BOLT STRIKES AT EXTREME
XL LAGARES
T
he inaugural World Enduro
Super Series (WESS) kicked
off over the weekend in the
oceanfront town of Porto in Por-
tugal with the Red Bull Extreme
XL Lagares. The world's best
turned out for the opening round
of the extreme enduro champi-
onship, and in a surprise twist, it
was the young riders who served
notice to the veterans that they
will have a fight on their hands
in the 2018 season. British rider
Billy Bolt claimed the top spot at
the end of three days of racing,
marking the first major extreme
enduro win for the Rockstar
Energy Husqvarna rider, with
KTM's Jonny Walker and Manny
Lettenbichler rounding out the
overall podium.
"I came into this race not
knowing what to expect, so to
have won against so many of
the world's best enduro riders is
huge," said Bolt. "I tried to ride
smart on lap one and then attack
as best I could in the closing
stages and it worked out. I know
there's a lot more racing left this
year, but the WESS champion-
ship couldn't have started any
better for me."
It could have started some-
what better than it did for many
other racers, including Taddy
Blazusiak and Graham Jarvis,
who finished fourth and fifth,
respectively. Blazusiak, who is
fresh out of retirement to take on
the WESS championship, was
a strong contender throughout
the weekend, but was penal-
ized for missing an obstacle in
Saturday's prologue. Blazusiak
IN
THE
WIND
P28
In a first major victory
for the young Brit,
Husqvarna's Billy Bolt
topped the Extreme XL
Lagares, the opening
round of the inaugural
World Enduro Super
Series (WESS).
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
FUTURE7MEDIA/HUSQVARNA
MOTORCYCLES
