Erzberg out, USA and South Africa in…the 2025 Hard Enduro World Championship is back and starts in just two weeks at Valleys Hard Enduro in Wales as FIM announce new promoters, ProTouchGlobal.

The news we’ve been sitting on for a couple of weeks has finally been made official by the FIM who announce ProTouchGlobal GmbH (a Swiss-based sports management company) as the new promoter of the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship (HEWC) with immediate effect.

The provisional calendar is a surprising list of events which includes previous HEWC races but, following their announcement in creating their own unofficial “world champions”, the Erzbergrodeo is a notable absence. 

Reversing out of that partnership, Romaniacs looks to have jumped back into the HEWC and stands as round three with no date changes. Note the (* in negotiation) bracket on the calendar below, along with Abestone in Italy. 

Replacing Erzberg on the schedue is another surprise, the spectacular Silver Kings US Hard Enduro in Idaho which will now find some notable new entries coming in ahead of their June 12-14 dates.

It’s been coming...

The news comes on the back of a huge amount of re-organisional work by the new promoters, the FIM and event organisers who will have been through the mill since WESS pulled out earlier this year. Though you may not have heard of ProTouchGlobal, to our knowledge the new promoters aren’t totally green to the sport with the 2024 Roof of Africa on their CV.

It is Enduro21’s understanding the major players all knew about this news in advance, having been involved by the new promoters in the process, and have already adjusted their calendars (and budgets?!).

That said it is difficult to make plans when nothing is definite and it will be a last minute call for many to get to the first round in just two weeks’ time (as we write this) at the Valleys Hard Enduro in Wales, let alone make that trip to the USA. 

The riders and teams had been working on the assumption the world championship would not happen this year but now are having to make different plans.

Provisional 2025 HEWC calendar:

10-11 May – Valleys Hard Enduro (UK)

12-14 June – Silver Kings (USA)

22-26 July – Red Bull Romaniacs (Romania) (* in negotiation)

6-7 September – Abestone (Italy) (* in negotiation)

20-21 September – Hixpania (Spain)

9-11 October – Sea to Sky (Turkey)

24-25 October – Getzen Rodeo (Germany)

20-22 November – Roof of Africa (Lesotho)

If all of this comes as a shock to you then you should read Enduro21 more often: Hard Enduro World Championship back on? Lettenbichler and Bolt confirmed at Valleys

The FIM says the appointment of new promoters “marks a new era for one of the most extreme and captivating disciplines in motorsport”. ProTouchGlobal will lead the championship into the future focused on global growth and long-term sustainability.

“We’re honored to take the reins of such a prestigious and adrenaline-charged championship,” said Robbie Hunter, Managing Director of ProTouchGlobal. “The FIM Hard Enduro World Championship Events are not just your average races—it’s a battle between rider, machine, and nature to the extreme. Our mission is to elevate the sport while preserving its raw, untamed essence.”

ProTouchGlobal will oversee all promotional aspects of the championship, including event coordination, global broadcast rights, commercial partnerships, and fan engagement initiatives.

The guy with his head above the parapet at the races will be the new series director, Ross Whitehead who is no stranger to HEWC due to his involvement with Wade Young. “We are already in talks with the riders the teams and the event organisers finding ways to improve the championship for the long-term future of this sport,” says Whitehead. “We’re here to push boundaries and build a championship worthy of the legends who race it.”

John Collins, the FIM Enduro Commission Director added: “The FIM welcomes our new Promoter for FIM Hard Enduro World Championship and it promises to be exciting times with many new initiatives planned to raise the status of this series. 

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank the previous Promoter and their staff for all the work done in promoting this Championship with the FIM to date and working to ensure that Hard Enduro has maintained its important place in the Enduro community. A lot of work will be needed but I am confident the future of FIM Hard Enduro World Championship is now secure and will grow and be something we will all be proud of.”

Further updates regarding the 2025 season and new sponsorship partners and other news will be announced in the coming weeks.