Abestone Hard Enduro 2026: Three days of passion, challenge, and excitement in the heart of the Apennines

Abetone, 6 September 2026 – The 2026 edition of

EICMA Abestone Hard Enduro powered by Fastos

comes to a close with an extremely positive overall result, once again bringing all the leading names in international Hard Enduro to the heart of the Tuscan Apennines, together with hundreds of riders and enthusiasts ready to take on the technical and spectacular terrain of Abetone and Val di Luce.

Three intense days, from 4 to 6 September, defined by sport, adrenaline and, above all, a passion for enduro. An edition that further confirmed Abestone’s growth and its ability to transform an extraordinary mountain environment into a spectacular stage for off-road motorcycling.

The event welcomed 180 riders of different levels through the Gold, Silver and Bronze categories, allowing professionals, competitive riders and enthusiasts to experience their own challenge as part of the same major event.

One of Abestone’s defining characteristics is precisely its commitment to making Hard Enduro accessible and engaging for everyone, with different routes and levels of difficulty designed to highlight both the experience of professional riders and the passion of amateurs.

A TRUE CHALLENGE

Rocks, forests, climbs, descents, technical sections and natural terrain put every participant to the test, once again confirming the authentic and uncompromising character of Abestone.

In the Gold class, reserved for professional riders and competitors taking part in FIM competitions, the challenge reached the highest level of technical and competitive intensity.

Yet beyond results and rankings, every rider brought their own story, effort and satisfaction of having faced one of the most demanding challenges on the calendar.

MORE THAN JUST A RACE

Abestone is not simply about competition.

It is a project born from a passion for Hard Enduro and from the desire to create an event in Italy capable of capturing the spirit of the world’s great international competitions, while at the same time showcasing the extraordinary territory in which it takes place.

Abetone and Val di Luce are a fundamental part of the event’s identity: mountains, forests, streams and trails become the natural setting for a competition that, year after year, has built an increasingly strong connection between sport, territory and spectators.

A MESSAGE OF THANKS FROM THE ORGANISATION

Michele Bosi Abestone event organizer “Behind every race there are months of work, sacrifice and planning and, above all, countless people working far from the spotlight.

For this reason, our first and foremost thanks go to all the riders who chose Abestone, from professionals to amateurs, because they are the ones who bring this event to life.

A huge thank you goes to the entire staff, volunteers, officials, timekeepers, rescue teams and everyone who worked before, during and after the race weekend.

Thank you to the institutions, local organisations, partners and sponsors, and to everyone who continues to believe in the Abestone project.

And finally, thank you to the public. Seeing so many people on the mountains of Abetone, sharing the riders’ efforts, cheering them on and experiencing every section of the race with us reminds us why we do all of this.

Abestone was born from passion, and it continues to grow thanks to everyone who shares that passion.”

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

With the conclusion of the 2026 edition, Abestone is already looking ahead.

The goal remains to continue growing the event while preserving what lies at its very heart: a true race, a challenge for the riders, a spectacle for the public and an opportunity to showcase the territory.

Because Abestone is not simply a Hard Enduro race.

It is a mountain of emotion, effort, friendship and passion.

And when the last rider crosses the finish line, the race comes to an end.

The story of Abestone, however, continues.

ABESTONE HARD ENDURO
Abetone – Val di Luce, Tuscany, Italy
2026 Edition

Abestone 2026: il weekend di gara

Il format 2026 è stato articolato in qualifiche, Sprint del sabato e Finale della domenica, con Gold, Silver e Bronze. L’Endurocross è stato inoltre uno degli appuntamenti spettacolari del sabato.

Il venerdì è dedicato soprattutto all’arrivo dei piloti e alle operazioni di gara. La lista ufficiale dei partecipanti è stata pubblicata dall’organizzazione.

Poi arriva il sabato, dove inizia davvero la battaglia.

Sabato: qualifiche

Nella Gold, Manuel Lettenbichler mette subito le cose in chiaro.

