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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1541594
Moore Wins Roof of Africa Hard Enduro T he final round of the FIM Hard Enduro World Cham- pionship was held in Lesotho, South Africa, November 21-23, and local rider James Moore claimed the overall victory. The KTM rider entered the final day with a comfortable lead and was able to fend off strong competi - tors like Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM) and Husqvarna rider Billy Bolt to clinch the win. The three-day competition kicked off with the time trial qualification won by Bolt with a time of 22:08.9. Lettenbichler was 13.6 seconds back in sec - ond. Moore was third, followed by Teodor Kabakchiev, Mitch Brightmore (GasGas), Mario Roman (Sherco) and Alfredo Gomez (Rieju). Day two had more than five hours of racing across the rugged and hilly South African countryside, which included a variety of terrain and plenty of navigation challenges, all of this favoring the local racers. Moore handled it all the best and led everyone across the day's finish line. He maintained a 42-second lead over runner-up Will Slater and was a few minutes ahead of Mathew Stevens. Some of the better-known HEWC racers like Bolt, Lettenbichler and Gomez had their moments, including some navigation confusion. Bolt was in 13th place and 15 minutes behind the day's win - ner. Bolt explained that it was a combination of confusion at a time control, conflicting opinions about what the riders should actually do, and his own naviga- tion mistakes, which meant his day was a bit skewed. Day three was less about navi- gation than it was about hard enduro-type riding, as the elite racers were back at the head of the charts. Starting 13th on the day, Bolt rallied to the front and fought off Lettenbichler for the day's win by less than a minute. Despite at least one naviga - tion mistake on the day and finishing sixth, Moore had done enough the day before to WIND IN THE P46 South Africa's own James Moore was the overall winner at the Roof of Africa Hard Enduro. PHOTOS: FUTURE7MEDIA