The USA have won the Vintage Veterans Trophy at the 2026 FIM Enduro Vintage Trophy in Zschopau for the first time. Fred Hoess, Billy Burns and Terry Cunningham secured the historic victory after four days of riding. Austria and Italy completed the podium, while defending champions Germany finished fourth.
The tenth edition brought international classic enduro sport to the Ore Mountains from 30 September to 3 October. According to the organiser MSC MZ, 430 riders took part. The USA used this stage for a team victory, the foundation of which had already been laid before the closing cross test.
Rain stretches the lead
After the opening acceleration test, the second day brought the first major endurance challenge: three different special tests, each to be ridden twice. The USA won the day with an eight-second advantage over Austria. In the overall standings the two teams were still close afterwards, separated by 15 seconds.
On the third day, rain and mud changed the conditions. The US team coped particularly well and extended its lead to more than 1:13 minutes. Fred Hoess won the daily individual classification of the Veterans Trophy. Behind him, Tullio Pellegrinelli and Uwe Weber had an extremely close contest: the Italian finished just two tenths of a second ahead of the German on his MZ.
Austria meanwhile had to get through a technical scare. At the end of the day, the engine of Christian Kaiser’s Puch-Frigerio cut out. By his own account, he was able to push the motorcycle into the work area and replace the bolt that had caused the problem in time. The incident therefore did not lead to the feared retirement.
In the closing cross test, the US team did not let the victory slip. Hoess added a final flourish by winning the Veterans individual classification of this last test.
The Vintage Veterans Trophy result
The official final standings show Austria 1:50.381 minutes behind the USA. Johannes Steinel, Uwe Weber and Bert von Zitzewitz rode for Germany.
- USA – Fred Hoess, Billy Burns, Terry Cunningham
- Austria – Bernhard Walzer, Johann Kaiser, Christian Kaiser
- Italy – Tullio Pellegrinelli, Giorgio Grasso, Enrico Tortoli
- Germany – Johannes Steinel, Uwe Weber, Bert von Zitzewitz
- Czech Republic – Dusan Kotrla, Lubomir Vojkuvka, Rudolf Kavský
German podium places in the Silver Vase and club classification
In the Vintage Silver Vase, the Italian team of Stefano Bosco, Federico Fregnan and Giuseppe Gallino won. Behind them, Silver Vase 17 Kramer Werkxx with Andreas Mosert, Manuel Rüger and Jens Oestreich took second place. MC Simson Suhl secured third place with Jens Ziegenhahn, Oliver Ritz and Matthias Heller, just 3.822 seconds ahead of MC Scuderia Norelli. Silver Vase Germany 1 finished fifth.
Italy also won the Vintage Club Teams: Tagliamento 1 prevailed ahead of two German teams. Club Team Germany 12 with Marcel Triebel, Paul Maria Listl and Mike von Ahlen finished second. Davide von Zitzewitz, Jörg Wildhagen and Richard Minderlein rode to third place for Club Team Germany 2. MSC Mauer added to the strong German result in fourth.
Triebel had already celebrated a special success on the second day of riding: he won the daily individual classification of the club category ahead of Mario Graziani and Davide von Zitzewitz.
The people and motorcycles behind the result
US winner Billy Burns provides a fitting story for this competition. The 58-year-old works as an insurance agent at home and has been racing motorcycles since the age of five. He told the FIM how much it means to him to take part alongside well-known enduro greats and his team-mate Terry Cunningham, who is a member of the AMA Hall of Fame.
Burns already knew the region from the 2012 Six Days. For the Vintage edition, he praised the course layout, adapted to historic motorcycles, with flowing forest sections and short climbs. It is precisely this combination of riding challenge and consideration for the machinery that defines the character of the event.
Zschopau as a fitting stage
The motorcycle town brought its own history with it: enduro sport has been practised here since 1955. The former DKW and MZ factory site served as event centre and paddock. Among historic machines, international teams and the efforts of local helpers, the tenth Vintage Trophy thus also became a gathering of living enduro tradition.
For the USA, Zschopau remains the place of their first Trophy triumph. The next edition has been announced for 25 to 29 August 2027 in Považská Bystrica, Slovakia.
Sources and photo credits
Editorial deadline: 5 October 2026. Results according to the official final standings of 3 October 2026.
- FIM: final report and outlook for 2027, 3 October 2026.
- Official final standings: Vintage Veterans Trophy, 3 October 2026. The stated margin is derived from the difference between the team results.
- Official final standings: Vintage Silver Vase, 3 October 2026.
- Official final standings: Vintage Club Teams, 3 October 2026.
- FIM: report on the second day of riding, 1 October 2026.
- FIM: report on the third day of riding, 2 October 2026.
- FIM: profile of Billy Burns, 2 October 2026.
- FIM: event preview and background on Zschopau, 29 September 2026.
- MSC MZ Zschopau: organiser’s review with participant numbers, accessed on 5 October 2026.
- Article photo 1: Prize-giving of the 2026 Vintage Veterans Trophy in Zschopau. © Future7Media; original source FIM, published on 3 October 2026.
- Article photo 2: Fred Hoess on his Husqvarna at the 2026 finale. © Future7Media; original source FIM, published on 3 October 2026.
- Separate title and social banners: AI-assisted editorial collages based on the two photos by Future7Media mentioned above. Logos: FIM and FIM Enduro Vintage Trophy from the official event graphic of MSC MZ.
