Manuel Lettenbichler Wins The 2023 Red Bull Erzbergrodeo

It’s back-to-back wins as Manuel Lettenbichler wins the 2023 Red Bull Erzbergrodeo, the tough Austrian hard enduro event, and second round of the FIM world championship.

The Erzberg Rodeo began in 1995, and it’s the largest event of its kind in Europe, with four days of racing, and previous winners including Christian Pfeiffer, Cyril Despres, David Knight, Tadeusz Blazusiak, Jonny Walker and Graham Jarvis. Around 1500 riders attend each year with only a few making it to the finish line.

Riding a 2023 KTM 300 EXC for the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team, Lettenbichler qualified in seventh, but soon moved into the top three, which was initially led by KTM teammate Trystan Hart and British Husqvarna rider Billy Bolt. The reigning Hard Enduro champion was able to take the lead through the woods section and build up a sizeable gap, leading by 11 minutes as he reached the finishing line and taking his second victory of 2023. The 25-year-old German finished in a time of two hours, 31 minutes and 15 seconds.

Manuel Lettenbichler: “I can’t believe it! After the start, I was following Trystan, just conserving my energy a little, but then Billy passed me and looked really strong. He opened up a bit of a gap, but I knew I had to stay focused and ride my own race. When we got into the dirt of the hills, I knew I’d be able to make up some time, and thankfully it all came good. I was able to get back into the lead. After that, I just continued to maintain that solid pace and brought it home at the end. The new bike was incredible. We worked a lot over the winter, and it seems to have paid off as it felt perfect out there today.”

Billy Bolt finished second, with Trystan Hart making it a double podium for KTM, riding for FMF KTM Factory Racing. British rider Jonny Walker was fourth on his Beta, followed by Wade Young on a Sherco, and Graham Jarvis taking sixth on his Husqvarna.

Check out all our coverage of everything related to motorcycle racing and sport, here, including off-road riding. And you can check out all KTM news here, including the new 2024 EXC enduro range of two and four-stroke bikes. If you can’t stretch to a brand new KTM off-road bike, then you can often find a bargain in the selection available via Ebay.