Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Billy Bolt has delivered a winning ride at the penultimate round of the series, in Budapest. Securing two wins from three starts, the Brit extended his lead in the series’ overall standings with one round remaining.
Regaining control of the leader’s red plate last time out in Spain, Bolt arrived in Hungary determined to build on that performance. Knowing that his speed was not in question, the Husqvarna FE 350 mounted rider was focused on eliminating the mistakes that had hampered him at earlier rounds, and producing a consistent night of racing.
Immediately setting the pace, he topped the SuperPole with the fastest hot lap time. Riding top-three during the opening laps of race one, a mistake in the rocks on lap five saw him drop back from the leaders. Fighting his way back into contention, another mistake forced Billy to settle for third.
Regrouping for the second half of the night, Bolt returned to the track for races two and three eager to prove himself. Calmly working his way through the pack in race two, he grabbed control of the lead on lap one and never faltered. Pulling clear of his rivals, he raced on to an impressive victory, 22 seconds ahead of his nearest challenger. Delivering another controlled performance for the third and final race, Bolt put himself out front on lap two before eventually crossing the finish line with 23 seconds in hand.
Billy Bolt:“I came here wanting to show a new me. Often I make mistakes and rush things too much on track, but I’ve been working hard to be smooth, fast and importantly patient. Admittedly in race one I made too many errors and a better result than third slipped away, but I regrouped for the rest of the night. I picked the right moments to attack and was able to win both races comfortably. I’ve always shown my speed is there, but I’m so pleased to bring consistency into the mix like this. We’ve got a healthy lead now heading to the final round in Poland next month, where hopefully we can take this world title.”
Finding his form in the second half of the championship, Jonny Walker raced his way to the runner-up result in Budapest, while also securing a race win. The Brit now sits third in the championship standings. Eager to match his performance from the previous event in Spain, the British rider was quick to get up to speed at the penultimate round of the series.
Narrowly missing out on topping the Akrapovic SuperPole by just three tenths of a second, Jonny carried his impressive pace into race one. A strong start saw him move into the lead on lap three of 10. Feeling confident out front, Walker was able to show his winning speed and controlled the remainder of the race to take an eight-second margin of victory.
Looking for further winning results in the following two races, he again put himself at the sharp end of the results. Fighting hard in each race, he went on to finish a strong second each time out to end his night as runner-up. Now, with one round remaining, he sits third in the championship chase.
Jonny Walker:“I’d been waiting for a ride like I had in race one for a while now. Things just sort of clicked and came together and I was able to make it count for the win. I got a strong start and put myself into the lead on lap two and was never properly challenged. It was brilliant to get a race win under my belt again. For the rest of the night my speed was there, but that break just didn’t come. But to back race one up with a pair of second place finishes is very good. Overall, it’s been a strong night and I’ve again shown myself as one of the championship’s strongest riders. I’m also enjoying myself a lot on the track. There’s still a lot to play for at the final round. We’re going to Lodz which is a stadium I’ve enjoyed a lot of success at in the past, so I’ll be fighting hard to end the series on a high for sure.”
The FIM SuperEnduro World Championship concludes with round five in Lodz, Poland on March 14, 2020.
Results – SuperEnduro World Championship, Round 4
Prestige Overall Classification
1. Billy Bolt (Husqvarna) 58 points; 2. Jonny Walker (KTM) 56 pts; 3. Taddy Blazusiak (KTM) 46pts; 4. Alfredo Gómez (Husqvarna) 35pts; 5. Pol Tarres (Husqvarna) 29pts…
Prestige Race 1
1. Jonny Walker (KTM) 10 laps, 7:08.810; 2. Taddy Blazusiak (KTM) 7:16.956; 3. Billy Bolt (Husqvarna) 7:21.811; 4. Will Hoare (KTM) 9 laps, 7:11.130; 5. Alfredo Gómez (Husqvarna) 7:22.143…
Prestige Race 2
1. Billy Bolt (Husqvarna) 10 laps, 7:20.134; 2. Jonny Walker (KTM) 7:42.688; 3. Taddy Blazusiak (KTM) 7:55.681; 4. Pol Tarres (Husqvarna) 8:04.583; 5. Blake Gutzeit (Husqvarna) 8:04.845; 6. Alfredo Gómez (Husqvarna) 9 laps, 7:21.712…
Prestige Race 3
1. Billy Bolt (Husqvarna) 10 laps 7:12.165; 2. Jonny Walker (KTM) 7:35.362 +23.197; 3. Alfredo Gómez (Husqvarna) 7:37.353 +25.188; 4. Taddy Blazusiak (KTM) 7:45.441 +33.276; 5. Blake Gutzeit (Husqvarna) 7:26.428 +1 lap…
Championship Standings (After Round 4 of 5)
1. Billy Bolt (Husqvarna) 227 points; 2. Taddy Blazusiak (KTM) 209pts; 3. Jonny Walker (KTM) 192pts; 4. Alfredo Gómez (Husqvarna) 161pts; 5. Blake Gutzeit (Husqvarna) 112pts…