Ditrocks brings a new level to the Romanian Championship
Ditrocks 2026 delivered what can be considered the toughest day of racing seen so far in this year’s Romanian Hard Enduro Championship.
With an almost completely new course for Saturday, the organizers presented the riders with a challenge that was not defined only by climbs or individual obstacles. The course forced them to remain focused at all times, without any real opportunity to relax, while the PRO riders spent more than four hours on their motorcycles.
Saturday was also the day that largely shaped the final standings. This was where Teodor Kabakchiev clearly broke away from the field and built the advantage that would eventually bring him victory.
Kabakchiev makes the difference on the decisive day
Teodor Kabakchiev completed Saturday’s course in 4:01:59, becoming the only PRO rider to finish so close to the four-hour mark. Behind him, Alfredo Gomez completed the day in 4:25:53, while James Moore finished in 4:30:53.
“It was a great race. Well marked hard track. I enjoyed racing in Romania once again! I had a comfortable lead both days so I just managed it.” said the Sherco Factory Rider – Teodor Kabakchiev
Through his performance on the most difficult day, Kabakchiev built an advantage that he managed comfortably until the finish. The Sherco rider won Ditrocks 2026 with a total time of 6:35:07, ending the competition 34 minutes and 43 seconds ahead of Alfredo Gomez.
James Moore completed the podium only 50 seconds behind the Spaniard, with a total time of 7:10:40. Kornel Ott took fourth place, 37:52 behind the winner, while Jozsa Norbert Levente finished fifth, 39:38 back.
James Moore: “The tracks were definitely at a high level”
Returning to the Romanian mountains after two years, James Moore enjoyed an excellent weekend for Ditriders Ditrău. The South African was consistent throughout both forest days and secured third place overall after an extremely close battle with Alfredo Gomez and Kornel Ott.
Moore appreciated both the difficulty of the course and the high level of the Romanian riders:
“The race was really cool. Good to be back in some Romanian mountains after 2 years. Tracks were definitely a high level and the competition was tough. So many fast Romanians made for some good battles on the track.”
His podium also confirms the growing international level of the Ditrău event, where local riders and competitors from the world championship fought directly against one another on the course.
Alfredo Gomez: “Compared to previous editions, the level was higher”
Alfredo Gomez was one of the riders who managed the weekend best. The Spaniard finished second on Saturday, fourth on the final day and held onto second place in the overall standings.
At the finish, Gomez highlighted the length of the course and the clear increase in difficulty compared to previous editions:
“It was a good race, longer than other editions. Yesterday was quite technical also. I rode very good. I managed to finish second Saturday, and fourth in the last day, but second in the overall results. Both days were quite good. Today was much easier, but all in all, compared to past editions, higher level!”
His statement confirms the overall impression left by Ditrocks 2026: a longer and more demanding race, moving closer to the level of international events.
A difficult race for Jozsa Norbert Levente
For Jozsa Norbert Levente, the Master Bike Cluj – NordicaMoto rider, Ditrocks brought an unusual result after many years in which he has been a constant presence on Romanian race podiums.
Norbi pushed hard on the decisive day and remained close to the group fighting for the podium, but the time lost to Kabakchiev could no longer be recovered. In the end, the differences between second and fifth place were extremely small: only 4 minutes and 55 seconds separated Alfredo Gomez, James Moore, Kornel Ott and Jozsa Norbert Levente.
Norbi finished fifth, only 1 minute and 46 seconds behind Ott and less than four minutes away from the podium. It is a rare situation for the Master Bike Cluj rider, but also clear proof that the level of the PRO class has increased considerably.
Paul Harpa and Bart Stroișteanu in a strong Veterans battle
The Veterans class once again brought a serious fight for Bart Stroișteanu. This time, his main rival was Paul Cristian Harpa, the enduroPanorama track manager.
Harpa won the class with a total time of 6:34:12, after also being the fastest rider during Saturday’s difficult stage. Bart Stroișteanu finished second, 20 minutes and 56 seconds behind, while Raul Gadola completed the podium, giving Master Bike Cluj two places inside the top three.
Bart explained that the difficulty did not necessarily come from impossible climbs, but from the fact that the new course forced the riders to pay attention to every metre:
“The nice part was that we met the PRO riders on the common sections of the course, but I spoke with the guys and they were pretty beaten up. Overall, Ditrocks came with a new course this year, especially for Saturday.
Because it was a new course, there were many things on the trail, all sorts of obstacles and tall grass. You somehow had to stay very focused, and that made us even more tired. The climbs were not horrible in our class, but, as I said, the course constantly kept you alert. There was always a stump, a rock hidden in the grass, one thing after another.
You had to stay very, very tense on the bike. You couldn’t relax at all.”
It was exactly this permanently unpredictable character that transformed Saturday into a true test of concentration and endurance, even for highly experienced riders.
Podiums for Master Bike Cluj
Despite Bart not managing to win the Veterans class, Master Bike Cluj completed Ditrocks with important results in several categories.
“I’m happy with the result and with the results of the Master Bike Cluj riders. We have podiums again. In the Girls class we have Mihaela and Andreea, in Expert we have Mădălin. In Hobby we didn’t manage to reach the podium this time, even though Maria pushed hard. Congratulations to everyone!”
In Expert, the battle for victory was one of the closest of the entire weekend. Sandon Kerswell won with 5:49:43, followed by Norbert Glockner, only 3 minutes and 21 seconds behind. Mădălin Chelcea completed the podium for Master Bike Cluj, just 25 seconds behind Glockner and 3:46 behind the winner.
In the Girls class, Mihaela Isabela Ioniță took the victory with a total time of 7:40:47. Krisztina Adrienn Toth finished second, while Andrea Barabas Agoston climbed onto the third step of the podium.
In Hobby, Marin Bogdan Buțiu won with 4:48:49, followed by Filip Macarie and Matei Tudor Bortan. Maria Grigoraș once again pushed for the leading positions and finished sixth, 28 minutes and 12 seconds behind the winner.
In the G-Boys class, victory went to Maxwell Nulley, followed by Piergiulio Magni and Viorel Constantin.
Ditrocks raises the level of Romanian racing
Ditrocks 2026 was not defined only by the time spent on the motorcycle or by the number of obstacles. It was a race that forced the riders to remain alert, calculated and fully focused from start to finish.
Saturday’s new course, the increased level of difficulty and the presence of top international riders transformed the Ditrău round into an important reference point for Romanian Hard Enduro.
Teodor Kabakchiev was the rider who mastered this challenge best, but the message delivered by the entire weekend is more important than the result alone: the level of competitions in Romania continues to rise, and Ditrocks has just raised the bar once again.
