Bolt warns of escalating ‘danger arms race’ in Enduro track design
Billy Bolt has expressed concern over what he calls an intensifying “danger arms race” in the construction of Enduro tracks, disagreeing that recent changes favor drama over safety. His scathing critique comes against the backdrop of controversial rule alterations and eleventh-hour course changes at the Hixpania Hard Enduro, an event that he feels represented a watershed moment of rider discontent.
Spectacle versus sport: when design is a liability
Bolt maintains that race promoters are becoming increasingly interested in including dramatic race features like giant “X-loops” and challenging hill climbs as a way of stimulating viewer interest. “We feel like we’re being compelled to entertain like circus animals at the end of a race stage, which we believe is unnecessary,” he noted. According to him, the real peril lies in the pursuit of extremes just for highlight-reel footage or social media content as opposed to keeping the competitive spirit going.
He detailed how riders had agreed on Friday to push back on new track elements they felt were excessive, but organizers refused to compromise. Bolt warned: “If we do this, this will then become the new norm… it’ll just become a competition of who has the maddest contraption to get to the finish line.” The sentiment resonated among riders who fear that safety margins are being eroded for spectacle’s sake.
What does that bode for the future of Enduro?
Bolt’s emotional protest could be the catalyst of a paradigm shift of Hard Enduro governing. A riders’ association—something he referred to in his vlog—gives tremendous impetus to the unified protest. Keeping in mind that the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship is still at its nascent stage (as it only became a full world championship in 2021),
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This could bring about a re-evaluation by race promoters and governing bodies of the balance of a course’s extremity against the safety that it is able to preserve.
There is a pattern of safety enhancements following protest by riders. In motocross racing and other racing events, fatal disasters have always followed course redesigns and enhanced regulations
Bolt’s voice calls for increased pressure for reforms: tighter controls, standards for ratification of tracks, clearer definitions between “challenging” and “dangerous,” and possibly independent review panels. If the organizers hold out, Bolt’s threat could be a battle cry—eliciting intervention from governing bodies, ahead of more riders insisting on enforcing changes on the day of racing.