Teodor Kabakchiev Wins 2026 Roof of Africa as Lettenbichler Beats Young by One Tenth of a Second

Teodor Kabakchiev claimed victory at the 2026 Roof of Africa after three demanding days of hard enduro racing through Lesotho’s Maloti Mountains. The Sherco Factory rider completed the Gold Class event in 9:59:46.2, becoming the only competitor to finish the race in under ten hours. Manuel Lettenbichler secured second overall for KTM, while South Africa’s Wade Young finished third after the pair were separated by just 0.1 seconds. Lettenbichler’s final time was 10:02:33.1, compared with Young’s 10:02:33.2 after almost ten hours of combined racing. The result made the 2026 Roof of Africa one of the most closely contested editions in recent years, while Kabakchiev’s victory marked his first FIM Hard Enduro World Championship round win of the 2026 season.

The sixth round of the 2026 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship combined three very different stages in Lesotho. Thursday began with a time trial at Music Box, followed by Friday’s approximately 110-kilometre Big Loop through the mountains and Saturday’s shorter but highly technical Final Ascent. The overall classification was determined by accumulated time across the stages, making consistency particularly important. Kabakchiev built his winning position through a strong performance across all three days rather than relying on a single dominant stage. His overall time of 9:59:46.2 gave him a 2:46.9 advantage over Lettenbichler at the finish.

James Moore made the strongest start to the event by winning Thursday’s time trial. The defending Roof of Africa champion recorded a time of 25:01.91 after riders completed two timed laps, with the faster lap counting toward the overall result. Manuel Lettenbichler finished 15.74 seconds behind Moore, while Ashton Brightmore was only seven tenths of a second further back in third. Kabakchiev started the event in fourth, 1:09.13 behind Moore, while Wade Young and Matthew Green occupied fifth and sixth respectively. Mitch Brightmore actually recorded the fastest raw lap of the day in 24:11.99, but a five-minute penalty moved his official time to 29:11.99 and left him ninth.

Friday brought a major change in the race as the riders left the shorter time-trial format for a long mountain stage. Kabakchiev, Young, Lettenbichler and Green formed the leading group over the demanding terrain, with Kabakchiev completing the stage in 5:48:58. Young finished just 32 seconds behind him, while Lettenbichler took third on the day and Green was fourth. After the time-trial results were combined with the Friday results, Kabakchiev moved into the overall lead. Young remained within striking distance, while Lettenbichler also stayed firmly in contention for victory heading into Saturday’s final stage.

The Friday stage proved particularly costly for Moore, whose challenge for another overall Roof of Africa victory was damaged by a mechanical problem. The South African lost more than 44 minutes and dropped deep down the overall classification despite having started the event with the fastest time trial. Instead of fighting for another overall win, Moore entered Saturday needing a major recovery ride to move back through the field. The Brightmore brothers also experienced mechanical difficulties during the event, adding further complications to their races. These setbacks demonstrated how quickly the demanding conditions of hard enduro can change the overall standings.

Saturday provided the decisive battle over two laps of a 38-kilometre technical course. Kabakchiev began the final stage with the overall lead and successfully protected his advantage despite not recording the fastest time of the day. He completed the final stage in 3:44:37.0, which was the second-fastest time in the Gold Class. Moore produced the fastest Saturday performance in 3:39:25.8, more than five minutes quicker than Kabakchiev, but the earlier time lost through his mechanical problem meant that he could only recover to fifth overall. Kabakchiev’s ability to combine speed with consistency across the three stages ultimately secured the Roof of Africa title.

The closest battle came behind Kabakchiev, where Lettenbichler and Young fought for second place. Lettenbichler started Saturday approximately 38 seconds behind Young in the accumulated classification and needed a substantial gain to move ahead. He eventually recovered 38.4 seconds during the Final Ascent, enough to overturn the deficit and finish second overall by just one tenth of a second. Lettenbichler recorded 10:02:33.1, while Young finished on 10:02:33.2. After three days of racing and almost ten hours of combined time, the difference between the two KTM riders was therefore only 0.1 seconds.

Lettenbichler’s final-stage performance was helped by the shorter and more technical nature of Saturday’s course. He started the opening lap alone in third position and was unable to close the gap to Kabakchiev and Young immediately. Moore then caught Lettenbichler during the second lap, allowing the pair to push together and eventually catch Young. The reduced navigation demands of the final stage allowed Lettenbichler to focus more directly on his riding and maintain a strong pace. His recovery on Saturday not only secured second place at the Roof of Africa but also provided important championship points with two rounds still remaining.

Moore’s Saturday performance was one of the major stories of the event despite his fifth-place overall finish. After his mechanical problems on Friday dropped him to 11th overall, he attacked the final stage and produced the fastest Gold Class time of the day. His 3:39:25.8 was 5:11.2 faster than Kabakchiev’s final-stage time and allowed him to climb several positions. Moore finished fifth overall in 10:37:57.7 and also secured the Junior class victory in Lesotho. Thomas Scales finished sixth overall and second in the Junior class, while Luke John Walker completed the Junior podium in seventh overall.

The final Gold Class classification placed Matthew Green fourth with a combined time of 10:34:12.9. Moore followed in fifth on 10:37:57.7, while Thomas Scales, Luke John Walker, Kyle Flanagan, Ashton Brightmore and Mitch Brightmore completed the top ten. Kabakchiev’s 9:59:46.2 was the only overall time below the ten-hour mark. Lettenbichler finished 2:46.9 behind the winner, while Young was 2:47.0 behind Kabakchiev. The narrow gap between second and third stands out because the two riders completed a race lasting almost ten hours with only a tenth of a second separating them.

The 2026 Roof of Africa also had an impact on the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship standings. Following the Lesotho round, Lettenbichler remained at the top of the championship with 160 points, while Mitch Brightmore held second on 131 points. Kabakchiev moved to third with 104 points, followed by Ashton Brightmore on 95 and Billy Bolt on 76. Only two rounds remain in the 2026 championship, meaning the results from Lesotho have significant relevance for the title battle. The championship now moves toward Turkey and Spain for the final stages of the season.

Billy Bolt was absent from the Roof of Africa after undergoing knee surgery shortly before the Lesotho event. His team confirmed that his recovery would take priority and that his condition would be reassessed before a decision was made about his participation in the next round. Bolt had returned to competition earlier in the season and entered the Lesotho round fifth in the championship standings. His absence added another factor to a challenging round for several leading riders. The focus for Bolt now remains on recovering properly before considering a return to racing.

The Roof of Africa once again demonstrated why hard enduro places such demanding requirements on riders, motorcycles and support teams. The combination of long mountain stages, technical terrain, navigation and changing race conditions leaves little room for major mistakes. Kabakchiev’s victory came from maintaining a high level of performance throughout the three stages, while Lettenbichler’s second place was secured through a remarkable final-day recovery. Young missed second place by only one tenth of a second, despite finishing the event with exactly the same level of accumulated race time to the nearest second. For Lesotho, the 2026 Roof of Africa delivered another major international motorsport event across the Maloti Mountains and a finish that will be remembered for its extraordinary margin between second and third.

The 2026 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship now moves toward its final two rounds, with Sea to Sky in Kemer, Türkiye, scheduled for October 8 to 10 before the season concludes at 24MX Hixpania Hard Enduro in Spain from October 23 to 25. Kabakchiev leaves Lesotho with his first world championship round victory of the season, while Lettenbichler strengthens his position at the top of the championship standings. Young will have to settle for third after coming within a tenth of a second of second place. The 2026 Roof of Africa ultimately delivered everything that makes hard enduro so demanding, with endurance, technical skill, mechanical reliability and precise timing all playing a role in determining the final results.