Bolt, Gomez, and Jarvis set for Abestone Hard Enduro

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Billy Bolt, Alfredo Gomez and Graham Jarvis have arrived in Italy to race the Abestone Hard Enduro. Round three, and the effective restart of the FIM Hard Enduro series, will challenge all riders throughout the three-day event with some of the best, most technical terrain the Tuscan mountains have to offer.

With the series opening Extreme XL Lagares event severely disrupted, and Erzbergrodeo cancelled, points from the newly formed 2021 Hard Enduro World Championship have yet to be awarded. As such, the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna team head into this third round looking to benefit from the situation, fight for the podium positions, and get ahead in the championship standings.

Fresh from his stand-out ride at the EnduroGP of Italy, Billy Bolt is on form and hungry to get started on his FIM Hard Enduro World Championship campaign. Winner of the inaugural WESS Championship back in 2018, Bolt will be looking to add his name to the history books once again and take top honours at the HEWC.

Another rider putting in a lot of training recently is Alfredo Gomez. The revised SuperEnduro format of Extreme XL Lagares didn’t suit the Spaniards extreme enduro style, but he pulled out all the stops on his TE 300i, delivering an overall top-five result. Now heading into an event that looks to fall well within his comfort zone, Gomez will undoubtedly be looking to fight for the podium on Sunday afternoon.

Despite easily being the most experienced member of the team, Graham Jarvis is still excited to try out a new event, and has his sights set on victory at Abestone Hard Enduro. With much of the extreme terrain suited to the Brit’s smooth, meticulous riding style, and with Jarvis feeling fresh and up for the challenge, he will definitely be one to watch in the closing, extra-tough stages of Sunday’s Super Final.

Held over three days, Abestone Hard Enduro will have a timed extreme test on Friday evening to decide the start order for Saturday’s Time Trial qualification. From there, only the 50 fastest riders will make it through to the Super Final on Sunday afternoon – an extremely tough, three-hour race over intense, technically demanding terrain.

Billy Bolt: “I’ve had some really good bike-time coming into this event. Since I raced at the EnduroGP here in Italy, I’ve stayed around and rode in the mountains in preparation for this one. I've ridden at a lot of riding spots similar to what we’ll see this weekend, so I’m feeling confident for this one. It’s going to be a new race for everyone, which I think levels the playing field a little and it looks like it’s going to be a really technical and difficult event that I think will favour me. It’s three days of racing so my focus will be on not making mistakes and then by Sunday evening we’ll hopefully be near the sharp end of the field.”

Alfredo Gomez: “I feel really good ahead of this race and I’m really looking forward to it. In a way it’s like round one because of how the season started, so for myself and I think everyone, it’s going to be a really exciting event. It’s new for everyone and I think that if I can ride like I have been riding during training then I think I can be competitive. I’m looking for a good result to begin the season and I can’t wait to get started on Friday.”

Graham Jarvis: “This weekend will be a brand-new event added to the calendar, which is a great thing for the sport and the series. With it being new, no one can really know how it’s going to turn out, which adds a little excitement to it. I think it’ll be really good. I’ve been riding a lot recently, not specifically in preparation for this event, but it looks technical and certainly features a lot of terrain and sections that will suit me. Overall, it’s great to be back racing and to finally get the Hard Enduro season underway.”