Dirt and Trail May 2020

SO GOOD IT FEELS LIKE YOU’RE CHEATING
DUNLOP TYRES – PROUDLY BROUGHT TO YOU BY HENDERSON RACING PRODUCTS
Most riders dream of winning
world championships, and
Manuel Lettenbichler is no
different. Through hard work,
determination and skill he
realised his dream last year when
he became the 2019 WESS Enduro
World Champion. Ensuring it
was an extra special moment,
the German did so on home soil,
claiming victory at the final round
of the season at GetzenRodeo in
front of thousands of spectators
and fans.
It was a remarkable moment for
the 21-year-old, but even more so
when you consider his success
came while still a privateer rider.
From eight WESS starts, Mani
secured seven top-five finishes, of
which five were podium results.
He also became the youngest-ever
winner of the demanding Red Bull
Romaniacs.
Factoring in his AMA
Extreme Off-Road Grand
National Championship
at Tennessee Knockout,
the likeable German
is now one of the most
exciting prospects in
enduro and the rider
to beat once the 2020
season gets underway…
Mani, with time to reflect, what
did it feel like to become the
WESS Enduro World Champion
by winning your home race at
GetzenRodeo last year?
Manuel Lettenbichler: “Ah, for
sure it was a special moment
to become world champion at
GetzenRodeo. It’s a home race for
me and last year with it being a
WESS race over 30 people from
my hometown came to watch me
race, too. Having won the race
in 2018 I really wanted to win it
again and try to take the title in
style. GetzenRodeo is so tough –
by the time you reach the finish
line you are exhausted, so when
I took the chequered flag I think
the emotion of the occasion really
hit me then. It was a cool moment
and for sure one I will carry with
me for a very long time.”
When did you begin to believe
that you could win the 2019
championship?
“Going to Hawkstone Park for
round six (of eight) I was so
nervous about things because
it was cross-country. But after
finishing second in the race I felt
different. I did a good job and
showed that I could be strong
on the KTM 350 EXC-F in a race
that was out of my comfort zone.
I wasn’t as worried about those
fast races as I previously was.
I guess it was then that I began
to realise that I was a contender
for the title and that I was good
enough to become champion.
Moving on to BR2 Enduro Solsona
I tried my best and it showed with
a fourth place. It put me in a good
place heading to GetzenRodeo.”
Do you feel those results showed
that you’re more than a hard
enduro rider, that you’re now a
complete all-rounder instead?
“I hope so. I’m naturally better at
the hard enduro races, but now
I’m beginning to bridge that gap
in the faster conditions. I’ve a
long way to go to match guys like
Josep Garcia or Nathan Watson,
but I’m feel better out of my
comfort zone than I did before.”
You enjoyed a lot of success as
a child riding trials, do those
skills still help you in enduro?
“Having a trials background
is one of my best assets. The
skills I learned as a child never
go away. I use them every time
I ride, and they get me out of
every bad situation I might get
into too! Trials teaches you so
much – balance, throttle control
and clutch use. You learn how
to find traction where normally
there shouldn’t be. I think if you
ride motocross or enduro, they’re
skills that will always stay with
you as a rider.”
42 DIRT & TRAIL MAGAZINE MAY 2020 DIRT & TRAIL MAGAZINE MAY 2020 43