The DOWATEK HardEnduroSeries Germany round four in hot Reisersberg in the very bottom of Bavaria for the Hexenkessel – Felix Bahker takes surprise victory.

With temperatures around 34 degrees and an “extremely challenging track” designed by MCC Reisersberg to include “everything possible in off-road”, the latest round of the German Hard Enduro Series was always going to be a tough one.

Hexenkessel Hard Enduro Fast Facts:

Weather: 33 degrees, sunny

Prolog Award Winner: Jordan Scott (Moto-TM)

Winner: Felix Bähker (Sherco)

Fastest Lap: Lenny Geretzky (GASGAS), 09:51,107

Jordan Scott wins the prologue

Alongside the many regular series riders, traditionally  the Reisersberg round attracts different nationalities due to the proximity with Austria and Czech Republic. However, the award for furthest travelled goes to Northern Irishman Jordan Scott.

Riding as a guest for the same team who entered him into the last SuperEnduro rounds of the 2023 season, the WieczorekGP Team, Jordan set the fastest time in the prologue on the TM. Fynn Hannemann took his best Prolog results ever in second which earns him the top position in the Prolog Award's annual ranking.

Prologue results (top 10):

Group race wins for Bähker and Wulf

134 participants faced their first real challenge in the group races. Starting in rows of 10 based on the Prolog results, dust was a major issue from the off as it spread back over the rows of waiting riders. When the lead riders arrived back at the start seven minutes later, chaos caused the organisers to halt for safety reasons.

What happened? Due to the dense dust, some riders lost track of the correct route and mistakenly turned onto the prologue track.

MCC Reisersberg promptly responded and resolved the issues for a restart with more distance between the rows and all riders on the correct course. Additionally, the race distance was shortened to just 60 minutes. The same applied to the second group race to ensure equal conditions for both groups.

“Our goal is fairness and equal conditions for everyone.” Explained series organiser Denis Günther. “It would have been unfair to let the second group race for a longer duration, especially considering they had a shorter break before the final. Given the temperatures, this was the better decision for all.”

When the dust settled Felix Bähker and Marc Wulf took the two group race wins. Bähker possibly faced stronger competitors in Lenny Geretzky and Scott who encountered early clutch problems, yet still managed to secure third place on his TM.

Leon Hentschel, the returning rider, initially held back but secured a safe spot in the final with a sixth-place finish. Kevin Gallas would have also made it to the final, despite having to retire his “Youngtimer” Honda early due to motor issues in the hot temperatures and challenging hills. To avoid further damage, Gallas decided not to compete in the final.

In the second group race, Marc Wulf secured the victory after overtaking Hannemann for the win.

Bähker storms the final

With a tailwind from Erzbergrodeo, Felix Bähker entered the Reiserberg race having completed his education to focus on enduro and it seems to be paying off.

In the first lap, Bähker effortlessly mastered all the challenges and returned with a significant lead ahead of some exciting battles behind.

Bähker went on to secure his first overall victory with a consistent ride which bodes well for the future. “Initially, I had a duel with Marc, but he made a mistake that allowed me to take the lead. I then focused on not making any errors and rode the same lines every lap. It all worked out, and I'm already looking forward to Gefrees.” Bahker is also entered for Red Bull Romaniacs next week.

Leon Hentschel, the two-time series champion, made a very successful return the HESG and finished in second place: “Considering I have only been riding motorcycles again for three weeks, this is the best possible result I could achieve, and I didn’t expect it. It was a tough challenge today in the heat, but the track was a lot of fun.”

Behind, an intense battle for the third-place position unfolded with Wulf holding firm but Geretzky closed in and managed to secure a place on the podium in their Thuringian duel. In the final lap, Geretzky had enough stamina to even set the fastest lap.

Hexenkessel Reiserberg Hard Enduro results (top 10):

Championship closes up

In the overall standings, the top three positions have grown closer. Lenny Geretzky and Marc Wulf are now tied at the top, closely followed by Felix Bähker only five points behind at this half way point in the series.

The class rankings also remain wide open especially in the Juniors category where Felix Bähker and Lenny Geretzky are tied at the top, closely followed by Fynn Hannemann with a slight lag – these three juniors are setting the series on fire.

The winners in Reisersberg were Leon Hentschel (Pro), Felix Bähker (Juniors), Eva Täuber (Women), Gerhard Kerschbaumer (Amateurs), and Rene Jerbach (Seniors).The next race of the series will take place on August 5 in Gefrees.

More information and full results: www.hardenduro-germany.de

Photo Credit: Michel238pic | Michel Kuchel