Qualifiche Gold

🥇 Manuel Lettenbichler — KTM — 6:59.14
🥈 Billy Bolt — Husqvarna — 6:59.93
🥉 James Moore — Beta — 7:04.22
Mitch Brightmore — GASGAS — 7:04.37
Ashton Brightmore — GASGAS — 7:07.65
Teodor Kabakchiev — Sherco — 7:09.15
Lorenzo Gandola — Sherco — 7:14.52
Thomas Scales — Beta — 7:15.68
Eddie Karlsson — Stark — 7:17.23
Robert Crayston — KTM — 7:22.14

Bolt è vicinissimo: appena 0,79 secondi da Mani. Ma Lettenbichler dà già il segnale che sarà lui l’uomo da battere.

Nella Silver, invece, il più veloce è Conor Hennessy in 8:15.65, davanti a Sandra Gómez ed Eric Mayr.

Nella Bronze il miglior tempo è di Daryoush Ghorbani, FASTOS RACING, 9:23.51, davanti a Franco Schiavi e Gilberto Enrietta.

🏁 Sprint del sabato

Qui comincia a delinearsi il weekend.

Gold Sprint

Lettenbichler non si accontenta della pole: vince anche la Sprint.

Lettenbichler
James Moore
Ashton Brightmore
Mitch Brightmore
Eddie Karlsson
Teodor Kabakchiev
Billy Bolt
Mario Román
Lorenzo Gandola
Thomas Scales

Mani è l’unico a raggiungere il quinto checkpoint al terzo giro, con un giro più veloce di 20:17.7.

Bolt, invece, chiude soltanto settimo, nonostante il secondo miglior giro della Sprint.

Silver Sprint

La Silver vede Conor Hennessy ancora davanti: è un ottimo antipasto di quello che farà domenica.

Bronze Sprint

Anche qui Ghorbani (FASTOS RACING) conferma la sua superiorità, precedendo Franco Schiavi.

Straight Rhythm

Il sabato sera arriva lo spettacolo dell’Endurocross/Straight Rhythm.

È una gara diversa dalla Sprint: più corta, spettacolare e ad eliminazione. E qui arriva la risposta di Billy Bolt.

💥 BILLY BOLT VINCE LO STRAIGHT RHYTHM!

Bolt batte gli avversari nelle eliminatorie e conquista anche la pole position per la Gold Final della domenica.

Quindi il sabato racconta una storia interessante:

Lettenbichler domina qualifiche + Sprint, Bolt risponde vincendo lo Straight Rhythm.

Sembrava potesse esserci finalmente una grande sfida Mani–Billy.

Ma la domenica avrebbe raccontato tutt’altra storia.

Domenica — BRONZE Vince Ghorbani dal’Iran

La prima finale della giornata è la Bronze.

E qui Ghorbani completa il suo weekend perfetto:

🥇 Daryoush Ghorbani — FASTOS RACING – 6 giri — 1:39:25.1
🥈 Franco Schiavi — 6 giri — +7:33.3
🥉 Gabriele Frangioni — 5 giri — 1:38:41.0

Poi:

Ebony Nielsen — 5 giri
João Pereira — 5
Christian Puccio — 5
Fabrizio Marchese — 4
Hans Hofmann — 4
Renato Francescato — 4
Daniele Uria — 4

Da sottolineare Ebony Nielsen, quarta assoluta e prima donna della Bronze.

SILVER — Hennessy senza rivali

Se la Bronze è stata dominata da Ghorbani, la Silver porta il nome di Conor Hennessy.

Finale Silver

🥇 Conor Hennessy — 6 giri — 1:38:54.3
🥈 Adam Giles — 6 giri — +3:13.2
🥉 Jamie Rowntree — 6 giri — +8:18.8

Poi:

Rienk Tuinstra
Sandra Gómez
Roberto de Matos
Tommaso Laghi
Branden Swanepoel
Edoardo Mella
Luca Spinelli

Per Hennessy è una doppietta qualifiche + finale, una delle prestazioni più convincenti dell’intero weekend.

GOLD — la gara dei fenomeni

E arriviamo alla gara più attesa.

Lettenbichler parte davanti e scappa.

Il tedesco controlla la gara fin dalle prime battute e costruisce progressivamente il vantaggio. Il suo miglior giro è 18:33.1, più di un minuto più rapido rispetto ai migliori dei rivali.

Alla fine: