Lookback On Mani Lettenbichler’s ‘Perfect Season’ And How He Dominated Every Race
Few riders in motorsport history can claim perfection, but in 2023 Mani Lettenbichler did exactly that. At just 26, the German hard enduro sensation became the first rider ever to deliver a flawless FIM Hard Enduro World Championship season – six races, six wins, and a place in history.
Lettenbichler appeared on the Just Ride podcast to look back on that magical run, describing the year as “probably the hardest year ever.” It was, however, a year that left him with “so much confidence” that sometimes he felt like “you’re not going to lose anymore.”
Mani Lettenbichler shows what made the year 2023 stand.
Consistency in a routine that always challenges riders with varying terrains, formats, and lengths proved the deciding factor for Lettenbichler. “Every race is just so diverse, anything may occur,” he said. “However, by mid-season you feel like saying, I’m still winning… perhaps I could do that till the end of the world.”
He secured the championship with a race to spare, ultimately achieving a clean sweep before his adoring home fans. The Erzberg Rodeo, where merely nine riders crossed the finish line in 2023, served to highlight his dominance. At one moment, he turned to his rival, Billy Bolt, and declared, “I have never ridden better.”
The perfect season came with its own set of pressures. “By the end of the season, I was really freaking out, more or less, about delivering a perfect season,” Lettenbichler confessed. “I delivered a perfect season – and it’s become part of history.”
What drives him after perfection?
Having climbed to the top at such an early stage of life, the next question is: what compels him? Lettenbichler is humble as usual, saying, “There’s one day coming up when one guy’s gonna beat me, and I’m completely fine with it.” Nonetheless, his journey is far from complete. Standing at three Erzberg Rodeo wins, the intention is crystal clear: matching or breaking the five-win record.
More than winning, he aspires to lift the sport itself higher: “I’d like to make Hard Enduro bigger in Germany… not only like a motorbike racer, but like a sportsman that people know.”
A perfect season could mean invincibility but that which comes across strongly is Lettenbichler’s hunger coupled with humility. History is already his – but there is a feel that he’s only just began.