Taking place in Sequatchie, Tennessee, Red Bull TKO is one of North America’s best-known and toughest hard enduros. Featuring on the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship calendar for the second year, the 2022 event opened on Thursday night with a spectacular urban straight rhythm, held in downtown Nashville.
Riders
On Sunday, riders faced a gruelling day of racing, first with qualifying, followed by two knockout races, and finally, the top 20 competitors went through to the intense 30-minute-plus-one-lap final.
Manuel Lettenbichler made a solid start to his TKO campaign, finishing as runner-up on the Thursday night straight rhythm to the delight of passionate fans. The result came at a cost, however, with the KTM 300 EXC rider injuring his foot at the event.
Hard work
The real hard work came on Sunday. After safely qualifying second behind teammate Trystan Hart, Mani finished Knockout Race 1 in fourth before advancing to the final with fifth place in Knockout Race 2.
With Hart on top form, Lettenbichler knew he’d be tough to stop on North American soil but pushed hard despite the pain from his injured foot. Giving his absolute all, the German finished close behind in second.
Manuel
Manuel Lettenbichler: “From the first qualifier today, I was struggling so bad and knew it would be a challenging event for me. I have a foot injury I’ve been managing, and on the downhill sections here, it was tough to control the rear brake.
I just tried to manage each race as they came and do my best. But Trystan rode fantastic today, so hats off to him. I’m happy to finish second and close in on Mario at the championship’s top. There’s still everything to play for with just one point.”
Dominant right from the start at Red Bull TKO, FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Trystan Hart topped every single session in this year’s event.
Feeling at home on the rocky Tennessee terrain, the young Canadian delivered a masterclass in North American hard enduro racing to ultimately secure the win in the Final Knockout by well over one minute from Lettenbichler.
The victory marks Hart’s first ever FIM Hard Enduro win, and he now looks forward to carrying that momentum to his home race, Red Bull Outliers in Canada, in two weeks.
Trystan
Trystan Hart: “Oh, this feels awesome! It’s a big relief to take the win. After winning everything all day, I felt a lot of pressure going into the final, and then when that was delayed by 40 minutes, it only made it worse. I had a few close calls, but I stayed focused and brought it home. The support from the fans was incredible too.”
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing return to FIM Hard Enduro World Championship action with the penultimate round seven of the series – Red Bull Outliers – held in Calgary, Canada, from August 27-28.
Provisional Results – 2022 Red Bull TKO
- 1. Trystan Hart (CAN), KTM, 5 laps
- 2. Manuel Lettenbichler (GER), KTM, +1:19.577
- 3. Mario Roman (ESP), Sherco, +58.055
- 4. Wade Young (RSA), Sherco, +2:55.829
- 5. Teodor Kabakchiev (BUL), KTM, 4 laps
Other KTM
- 6. Ryder LeBlond (USA), KTM, four laps, +39.752
Provisional standings – FIM Hard Enduro World Championship (after 6 of 8 rounds)
- 1. Mario Roman (ESP), Sherco, 88 points
- 2. Manuel Lettenbichler (GER), KTM, 87 pts
- 3. Graham Jarvis (GBR), Husqvarna, 69 pts
- 4. Teodor Kabakchiev (BUL), KTM, 63 pts
- 5. Billy Bolt (GBR), Husqvarna, 62 pts
