Jarvis claims victory at 2013 Red Bull Romaniacs

  • Jul 16, 2013
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It was British rider Graham Jarvis who once again dominated the Red Bull Romaniacs to register his fourth win, making him the most successful rider of the extreme enduro event

Rider in action at the prolog stage of 2013 Romaniacs

If you thought riding through muck and knee deep was hard and that’s one of the toughest situation a biker can face, well it confirms that you haven’t heard about Red Bull Romaniacs. Held at Sibiu in Romania, the Romaniacs is considered by many as one of the toughest extreme enduro off-road motorcycle race in the world. The route is a well planed combination of rocky grounds, hills and valleys along with a few obstacles thrown in to test the riding skills of the participants. Also one of the major goals for the organisers is to provide the riders as less tarmac as possible. The race is divided into four classes which include pro-class, expert class, hobby class and rookie class. The length of the stage varies in accordance of the class and is usually between 100km to 200km each day. 

Rider in action at the prolog stage of 2013 Romaniacs

This year’s race was a special one as the event was celebrating its 10th anniversary and the spectators were treated to some of the best action the event has ever witnessed. The first event lined-up for the riders was prolog stage, which starts along the streets of Sibiu after which the action being shifted to the nearby rocky mountains and thick forests. The prolog is a grueling event and tests both the riding skills and the endurance of the participants with daunting obstacles and other extreme elements. It was Paul Bolton who emerged victorious in front of the 15,000 spectators who had turned up for the race as he managed to hold off stiff competition from Jonny Walker in second position and Paul Bolton in third place. 

Rider in action at 2013 Red Bull Romaniacs

After the prolog race, it was time for some real action as the 1st day of the Romaniacs was kicked off from Sibiu and it was Paul Bolton who led the early stages of the race with an 11 minute advantage on Graham Jarvis who was in fourth position. But the British rider started muscling his way through the pack and was slowly but steadily reducing Bolton’s lead. By the time the riders reached the service check point it was Jarvis who was leading the race and despite the taxing conditions was able to build up a healthy lead on his rivals. As the 131km stretch came to an end he was a whopping 30 minutes clear of his nearest rival to gauge the lead on day 1.

After an action packed first day, day 2 proved to be even trickier as the organisers had increased the level of difficulty. It was prolog race winner, Jonny Walker who was able to tame the testing conditions to become the fastest rider. Following him in second and third place respectively were Alfredo Gomez and Andreas Lettenbichler. Graham Jarvis had a disappointing outing in fifth place but all was not lost for him as he still had the overall lead. 

Rider in action at 2013 Red Bull Romaniacs
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On the third day, Jarvis was back to his best as he and Walker were engrossed in a hard fought battle for the win. But in the end it was Jarvis who emerged on top as he won the third stage by a slender margin of four minutes with Alfredo Gomez in third place. As the riders braced themselves for the fourth and final day it was Jarvis who seemed almost assured to clinch victory. But knowing the unforgiving and unexpected nature of the race, Jarvis maintained a steady pace right from the start and maintained his lead throughout.

Riders making their way through the forest

The last leg of the leg was staged at the same hill climb as last year near Sibiu but featured a few extra surprises to add to the riders woes. The most spectacular obstacle was the ‘pool’, which was a water basin measuring 10 meter wide, 20 meter long and 1 meter deep. The only successful way to manoeuvre this obstacle was to aquaplane over it at high speeds because any nervous move by the rider or entering it at low speed meant the rider would sink in it. As he ventured in to the final leg of the race in Dealul Gusteritei, the Husaberg rider glided his way up the vertical hill climb to become the Red Bull Romaniacs’ champion for 2013 with an impressive lead of 50 minutes. 

This was Jarvi’s fourth win at the Romaniacs and now he has become the most successful rider in the events history eclipsing the record he held along with Cyril Despres of three wins. Another brilliant performance was showcased by Alfredo Gomez who finished the race in second place in just his first attempt. Andreas “Letti” Lettenbichler and Jonny Walker were both involved in a gripping battle for the final step on the podium and it was Lettenbichler who utilised his skills wisely to finish third. 

Rider in action at 2013 Red Bull Romaniacs

The difficulty of the Romaniacs can be gauged from the fact that every person who successfully completes the race is considered a winner, since the race not only test’s the participants riding skill but also his physical and mental strength. Only 60 per cent of the riders who started this year’s race were able to finish the race thus demonstrating the complexity of the event. 

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