Maximum man Billy Bolt edges towards SuperEnduro world title #4
By Team TMX on 6th Feb 24
A dominant display inside Budapest’s MVM Dome saw Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Billy Bolt top the podium at the fifth round of the FIM SuperEnduro World Championship. Securing three races wins from three starts on the night, the defending world champion extended his championship lead to 33 points.
Immediately gelling with the course in Budapest, Billy topped the timesheets during the afternoon practice sessions. Although still nursing a knee injury from round three in Germany, he found the track suited his riding style and was keen to claim race wins after placing a close second in the SuperPole hot lap.
Lining up to the second gate from the inside for race one, Billy timed his start to perfection. Exiting the first corner in the lead, he attacked the opening two laps to build a four-second advantage. Comfortably out front with three laps to go, Billy fell foul of some lapped traffic and suffered an unavoidable crash. Quickly remounting, he carefully managed the remaining laps to secure a sizeable 12-second margin of victory.
Aiming to keep that momentum rolling, the Husqvarna rider made good his second row starting position for race two. Cleanly navigating his way through the first obstacles, he worked his way into third after half a lap. Taking the race lead with four minutes to go, Bolt cleared away from the rest of the chasing pack. Despite a small slip-off with two laps to go, he remained unfazed to win race two by an incredible 20 seconds.
Another strong start from Billy on his FE 350 in race three saw him exit the first corner in second position. A close battle with early pacesetter Jonny Walker saw Billy try multiple times to overtake his rival before finally getting a wheel in front on lap three. Locking his sights on making it a clean sweep of wins in Budapest, Billy kept charging ahead. Perfectly executing the remaining laps, he took the win and with it, claimed his fifth overall victory from five in the 2024 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship.
Now with two rounds remaining, the Husqvarna Factory Racing rider heads to the penultimate round in Sofia, Bulgaria on February 24 with a healthy 33-point championship lead.
“I’m massively pleased with my riding tonight. From the get-go I felt good on the track and I really wanted to deliver a good result,” said Billy. “With three wins from three starts, I can’t really ask for more from myself. Of course, I’m still managing my knee injury from round three in Germany, but I’ve learned how to deal with it. Naturally there were some moments out on track during the evening, but that’s part of the sport. Overall, my starts were solid and I grew stronger with each race. With two rounds remaining, I’ll keep chipping away at things and be ready for Bulgaria.”
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