Billy Bolt takes Tyne Ride win
By Team TMX on 1st Sep 25
Newcastle’s own Billy Bolt has been crowned winner of Red Bull Tyne Ride 2025. The hometown hero defeated fellow Red Bull athlete, Jonny Walker, in an epic final to claim victory in the second edition of the motorcycle head-to-head.
Returning to Newcastle after a successful debut last summer, Red Bull Tyne Ride once again drew large crowds to the Quayside, where fans gathered for morning practice and qualifiers before the main event kicked off in the afternoon.
Here, 16 riders battled it out across three rounds, with Bolt, a five-time SuperEnduro world champion, ultimately overcoming 2024 winner, Jonny Walker, to secure a 2-0 win in the best-of-three final showdown.
Free to the public, the event once again brought competitive head-to-head motorsport to the heart of the city, stretching the length of Quayside, watched by a crowd of thousands. The challenging course was complete with brutal technical challenges such as the boulder garden, log matrix, and Igloo Wall Ride.
Following his victory, Billy Bolt said: “It feels so good. I had to watch from the sidelines last year, so it gave me the opportunity to appreciate how big and how amazing this event is. But riding this year, there was only one goal in my mind and it’s nice to execute that.”
Reflecting on competing in the event he masterminded in collaboration with Red Bull, Bolt added: “The pressure was on as it’s my home town. I actually felt a bit nervous this morning and there’s a lot of people here with high expectations for me. I had a couple of shaky runs early on if I’m honest, but I started to turn it on and execute how I wanted towards the end. So, amazing day, amazing crowd, amazing place to ride. Just super grateful to be part of it all. I couldn’t believe the turn out last year and I think we’ve even beaten it this year. Massive credit to everyone who helped put this on and a huge thank you to everyone that’s come out.”
Speaking at the podium after his second-place finish, Jonny Walker said: "I enjoyed it – the track was technical, more technical than last year, so the riding was a bit more spread out. Second place – I'm happy with that.” The Triumph rider, who hails from Keswick, Cumbria, also noted: “The crowds are always good here in Newcastle – they’re northerners so everyone gets excited. Everyone's had a good time and everyone's so nice. It is like home for me – I’m only an hour and a half away, so I come here all the time. I'm excited for next year already."
Multi-time Hard Enduro World Champion, Manuel Lettenbichler, who was competing in Red Bull Tyne Ride for the first time, also gave his thoughts on the event: "It was brilliant. I couldn't believe how good the vibe was. It's so nice that it's open to the public and everyone can just come. Yesterday we did practice, and it was so packed from 9am in the morning, which was really cool. Riding was good, the vibes were so high, so I'm really stoked.”
Event organisers dismantled the city-centre track overnight, with the Quayside fully reopened by 5am in time for the Quayside Sunday Market.
