠Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM) 1:47:34.17
3.⁠ ⁠Billy Bolt (Husqvarna) 1:49:01.61
4.⁠ ⁠Teodor Kabakchiev (Sherco) 1:49:30.25
5.⁠ ⁠David Cyprian (KTM) 1:51:27.16
6.⁠ ⁠Graham Jarvis (Husqvarna) 1:51:42.41
7.⁠ ⁠Vaclav Nedved (KTM) 1:52:59.96
8.⁠ ⁠Alfredo Gomez (Rieju) 1:54:00.17
9.⁠ ⁠Francesc Moret (Sherco) 1:54:36.38
10.⁠ ⁠Thomas Scales (GASGAS) 1:54:46.96
*Results to be verified by FIM Jury later today