Billy Bolt performed magic in the MVM Dome! The three-time world champion from Britain won all three races in the Prestige category at the Superenduro GP of Hungary in front of 13,000 ecstatic spectators. Apart from him, the two Hungarian racers, Márk Szőke and Roland Liszka, received the biggest applause.
Five out of five – that’s Billy Bolt’s score in this year’s Superenduro World Championship. The brilliant British rider arrived at the Budapest race with a knee injury (in fact, he raced in the previous one like that too), but once he got on the Husqvarna, it seemed like all his pain vanished.
Billy Bolt won the first race even though he fell once (colliding with a lapped rider), the second one starting from the back of the pack (it was a reverse-grid race), and the third one by taking the lead after three corners and leaving everyone else behind. That’s what they call a perfect race.
“The track was excellent, the stadium was almost completely filled with people who created a fantastic atmosphere, and I raced as hard as I could. But now I definitely need some rest and recovery,” said Bolt.
For his main rival, compatriot Jonathan Walker, the race didn’t go as planned at all. He fell multiple times, three or four times in the second race, so it was a nightmare overall, making it quite difficult to get back into rhythm afterwards. While he secured second place, it was little consolation for him because he wanted to battle with Bolt.
Márk Szőke, the Hungarian competitor in the Prestige category, finished second in the European Cup last year (which almost blew up the arena), and this year he has moved up to the premier category, where he undoubtedly has a lot to learn. But race by race, he’s getting faster, he’s already gained a lot of valuable experience, and who knows where he’ll end up?
“I’m glad I could race in front of the home crowd; the atmosphere was amazing, as it always is at Hungarian races. In this category, truly the world’s best riders are competing, so it’s a constant grind, which is very exhausting. That’s why even though I started each race strong, I got tired by the second half. It’s a bit like gladiator fighting, they throw us into the arena, and it’s life or death. Despite being very challenging, I really liked the track,” said Szőke.
In the junior category, Roland Liszka was close to second place in the third race, but he got tangled up with some lapped riders ahead of him and couldn’t avoid them. He finished in fifth place, which was disappointing for him. “I really wanted to podium in the last race; I held onto second place for a long time, but the repeated falls sealed my fate,” he said at the end of the race. “I feel like I did everything I could, but this was just not enough.”
Norbert Zsigovits, a regular member of the superenduro field, unfortunately had to sit this one out due to a hand injury, so he could only watch (and occasionally provide on-site expertise) as a spectator. Seeing the enthusiastic fans, his heart probably ached more than his hand.
However, he can take comfort in knowing that he’ll have another chance to showcase himself in front of the home crowd, as it was announced at the end of the race: on February 8, 2025, the Superenduro World Championship field will once again be hosted at the MVM Dome.
