The world of Hard Enduro is set for a further shake-up in 2025, with both the Red Bull Erzbergrodeo and Red Bull Romaniacs announcing they will not be part of the recently revived official FIM Hard Enduro World Championship this year.
Instead, the two flagship events will award their own separate, self-proclaimed world championship titles.
In a joint statement, event organisers Karl Katoch (Red Bull Erzbergrodeo) and Martin Freinademetz (Red Bull Romaniacs) confirmed their decision to go their own way:
“Neither Red Bull Erzbergrodeo nor Red Bull Romaniacs will be part of the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship calendar in 2025. Rather, both events will stick to their decision to award their own world championship titles for their racing events.”
The announcement follows news that the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship—initially cancelled for 2025 due to the withdrawal of primary backer KTM Group—will now go ahead under a new promoter, ProTouchGlobal GmbH. However, the late change appears to have created uncertainty among key stakeholders.
Citing a lack of information and unresolved organisational questions, Katoch and Freinademetz said they could not commit to joining the newly promoted official FIM series under the current conditions.
“In order to participate in an international race series with our events, we would still like to have more information than the new promoter can provide in such a short period of time. Unfortunately, there are currently too many unanswered questions and too few agreements at the moment.”
As a result, the 2025 Red Bull Erzbergrodeo will crown the Extreme Enduro World Champion, while the Red Bull Romaniacs will award the title of Extreme Enduro Rallye World Champion—both independent of the FIM-sanctioned series.
The move echoes recent developments in other motorcycle disciplines, such as American Supercross, where Feld Motor Sports and MX Sports Pro Racing introduced their own self-proclaimed World Championship, creating a parallel to the officially sanctioned FIM WSX series.
While stepping away from the FIM structure, both organisers emphasised their ongoing commitment to growing the sport and welcomed efforts to build pathways for emerging riders.
“We welcome every effort to provide access to the sport of Extreme Enduro for future generations of ambitious offroad motorcycle athletes… The awarding of the World Champion titles at our events is intended to serve the further growth of the Extreme Enduro sport and the recognition of the athletes.”
As it stands, the 2025 season will feature three separate World Championships in the Hard Enduro arena—one under the FIM banner, and another teo unofficial but historically significant path via Erzberg and Romaniacs. Whether this division strengthens or complicates the global landscape of the sport remains to be seen.
