HEWC vs HEWR

Side by side

The four HEWR tiers

The HEWR sorts races into four tiers and changes the maximum a winner can score. Win at a higher-rated race and the ranking moves further.

A race's tier is not the organiser's choice — it follows the record. Which top riders turn up carries the most weight at 35%, with entry numbers, how international the field is, media coverage, prize money, race duration and crowd size also assessed.

Only one minimum condition is spelled out for entering. The course has to be clearly harder, technically, than motocross or classic enduro — distinguishably so. Beyond that, the organiser fills in the electronic application form correctly and submits the required documents.

How the HEWR came about

2018: WESS begins

The World Enduro Super Series (WESS) started as an attempt to pull hard enduros from around the world into a single series. It is the direct predecessor of today's world championship.

2021: promoted to a FIM world championship

WESS gained FIM world championship status and was renamed the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship. It was the first time hard enduro had a formal world championship of its own.

Erzbergrodeo and Romaniacs were both on that first calendar. WESS Promotion GmbH, based in Wels, Austria, ran it.

2025: the promoter falls away

On 28 February 2025 WESS Promotions announced it was withdrawing from the series, having lost its main sponsor, KTM. For a time the 2025 season itself looked to be in doubt.

On 24 April 2025 the FIM named ProTouchGlobal as the new promoter and the series continued.

2025: two races leave the championship

Under that new arrangement, Erzbergrodeo and Romaniacs decided not to take part in the FIM world championship. Two of the sport's defining events sitting outside the championship set off a considerable argument within the sport.

2026: the HEWR starts up

Karl Katoch of the Erzbergrodeo and Martin Freinademetz of Romaniacs began looking at bringing a different yardstick to international hard enduro. From 2026, the Hard Enduro World Ranking (HEWR) was up and running.

It began in opposition to the world championship, but what came out of it is not a closed system. Rather than one promoter owning a series, it sets out to bring riders, organisers and partners together on equal terms, and a race that meets the criteria is eligible even if it is a HEWC round.

2026: signs of a thaw

Since the start of 2026 there have been reports of "concrete talks" between the HEWR and HEWC sides, and some movement towards repairing the relationship. The current arrangement will not necessarily last.

What this means as a spectator

• "Hardest in the world" does not mean "world championship round." Erzbergrodeo and Romaniacs are as hard as the sport gets, and neither scores FIM world championship points.
• One race can carry two labels. When you see HEWC Rd 4 HEWR Premier together on the calendar, that is not a contradiction — it is being counted on both yardsticks.
• Some races belong to neither. Hiu Selatan in Indonesia is one of many independent races worldwide that award no points at all and still draw the top riders.
• Only the HEWC produces a champion. The HEWR is a ranking, which is a different thing from a championship title.
• None of this is settled. The HEWR only started in 2026, so which races count, how they are rated, and its relationship with the HEWC can all still change.