16.06.2012: 7-Star racing, 2-Star hotel
While Jarvis and Letti are cruising along and have a good time, others start to feel the pain. Red Bull Romaniacs Offroad Day Two increases the pressure and leads riders into the past
Sibiu, Romania, June 15th, 2012 – As promised by organizers and track managers, Offroad Day 2 gave the field of riders first glimpses of the pain ahead of them. The pressure, carefully moderated for each class, is now progressively increasing and will, as Graham Jarvis puts it, “Separate the boys from the men”. When hitting the main difficulty of the day, the “Appetizer”, the PRO class had a tough awakening early in the day. Technical riders like Graham Jarvis and Andreas “Letti” Lettenbichler were able to have some fun dancing through the relatively dry “Appetizer” and put a solid cushion between themselves and the riders following them. Andreas Lettenbichler "I'm doing fine and the bike is working great. Jarvis is so fast, it is difficult to catch up with him. I have been just behind him for quite some time, but tried not to get carried away, ride smartly and use my head ;-‐)!”
For others, the riverbed became a nightmare – some stated the “most difficult section I ever had under my tires”. Even for Chris Birch, the “Appetizer” developed to a serious challenge, due to some foot-‐ injuries that prevented him from properly standing on the bike. “This sucks. Well, not the trails but I am not doing great right now. I'm in so much pain with my foot... Not the Dakar foot, the other one." Chris finished as 7th.
Fortunately for Xavi Galindo, he had a better flow than yesterday and finished the day as fourth after chasing Jonny Walker for quite some time. Galindo: “Gotta love Romania! I had a perfect day!“ When Walker arrived at the finish as third, he admitted that he certainly felt Galindo breathing down his neck and that he had to adjust to the pressure. The Red Bull Romaniacs rookie did have anything but a “Walk in the park” today, after he almost overslept in the morning, arriving barely in time at the start and being forced to program his GPS after take-‐off. “Fast and flowing tracks today, I really enjoyed it!
I'm getting good with the navigation: Only got lost once today! I'm here for the experience this year and want to come back next year to kick some butt. I would be stoked if I can make it to the podium of this unbelievable race! I'll ask my mechanic to wake me up in time tomorrow!”
The Offroad Day 2 track challenged many of the riders with a relatively fast pace that frequently demanded it`s tolls by sending them off the bike. Jarvis: “I had a few falls today and every time it took me some time to recover. But this is part of the game and I am glad that I reached the finish in good shape. I am surprised by the weather, this is quite unusual for the Red Bull Romaniacs! I`d prefer a bit more rain....”
Martin “Freijn” Freinademetz confirmed, that the weather certainly plays in favor of the “nice-‐ weather” riders and that the riding conditions are as perfect as never before: “We had plenty of rain until the week before the prologue. That gives us very good grip and no dust. It will allow most riders to complete the 2012 Red Bull Romaniacs as finishers and to have an amazing time out there on the perfectly marked 600km of tracks! Would the race have taken place one week earlier – in the rain – we would have already had 20-‐30% drop-‐outs by now.”
Today the whole organization, riders, media and paddock will relocate from the race HQ in Sibiu center to a hotel-‐complex in Voineasa, deep in the Carpathian mountains. The move provides access to new, unexplored tracks to the rally but will also confront riders and teams with a “no-‐frills” hotel from the communist past of the region. The overnight bivouac is a traditional element of the Red Bull Romaniacs and brings 7-‐Star racing together with 2-‐Star comfort!
The results: http://www.redbullromaniacs.com/results/results-2012/
More extensive information and live‐streaming is now also available about all riders, about the daily
results and much more at: www.redbullromaniacs.com
About:
Red Bull Romaniacs, the toughest Hard-‐Enduro rallye on earth!
4 days of competition along a difficult and enthralling course, which leads through the Southern Carpathian Mountains and redefines the meaning of “Extreme Enduro”. The Rally is tailored for ultimate offroad and Enduro fun -‐ combined with challenges that bring the participants of each individual class (Hobby Single, Hobby Team, Expert Single, Expert Team, PRO) to their limits. Due to these challenges and the difficulty level, high abandon rates are common. Therefore: To FINISH is to be a WINNER. The track is unfolding along well-‐chosen mountain areas, rocky grounds, hills and valleys; tarmac is avoided as much as possible. Despite the tough challenges, all competitors agree that the Red Bull Romaniacs is one of the most beautiful Enduro races. The breathtaking countryside, the Romanian hospitality and the fact, that it is a race from riders for riders, make every event a long lasting memory for participants and fans alike. The daily distances covered range from 100km to 200km.
