The Extreme Enduro world elite gathered for five days at the Romanian city of Sibiu to conquer one of the most brutal races worldwide. The Red Bull Romaniacs held in the Carpathian Mountains are known to offer all sorts of gruesome difficulties hardly rideable on a motorcyle. Following the legendary and spectacular Incity-Prologue - where riders race across stones, trees, cars and variations of artificial obstacles, the competitors were sent through the backyard of Lord Dracula. Endless rain and an unforgiving terrain would continously test the mental and physical strength of the field for the next four days. The course eventually turned into a muddy and slippery mess beyond imagination.
Andreas "Letti" Lettenbichler arrived as the defending champion. The Team BMW Husqvarna Motorsport rider placed fourth in the prologue, respectively determining his starting position. "I got caught between trees very early and had to come from behind to finish fourth. I knew from last year that this is no disadvantage," Letti said after the prologue.
The relentless rain made things very, very challenging. Deep soil, gnarly climbs without traction and freightening downhill sections on wet grass already separated the men from the boys on day one. Lettenbichler, like so many others, somehow couldn't avoid to crash, suffering a slightly broken rib in the incident. The Bavarian gritted his teeth and kept fighting through the remainder of the race. Despite the painful injury, Lettenbichler managed to win day two by 24 minutes over Paul Bolton. The following days he scored a third and fourth place to capture third position overall.
Andi Lettenbichler: "I had a similar strong starting situation like last year: fourth in the prologue. So far, so good. But then came problems with the event itself. Given the circumstances, the first day was too long. You simply had to drive yourself into the ground to keep going. Pretty much everyone went battered and bruised into the second day. I'm no crybaby for sure, but this was no fun. Most sections might have been rideable in the dry, but there was no way to make them in the wet. The organisers should have skipped some of the most gnarly up- and downhills. Altogether I'm quite satisfied, though. The bike worked well in these conditions and finishing on the podium isn't too bad."
Red Bull Romaniacs, Pro-Class
1. Chris Birch (NZL), KTM, 28:17:31 hrs
2. Graham Jarvis (GBR), Sherco, 28:46:12
3. Andreas Lettenbichler (GER), BMW Husqvarna Motorsport, 29:18:29
4. Paul Bolton (GBR), KTM, 29:52:12
5. Jade Gutzeit (RSA), KTM, 30:21:32
6. Lionel Seydoux (SUI), KTM, 33:21:58
7. Gerhard Forster (GER), BMW, 35:47:18
8. Darryl Curtis (RSA), KTM, 40:06:41
9. Emanuel Gyenes (ROM), KTM, 42:10:59
10. Erich Brandauer (AUT), Husaberg, 42:36:54
Andreas "Letti" Lettenbichler arrived as the defending champion. The Team BMW Husqvarna Motorsport rider placed fourth in the prologue, respectively determining his starting position. "I got caught between trees very early and had to come from behind to finish fourth. I knew from last year that this is no disadvantage," Letti said after the prologue.
The relentless rain made things very, very challenging. Deep soil, gnarly climbs without traction and freightening downhill sections on wet grass already separated the men from the boys on day one. Lettenbichler, like so many others, somehow couldn't avoid to crash, suffering a slightly broken rib in the incident. The Bavarian gritted his teeth and kept fighting through the remainder of the race. Despite the painful injury, Lettenbichler managed to win day two by 24 minutes over Paul Bolton. The following days he scored a third and fourth place to capture third position overall.
Andi Lettenbichler: "I had a similar strong starting situation like last year: fourth in the prologue. So far, so good. But then came problems with the event itself. Given the circumstances, the first day was too long. You simply had to drive yourself into the ground to keep going. Pretty much everyone went battered and bruised into the second day. I'm no crybaby for sure, but this was no fun. Most sections might have been rideable in the dry, but there was no way to make them in the wet. The organisers should have skipped some of the most gnarly up- and downhills. Altogether I'm quite satisfied, though. The bike worked well in these conditions and finishing on the podium isn't too bad."
Red Bull Romaniacs, Pro-Class
1. Chris Birch (NZL), KTM, 28:17:31 hrs
2. Graham Jarvis (GBR), Sherco, 28:46:12
3. Andreas Lettenbichler (GER), BMW Husqvarna Motorsport, 29:18:29
4. Paul Bolton (GBR), KTM, 29:52:12
5. Jade Gutzeit (RSA), KTM, 30:21:32
6. Lionel Seydoux (SUI), KTM, 33:21:58
7. Gerhard Forster (GER), BMW, 35:47:18
8. Darryl Curtis (RSA), KTM, 40:06:41
9. Emanuel Gyenes (ROM), KTM, 42:10:59
10. Erich Brandauer (AUT), Husaberg, 42:36:54
