Roof of Africa 2026 Gold Time Trial Results, James Moore Takes Victory

James Moore has taken official victory in the Gold Time Trial at the 2026 Roof of Africa, beating Manuel Lettenbichler and Ashton Brightmore, but the biggest talking point from the opening day is Mitch Brightmore.

The GASGAS rider produced the fastest raw second-lap time of the entire Gold field, but a five-minute penalty for moving out of his allocated grid position dropped him from a potential winning position to ninth in the official classification.

With the 2026 Roof of Africa now moving into its main race stages, the Time Trial has already provided an indication that the battle at the front could be much closer than the championship standings suggest.

Roof of Africa 2026 Gold Time Trial Results

Pos	Rider	Best Time	Gap
1	James Moore	25:01.91	—
2	Manuel Lettenbichler	25:17.65	+15.74
3	Ashton Brightmore	25:18.35	+16.44
4	Teodor Kabakchiev	26:11.04	+1:09.13
5	Wade Young	26:20.74	+1:18.83
6	Matthew Green	27:08.41	+2:06.50
7	Thomas Scales	28:34.41	+3:32.50
8	Lorenzo Gandola	28:34.44	+3:32.53
9	Mitch Brightmore	29:11.99	+4:10.08
10	Matt Stevens	31:05.61	+6:03.70

Official Gold Time Trial classification.

James Moore Starts the Roof of Africa Perfectly

James Moore couldn't have asked for a better opening to the 2026 Roof of Africa.

The South African rider set the fastest official Gold Time Trial time with a 25:01.91, finishing just 15.74 seconds ahead of Manuel Lettenbichler.

More importantly, Moore improved dramatically between his two runs.

His opening lap was recorded at 27:16.48, but he came back with a second lap of 25:01.91 to take the top position.

That second run was the difference.

Moore's performance is particularly interesting because he isn't simply arriving at the Roof of Africa as another local rider hoping to surprise the international stars. He enters the event seventh in the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship standings after a strong Abestone weekend, where he finished fourth overall and took the Junior World Championship win.

The official championship picture before the Roof had Moore on 69 points.

Now he has started the most important race of the weekend with the fastest Gold Time Trial time.

That is a statement.

Lettenbichler Is Only 15 Seconds Away

Manuel Lettenbichler finished second, just 15.74 seconds behind Moore.

On paper, that is an excellent start for the championship leader.

The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider arrived in Lesotho with a 24-point advantage over Mitch Brightmore after winning the previous round at Abestone.

He also has unfinished business at the Roof of Africa.

Lettenbichler has won almost everything there is to win in Hard Enduro, but the Roof remains one of the major races missing from his résumé. Lettenbichler has twice finished runner-up at the race without taking the overall victory.

His second-place Time Trial result therefore gives him a strong platform heading into the longer race days.

But there is an important detail.

He isn't miles ahead.

He is only 15.74 seconds behind Moore, while Ashton Brightmore is just 0.70 seconds further back.

That makes the opening Gold battle extremely tight.

Ashton Brightmore Almost Matches Lettenbichler

Ashton Brightmore produced one of the most interesting improvements of the Time Trial.

The younger Brightmore completed his opening lap in 30:33.02, placing him sixth at that stage.

But on his second run he dropped the time dramatically to 25:18.35.

That was enough to move him into third overall.

The final gap to Lettenbichler was just 0.70 seconds.

That is particularly significant when considering the nature of the Roof of Africa.

A Time Trial is obviously different from the main race, but a result this close suggests Ashton has the speed to run with the leading championship contenders once the race moves into the mountains.

Mitch Brightmore's Result Doesn't Tell the Whole Story

The official classification makes Mitch Brightmore look like one of the biggest losers of the Time Trial.

It really doesn't tell the whole story.

Brightmore's official time is listed as 29:11.99, putting him ninth.

However, the results show that he received a five-minute penalty for moving out of his given grid position.

His actual second-lap time was 24:11.99.

That was the fastest raw lap of the entire Gold field.

And it wasn't close.

Mitch's 24:11.99 was:

• 49.92 seconds faster than James Moore's winning time
• 1:05.66 faster than Lettenbichler
• 1:06.36 faster than Ashton Brightmore
• 1:59.05 faster than Kabakchiev

So while Moore officially wins the Time Trial, Brightmore's raw pace is arguably the biggest talking point from the opening Gold session.

Without the five-minute penalty, Brightmore would have been at the sharp end of the classification.

That changes how his weekend should be viewed.

He hasn't suddenly lost the speed that made him Lettenbichler's closest championship rival.

If anything, the Time Trial suggests that the pace is there.

The problem is that he now starts the main race having given away a significant amount of ground through the penalty.

The Five-Minute Penalty Could Become Very Important

The penalty was issued for moving out of the given grid position.

That may look like a relatively minor administrative issue compared with what lies ahead in the Maloti Mountains, but Time Trial results can have an important influence on the race weekend.

A five-minute difference at the front of a Hard Enduro is enormous.

And Brightmore's raw time demonstrates just how much performance has effectively been removed from his official result.

That makes Friday's Gold race particularly interesting.

Brightmore will need to recover from the consequences of the Time Trial while Lettenbichler, Moore and Ashton Brightmore all head into the next stage with strong official results behind them.

Teodor Kabakchiev and Wade Young Inside the Top Five

Teodor Kabakchiev produced a solid fourth-place Time Trial with a 26:11.04.

The Sherco rider was 1:09.13 behind Moore and 52.69 seconds behind Ashton Brightmore.

