After taking a few weeks off after the start of the season in early December, the FIM SuperEnduro World Championship made its return to action, this time at the GP of Hungary in Budapest.

A wild night of unpredictable racing and intense battles kept the electricity in the air at the packed Papp Laszio Sportarena, but in the end, there were no surprises as to who emerged victorious. Husqvarna’s Billy Bolt of Great Britain remains in control of the championship and the 24MX red plate after topping two of the three prestige races in Budapest for the overall win.

Following his dominant performance in Lodz, Poland, Bolt knew he had the target on his back, especially for GasGas rider Taddy Blazusiak, who was looking for redemption after missing the overall podium in front of his home crowd in Poland at the season opener. Blazusiak succeeded in turning his luck around, capturing his first prestige race win of the season to start the night in Budapest. Following a red flag in the first race, the restart saw Blazusiak with the holeshot. Bolt gave chase and tried everything to reign in the 111 of Blazusiak, but a mistake by the Brit forced him to settle for second. Beta’s Johnny Walker collected third.

In the second prestige race, which started with a reverse grid, it was Will Hoare with the holeshot, but by the end of the first lap, American Cody Webb (Sherco) had taken control of the race. What looked to be Webb’s win quickly turned into disaster for the Californian. While battling with Bolt, Webb wheelied onto a tricky concrete block and looped out, and the crash saw his boot get sucked into Bolt’s Husqvarna between the fender and the wheel. Webb was dragged for several feet in the incident, and though it was a rather spectacular crash, he was uninjured. Bolt, who kept himself upright, still somehow managed to run down Blazusiak to win the race. Blazusiak held on for second while Walker carded another third.

With a win apiece, it was all on the line for the third prestige race. Unfortunately for Blazusiak, he tucked his wheel in the first turn, resulting in a nasty crash. The SuperEnduro legend was able to rejoin the race, but he was left to battle his way forward from the back of the pack, effectively ending his chance for the overall win. Bolt, meanwhile, jumped out to an early lead followed by Walker and Husqvarna’s Colton Haaker. American rider Haaker managed to get around Walker for second in the final prestige race while Bolt claimed the win, and the overall.

“It was a super difficult night,” said Bolt. “But I’m pleased to come away with another win and extend my lead in the championship. The track was really tight, and with not much traction it was easy to get arm pump and then make mistakes. In race one I struggled to find my rhythm and got caught up a few times. Race two went much better and then race three was near enough perfect. I was able to manage my pace once I got to the front and held on to take the win and the overall.”

Blazusiak climbed his way back up to fourth in the third race, leaving him with a 1-2-4 score to collect second overall in Budapest. Walker rounded out the overall podium in third.

“In the final heat I went all-in but tucked the front in the first corner,” said Blazusiak. “That was frustrating, but overall, compared to the luck I had in Poland at round one, it’s been a great night. My bike was great, my fitness is where it needs to be and my speed was good, also.”

Haaker barely missed the podium in the first two races, and his 4-4-2 final score left him also barely missing out on the overall podium by one point. “I haven’t been able to get in much riding since the last event,” said Haaker. But I’m happy with how I rode today going 4-4-2 on a tough track like this. It took me a while to relax and get up to speed, but I gave it my all and had fun out there. From not being certain if I’d get here to race, to missing out on the podium by just one point, it’s been a good weekend and I’m looking forward to the next one.”

The former champion retains second in the standings, however, only one point ahead of Blazusiak and Walker who are now tied for third in the championship. There are three rounds remaining in the 2022 FIM SuperEnduro World Championship with the GP of Israel up next on March 3. CN

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