The Red Bull Romaniacs, is an endurooff-road motorcycle race run annually in Romania. It was created in 2004 by founder Martin Freinademetz. The Red Bull Romaniacs takes place every year and attracts riders from more than 40 countries. The race is spread over five days, the first being the inner-city prologue. The four “Offroad race days” takes place on Enduro trails in the region around Sibiu.. The Red Bull Romaniacs is part of the Red Bull Hard Enduro Series, together with Red Bull Minas Riders, Brazil, Erzberg Rodeo, Austria, Red Bull Romaniacs, Romania, Red Bull Megawatt, Poland, Red Bull Sea to Sky, Turkey, Roof of Africa, South Africa. In 2018 it will join the World Enduro Super Series.
The rally
Rally organizer Martin Freinademetz had the idea for an enduro rally in the region after he saw the|Carpathian Mountains that surround the historic Transylvanian city of Sibiu. The Red Bull Romaniacs are organized under the patronage of the Romanian National Tourism Authority.
Prologue
The prologue stage of Red Bull Romaniacs is always held on the "Bulevard Coposu", one of the main streets in the city center of Sibiu and moves onto the nearby rocky mountain sides and thick forests where the competitors have to prove their endurance and riding skills. A different course is set every year with different obstacles for competitors to race over.
Off-road
The track crosses mountain areas, rocky ground, hills and valleys; tarmac is avoided as much as possible. The length varies between 100 km and 180 km each day depending on the class that the competitor enters. The main challenges are the technical parts, which lead through wooded areas, where competitors are challenged with natural terrain obstacles, they traverse over trees, rocks, mud, and mountains. Petrol fuel stops, or tank stops, are placed at intervals of approximately 70 km, where contestants refuel their motorcycles and have the opportunity to refresh themselves. The track is marked with banners, signs and colored markings, and is loaded onto a GPS in order to guarantee safety. There are also specially designed spectator points.
Riders can participate in 4 different classes: Iron, Bronze, Silver and Gold - with Gold being the hardest. Registrations usually open early November and starting places are gone within the first few hours.
Manuel Lettenbichler
Cyril Despres