It was a difficult day in the mountains for Offroad Day 1 at Red Bull Romaniacs, round four of the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship.
Looking like he’d never missed a beat Manuel Lettenbichler ruled the opening day in the mountains at round four of the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship in Romania. Despite missing round three due to a knee injury, Lettenbichler never put a foot wrong on Offroad Day 1 at Red Bull Romaniacs to lead everyone home by over 28 minutes.
Behind him, things were tighter, with Sherco Factory Racing’s Mario Roman finishing the day in second, four minutes ahead of Red Bull Leader Wade Young in third.
After Tuesday’s action-packed in-city Prolog, won by Jonny Walker, attention quickly turned to Offroad Day 1 of Red Bull Romaniacs. Predicted to be the hardest day of this year’s world’s toughest Hard Enduro Rally, its expectations soon rung out to be true.
With punishing section after punishing section, the Gold class competitors were in the deep end from the word go. And despite a turn in weather conditions towards the end of the day to rain, which saw organisers cut the course one checkpoint short, it was an eight-hour-plus day of racing for many.
Starting first on the road, Lettenbichler was on a mission from the off. Clearly back to his best following his knee injury, he immediately began putting time into his rivals, in spite of the difficult task of opening the course.
Fastest through the first six checkpoints, he built up a commanding lead. Arriving at the LEATT LIVEmaniacs section first, he was able to complete two of the three loops before another rider arrived. Focused on keeping his relentless pace alive, the German charged on. Reaching the finish line in just over seven hours saw him take control of the overall race lead by a commanding 29 minutes (Prolog and Offroad Day 1 results combined).
The fight for second was tighter. With a later start time, Roman was also pushing hard to gain ground. Steadily working his way up the leaderboard, a strong ride through the LIVEmaniacs saw him set two of the three second-fastest times. Remaining inside the top three during the second half of the day, he earned himself the Offroad Day 1 runner-up result on corrected time and moves up to second in the overall event classification.
Young was another rider striving in the demanding terrain. Using the LIVEmaniacs stage to find his rhythm, he was able to maintain that pace as the day progressed. Steadily chipping away, he ended his day in third.
Austria’s Michael Walkner was one more rider who overcame a late start position and ended his day inside the top four. Despite being caught in traffic during the morning, he set some notable top times in the second half of the day to finish fourth. Placing just 52 seconds behind Young on Offroad Day 1, he will hope to attack again tomorrow with a clearer track.
Completing the top five on Offroad Day 1 was Sherco Factory Racing’s Teodor Kabakchiev. The Bulgarian finished just over four minutes behind Walkner in what was a tough day in the saddle.
In the FIM Hard Enduro Junior World Championship supported by KLIM, it was Mitch Brightmore who topped the time sheets with seventh overall. Racing his first-ever Offroad Day at Red Bull Romaniacs, Brightmore held his nerve. Keeping a solid pace throughout the day, the young Brit managed to reach the finish line in eight hours and 46 minutes.
Provisional Results: FIM HEWC Round Four, Red Bull Romaniacs
Offroad Day 1
1 Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM) 7:07:42
2 Mario Roman (Sherco) 7:35:53
3 Wade Young (GASGAS) 7:40:04
4 Michael Walkner (GASGAS) 7:40:57
5 Teodor Kabakchiev (Sherco) 7:45:14
6 Graham Jarvis (Husqvarna) 8:40:07
7 Mitch Brightmore (Husqvarna) 8:46:04
8 Jonny Walker (Beta) 8:48:11
9 Francesc Moret (Sherco) 10:40:39
10 Sonny Goggia (KTM) 10:40:52
Event Classification (After Offroad Day 1)
1 Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM) 7:08:22
2 Mario Roman (Sherco) 7:37:23
3 Wade Young (GASGAS) 7:41:14
4 Michael Walkner (GASGAS) 7:43:27
5 Teodor Kabakchiev (Sherco) 7:47:14
6 Graham Jarvis (Husqvarna) 8:46:17
7 Mitch Brightmore (Husqvarna) 8:47:04
8 Jonny Walker (Beta) 8:48:11
9 Francesc Moret (Sherco) 10:42:19
10 Sonny Goggia (KTM) 10:44:12
