ROCKSTAR ENERGY HUSQVARNA FACTORY RACING HEAD TO THE USA FOR TKO.
HARD ENDURO STARS BILLY BOLT AND ALFREDO GOMEZ FOCUSED ON TENNESSEE KNOCKOUT PODIUM.
With little time to rest following round four of the 2021 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Billy Bolt and Alfredo Gomez return to hard enduro action this coming weekend as they head to the USA to take on the Tennessee Knockout Extreme Enduro (TKO).
Competing in the event for the first time, racing at TKO will be a completely new experience for both Billy and Alfredo. Confident of podium results and despite a tough week in Romania, both are ready for the fast and furious racing at the North American event.
Focused on getting back to his winning ways, Billy Bolt is looking to repeat the form that took him to victory at Abestone Hard Enduro. With the racing against the clock and racing head-to-head nature of TKO in many ways similar to SuperEnduro, Billy knows that the event should suit him well. Wanting to close in on Hard Enduro World Championship leader Mani Lettenbichler, Billy is ready to give his all and fight for the event win.
Determined to put his challenging outing at Romaniacs behind him, despite having not raced at TKO before, Alfredo Gomez knows the venue well – something he hopes will aid his chances of battling for a top-three result. Carrying a small rib injury into the event, Alfredo is nevertheless ready to take on the fifth round of the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship.
Following his recent injury and subsequent knee surgery, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s third hard enduro racer Graham Jarvis will not be competing at TKO.
Now in its 11th year, TKO features a multi-round knockout format. Each round is different with riders racing both against the clock and head-to-head. Known for its highly technical terrain, both short and long courses are used during the event as competitors are eliminated down to a final of 15 riders.
Round five of the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship takes place in Sequatchie, Tennessee, USA on August 13-15.
Billy Bolt:“I’m really looking forward to TKO this weekend. It’s going to be my first time at the event, and I can’t wait for it. It’ll actually be the first time I’ve raced in the States – the only other time I’ve been there was for a holiday when I was four years old. I’ve seen and heard a lot of positive stuff about TKO, so all-in-all I’m really excited to get over there and get racing. It looks very, very different to Romaniacs – super short, really intense, and very technical – so I’m hoping that it will really suit me. There’s going to be some strong competition, and it’ll be cool to race against the US riders on their home soil. I have a few points I need to earn to catch Mani in the championship after Romaniacs, so I’m ready to do that. I’m feeling good and looking forward to it all.”
Alfredo Gomez:“I’m certainly hoping that things will go better for me in in the USA than they did in Romania. Things really didn’t go the way I hoped they would there, but I’m ready and looking forward to TKO. In Romania I hit my ribs hard, which aren’t 100%, but no excuses, I will be ready to fight for the podium in Tennessee. It will be my first time at TKO, but I have very happy memories from that place because it’s where I took my first podium in world trial, in 2005, I think. I hope I can have a good race and be on the podium.”
Text/Bild: Husqvarna