That leaves Kabakchiev within striking distance of the leading group, although the gap becomes more significant once the race moves away from the controlled environment of a Time Trial.

Wade Young was fifth on 26:20.74, only 9.70 seconds behind Kabakchiev.

Young is particularly interesting at the Roof because of his experience in extreme South African terrain.

The South African is one of the riders capable of making the home advantage count once the Gold field moves into the longer mountain stages.

His Time Trial result doesn't put him directly into the leading battle, but it gives him a strong starting point.

Lorenzo Gandola and Thomas Scales Separated by Just 0.03 Seconds

Further down the classification, Thomas Scales and Lorenzo Gandola produced almost identical times.

Scales finished seventh in 28:34.41, while Gandola was eighth in 28:34.44.

The difference?

Just 0.03 seconds.

That is the sort of margin that demonstrates how important every small mistake can become when riders are racing against the clock.

What the Time Trial Means for the Main Roof of Africa Race

The Time Trial doesn't decide the Roof of Africa.

That's the first thing to remember.

The Gold riders now move into the main race stages, with the event moving into the major stages of the 2026 Roof of Africa.

And that is where the real test begins.

The Roof of Africa is not simply a fast lap around a motocross-style circuit.

The event is built around the Maloti Mountains of Lesotho, with long mountain sections, technical terrain and major changes in altitude.

That means the Time Trial can tell us who has speed.

It cannot tell us who will have the strongest combination of speed, endurance, navigation, technical ability and mechanical reliability over the full event.

And that distinction could be crucial.

Lettenbichler Still Has the Championship Advantage

From a championship perspective, Lettenbichler remains in a very strong position.

Before the Roof, the KTM rider led Brightmore by 24 points, with Teodor Kabakchiev third and Ashton Brightmore fourth.

The Roof is the sixth round of the championship, with three rounds remaining after Lesotho.

The Time Trial doesn't change that championship picture by itself.

But it does add another layer to the fight.

Lettenbichler has started the weekend second.

Mitch Brightmore has demonstrated the fastest raw lap but lost five minutes through his penalty.

Ashton Brightmore is only 16.44 seconds behind Moore.

And Moore has just beaten all three of them on the official clock.

That is a fascinating combination going into the first major race day.

My Take: The Roof Battle Could Be Much Closer Than the Standings Suggest

If there is one conclusion to take from the Gold Time Trial, it is that the championship points don't necessarily tell us who has the most pace around the Roof of Africa.

Lettenbichler arrives as the championship leader and finished second in the Time Trial.

That is exactly what he needed.

But Moore's victory shows that the South African rider is capable of putting serious pressure on the factory stars.

Ashton Brightmore is less than a second behind Lettenbichler.

And Mitch Brightmore's raw 24:11.99 is impossible to ignore.

Had Brightmore not received the five-minute penalty, the opening day would have looked completely different.

Instead of sitting ninth on the official classification, he would have been at the very front of the Gold fight.

That makes him one of the riders I'll be watching most closely when the proper racing begins.

The question is whether he can turn that raw speed into a result.

Who Has the Momentum After the Time Trial?

James Moore

Best official result: P1
Time: 25:01.91

Moore has the biggest confidence boost after taking the official Time Trial win. He also showed an enormous improvement between his first and second runs.

Manuel Lettenbichler

Best official result: P2
Time: 25:17.65

Lettenbichler starts the race exactly where he needs to be: near the front and ahead of his principal championship rival.

Ashton Brightmore

Best official result: P3
Time: 25:18.35

Only 0.70 seconds separated Ashton from Lettenbichler. His second-lap improvement was particularly impressive.

Mitch Brightmore

Official result: P9
Official time: 29:11.99
Raw second lap: 24:11.99

The result is misleading if you only look at the classification. Brightmore had the fastest raw second lap but carries the consequences of his five-minute penalty into the next stage.

Teodor Kabakchiev

Best official result: P4
Time: 26:11.04

A solid opening from the Sherco rider, keeping him within just over a minute of the winner.

Wade Young

Best official result: P5
Time: 26:20.74

The South African is close enough to the front to remain a genuine threat once the race heads deeper into the mountains.

What Happens Next?

The Gold riders now move into the main stages of the 2026 Roof of Africa.

And after the Time Trial, there are several questions that need answering.

Can James Moore turn his Time Trial victory into a major overall result?

Can Lettenbichler finally convert his speed and championship form into his first Roof of Africa victory?

Can Ashton Brightmore stay with the leading pair once the terrain becomes more demanding?

And perhaps most importantly, can Mitch Brightmore recover from a five-minute penalty after demonstrating that he had the outright speed to set the fastest raw lap?

The answers will come in the mountains.

For now, James Moore leads the official Gold Time Trial classification, but Mitch Brightmore has arguably given everyone the biggest warning.

His 24:11.99 second lap was the fastest time anyone produced.

The penalty changed the results.

It may not change the pace.

And that could make the next two days very interesting.

Roof of Africa 2026 Gold Time Trial, Official Top 10

1. James Moore — 25:01.91
2. Manuel Lettenbichler — 25:17.65 (+15.74)
3. Ashton Brightmore — 25:18.35 (+16.44)
4. Teodor Kabakchiev — 26:11.04 (+1:09.13)
5. Wade Young — 26:20.74 (+1:18.83)
6. Matthew Green — 27:08.41 (+2:06.50)
7. Thomas Scales — 28:34.41 (+3:32.50)
8. Lorenzo Gandola — 28:34.44 (+3:32.53)
9. Mitch Brightmore — 29:11.99 (+4:10.08)
10. Matt Stevens — 31:05.61 (+6:03.70)