The final round of the 2026 Manx MTB Enduro Series, sponsored by Limitless Cycles, took riders deep into the northern plantations last weekend, with stages set in Ballure, Brookdale and Skyhill.

Race day turned out be among the wettest to date as competitors faced steep chutes, river-like stages and treacherous routes, making conditions especially tough.

The original plan was to run the standard five stages but, with the forecast for very heavy rain for the day, the route was reduced to four stages.

The usual route through Ballure plantation rode well as these stages tend to hold their own in the wet, then it was the big hike up to the top of Brookdale for 'Jaffa Snake'. The final climb was up through Glen Auldyn to the top of Sky Hill for the steep 'Poison Dwarf' stage with a redesigned final descent.

In the main enduro class, local hill hero Max Hitchen rode a smart race and won all stages apart from the final run down Sky Hill from the ever-improving Joey Huyton who took the stage five by only one second.

Only 20 seconds separated these fast guys at the close as Tom ‘Tweeks’ Dawson - fresh from a trip to the Alps - slotted into third, with Harry Corrin a further 17 seconds back in fourth overall.

Only two women braved the challenging conditions, sisters Coral and Sunny Hegginbotham dug deep and rode exceptionally well, Coral taking another win over her older sister.

The e-bike class was well supported and Factory Orange rider Isaac Batty slid down a class to take a comfortable cruise for the win over Liam Crellin, closely followed by downhill racer Jim Marshall.

With a win and a second for the season, Hitchen took his first overall championship from Huyton.

- Manx MTB Enduro wishes to thank Jack for the medical support, the Dingbats and Max marking crew, all marshals, Matt Ward for timing the event and Limitless Cycles for the generous awards.

Full results are available at www.manxmtbenduro.com.

- The next event will be the Funduro which takes place on Saturday, December 5.