The final round of the hard enduro world championship is done and dusted and we’re here to talk about what went down. Crazy to think this is the last episode of the championship season, although not the last of 2027. Hixpania is an iconic event and this year would go down in history. Mario Roman took the win on his home turf and the energy around him when crossing that finish line is nothing short of exhilarating! Mani takes the overall championship win with number 5 under his belt. James Moore managed to hold onto his lead all the way to the end and grab that Junior Hard Enduro Championship Title for the second time in a row.

The weekend consisted of three days of racing starting with a super enduro style track for prologue. Of course we could all have guessed who would have thrived at this track as it certainly doesn’t suite a lot of the hard enduro riders. Nonetheless it offered a lot of excitement and a great watch for fans who braved the cold weather a fading light to show support. We had a good chat with Mike about the rider suspension setup for this race.

The sprint race came with some fast racing, some very unfortunate mechanicals for Tom Scales and some technical rocky terrain. We touch on Billy’s bike for the race as well as how the FIM has an affect on the racing while riders are on track.

The final day would be one to remember with the start of the show being Mario Roman. Starting from the second row, Mario was on top form and quickly moved to the front of the pack where he’d fight alongside Mani for the remainder of the race. A cat and mouse game until the finish. Mario is a legend and a fierce competitor but hadn’t won an FIM race since 2022. Now as his time, in front oof him home crowd, family and fiends. A well deserved win and a refreshing finish to end the season.

Let’s not forget about some of the strategic team player moves pulled by the juniors to get James across that line ahead of Ash. Controversial? Yes, certainly but racing is a game of strategy and as long as we’re not kicking competitions down a hill, it’s all to play for on the track.

We hope you enjoy this episode!

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

00:49 Welcome to Round 8: Hixpania

02:59 Prologue recap

08:38 Billy's mystery new bike

10:37 Ashton vs James

12:43 Sprint race day

14:35 FIM controversy

22:55 Wade Young returns

26:05 Sprint race results

26:47 Main race track breakdown

30:10 Mario Roman's epic comeback

35:38 Team tactics & the championship decider

44:42 Is this the golden age of hard enduro?

53:22 Final championship standings:

57:37 2027 predictions: juniors step up & what's next

With Ashton and James moving up to the premier class in 2027, who do you think will be the bigger threat? And can anyone stop Manny from a sixth title? Let us know in the comments ↓↓↓

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