The 2025 edition of Roof of Africa lived up to its reputation as one of the world’s toughest enduro motorcycle races. Running from the 19th to 22nd November 2025 across the rugged highlands of Lesotho. The event doubled as the Grand Finale of the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship (HEWC), drawing global attention to the “Kingdom in the Sky.”
Roof of Africa is widely known as hard enduro’s defining challenge, earning the nickname “Mother of Hard Enduro.” It tests riders through steep climbs, rough rock, and shifting mountain terrain under extreme conditions. Since it’s inception in 1967, the race has grown from a modest local competition into an international event drawing hundreds of riders worldwide.
2025 Edition’s Race Structure & Participation
This was the 56th edition of Roof of Africa, and over 400 riders from about 15 countries, including Australia, Germany, China, USA, UK, South Africa, Zimbabwe and more took part this year.
The competition ran across four classes as usual: Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Iron. But the format was a little different this year.
• Day 1 (19 Nov): Registration, Press Conference, and a Mass Parade in the city of Maseru.
• Day 2 (20 Nov): Time Trial session at Ha Lebamang to set the starting order for the races.
• Days 3 & 4 (21–22 Nov): Gruelling mountain stages through the terrain of the Maloti mountains — demanding long riding days, technical skill, navigation, stamina and resilience.
Highlights & Final Results
On Day 1 Time Trial, Billy Bolt (Husqvarna) posted the fastest time ahead of Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM) and James Moore (KTM).
Across the three intense days, James Moore, a rising rider — delivered a determined performance, handling the rocky climbs and unpredictable terrain with skill and determination. On the final day, despite navigational difficulties for some, Moore maintained enough consistency to finish with a total time of 10:42:08, securing overall victory in the Gold Class.
The full top 3 (Gold Class) were
1. James Moore (KTM) — Winner, 10:42:08
2. Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM) — +1:52 behind Moore
3. Billy Bolt (Husqvarna) — +5:52 from Moore
Other notable top-5 finishers: Mario Roman (Sherco) 4th, Mitch Brightmore (GasGas) 5th.
In Other classes:
• Silver: Top winner — Grant Burton-Durham
• Bronze: Winner — Stiaan van Den Heever
• Iron: Winner — Gideon Malherbe
Notably, On November 19th, when the event opened it’s doors for early registration and held its official media press conference at Avani Lesotho Hotel & Casino. Four top international riders sat on the press panel; James Moore, Manuel Lettenbichler, Sandra Gomez and Dylan Jones, fielding questions from the gathered media before a single wheel turned in the mountains.
During the session, the MC placed Moore’s season into perspective, reminding the audience that his rise had not been sudden.
“I won’t say this is your breakout season because 2 seasons ago you won the final day of the roof — that’s when everyone remembered your name. And last year you were smashing championships locally, then this year taking down the International Junior Championship. Tell me about your season.”
Moore, calmy acknowledged the roller-coaster season of 2025.
“Yeah, my season started off a little bit shaky, to be honest,” he began, explaining the early back-wheel failure. “Then, yeah, I had an injury after that, at one of the 10 Extreme rounds. I ruptured my kidney. So yeah, it’s been a huge up and down.”
Despite the setbacks, his tone shifted when speaking about the final chapter of his year.
“To finish off… it gets in what the world championship is. I’m really happy, and we have this race, home-race, so it’s really cool to be here, see all the fans, and all the organizers say it’s gonna be a bit of a better year. Last year was crazy, 10-hour days, so i’m hoping for a little bit shorter.”
He smiled and added: “Yeah, i’m keen to get started.”
Another question fired at James pointed out his demanding travel schedule and asked whether schooling still fit into the picture.
“It’s been a very, very busy season for yourself. Are you still crowbarring schooling in there? It looks like you’re traveling every time.”
Moore responded with light humor, but the message was serious. “I’m fortunate enough to have a dad that supports my dream. I’m just focusing on riding now. Taking a gap year, another gap year next year,” he replied cheekily. “I’m trying to focus on racing, and make something out of this.”
James Moore arrived not only to race, but to prove that his breakthrough season has shaped a rider ready to contend amongst champions, and he went on and did just that by winning the gold class with a time of 10:42:08.
the win by a rising rider (James Moore) signals a shift, a “changing of the guard” emphasising that even newcomers, with grit and skill, can prevail.
