Mani Lettenbichler has won the “UNSTOPPABLE” Edition 23 of Red Bull Romaniacs, completing a dominant week in the Carpathian Mountains with another flawless performance on the toughest Offroad Day of the race.
The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider entered the final stage with an advantage of 18m 44s over Teo Kabakchiev. Rather than simply protecting that lead, Lettenbichler continued to extend it as the dry, dusty terrain delivered one final brutal test.
After conquering the Sibiu Hillclimb Arena, Lettenbichler crossed the finish line to claim his seventh Red Bull Romaniacs victory, drawing level with Hard Enduro legend Graham Jarvis.
Lettenbichler Controls the Final Day
Rising temperatures had transformed the tracks during the week, leaving the final Offroad Day dry and dusty. Kabakchiev arrived determined to attack after winning Offroad Day 3, but Lettenbichler immediately showed why he is so difficult to beat at Romaniacs.
The German maintained a clean and controlled pace through what proved to be the hardest of the four Offroad Days. He reached the final LEATT LIVEmaniacs stage at the Sibiu Hillclimb Arena well ahead of the rest of the Gold Class field.
There, he completed three laps of the technical hillclimbs, launched over the motocross-style ramps and cleared the final obstacles before passing beneath the finish arch. The victory was complete.
Seven Romaniacs Victories for Lettenbichler
With his latest triumph, Lettenbichler now stands alongside Jarvis as a seven-time Red Bull Romaniacs winner. It is another major milestone in a career that has become increasingly connected with the world’s toughest Hard Enduro Rallye.
“I’m speechless. It’s nuts how my career has gone so far. It’s an unreal feeling,” Lettenbichler said.
“Every win I put so much work into, but I never expected to have seven wins here at Red Bull Romaniacs. I enjoyed the tough sections today.”
“I knew Teo had lost some time, so I just took my own pace and I could really enjoy it. The finish area is the best feeling ever. I love it here. You meet so many riders from everywhere, everyone is the same—we’re all here to ride. I’m so happy right now.”
Kabakchiev suffered an early mechanical issue that cost him valuable time and effectively ended his chances of catching Lettenbichler. The Sherco rider refused to back off, however, fighting his way through the stage and recovering to second position.
Although the setback removed the possibility of challenging for victory, Kabakchiev continued at full pace until the finish and secured a deserved runner-up result.
James Moore Takes a Dramatic Debut Podium
The fight for third changed dramatically just before the finish.
Michael Walkner had enjoyed an outstanding week and appeared ready to claim his first Red Bull Romaniacs podium. However, a crash inside the Hillclimb Arena ended his podium challenge, although the Austrian still fought his way to sixth position.
That opened the door for James Moore. The 2025 Junior World Champion and Roof of Africa winner was making his Red Bull Romaniacs debut, gaining speed and confidence with every Offroad Day.
His own race nearly ended shortly after the Service Point when his front fork suddenly collapsed and locked. It only released again after he struck a depression with enough force. Despite the serious suspension problem, Moore continued towards the finish. He then completed all three laps of the treacherous Hillclimb Arena with the malfunctioning fork and crossed the line in an incredible third position.
Gold Class Final Results
Mani Lettenbichler – Germany
Teo Kabakchiev – Bulgaria
James Moore – South Africa
The Next Generation Pushes to the Front
Throughout the four Offroad Days, the established leaders were chased by a highly competitive group of young riders.
That group included:
Matthew Green, the first Hard Enduro Junior Champion in 2022
Mitch Brightmore, former British Youth Elite Champion, FIM SuperEnduro Junior World Champion and 2023 Junior World Hard Enduro Champion
Ashton Brightmore, runner-up in the 2023 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship
Tom Scales, former South African National Enduro Champion and third in the 2025 FIM Junior Hard Enduro World Championship
Lorenzo Gandola, a former World and European Trial Champion
Together with Moore, they produced one of the closest and most intense battles of the week, showing that the next generation is already ready to challenge for major Romaniacs results.
The Hardest Gold Class Day of the Week
Day4 at Red Bull Romaniacs, after long hours on the bike, the day delivered what all riders asked for!
Graham Jarvis Completes an Historic Electric Gold Class Ride
At 51 years old, Graham Jarvis once again proved why he remains one of the most respected riders in Hard Enduro. The “Silent Assassin” became the first competitor to race the Red Bull Romaniacs Gold Class on an electric motorcycle.
Jarvis completed all four Offroad Days aboard the Jarv-e without outside assistance or battery changes. He also recorded the second-fastest time through the LEATT LIVEmaniacs section on Offroad Day 2.
The project successfully completed one of the toughest possible tests for electric off-road technology, providing valuable information for the continued development of the Jarv-e motorcycle.
Sandon Kerswell Dominates Silver Class
Silver Class faced another technical day with significant elevation changes, but Sandon Kerswell remained untouchable. The Australian won every Offroad Day and completed the event with a commanding overall victory.
Sandra Gomez also delivered an impressive performance, finishing fifth overall after four exhausting days in the Carpathians. She remains the only female rider to have successfully completed the Gold Class.
Former MotoGP rider and 2021 Moto2 World Champion Remy Gardner successfully completed his first Romaniacs challenge in 34th position in Silver.
Santiago Freinademetz, the son of event founder Martin Freinademetz, also entered the race after spending many years working behind the scenes on track construction and logistics. He finished an impressive tenth overall.
Emanuel Gyenes Reaches the Bronze Podium in His 23rd Romaniacs
The Bronze Class delivered another close battle, with Romanian veteran Emanuel Gyenes adding a new result to his extraordinary Red Bull Romaniacs record, while David Rusanescu, a new young talend lost the top spot in the last day. Slovenia’s Tjaša Fifer also completed a strong week, securing fifth overall in Bronze.
For the amateur competitors across Silver, Bronze, Iron and Atom, the challenge was every bit as real. Riders were pushed well beyond their limits across four days of technical terrain, long distances and constant physical effort.
Dani Oțil Finishes Third in eMoto Hobby
Electric motorcycles continued to hold an important place at Red Bull Romaniacs. Romanian television personality Dani Oțil completed the event with an impressive third-place overall result in the eMoto Hobby class.
Together with Jarvis’ historic Gold Class campaign, the result highlighted the growing presence of electric motorcycles across multiple levels of the event.
An “UNSTOPPABLE” Finish
Four Offroad Days, extreme heat, dust, mechanical problems and the toughest stage saved for last could not stop Lettenbichler. He leaves Sibiu with victory number seven, while Kabakchiev takes a strong second and Moore completes a remarkable debut with a dramatic podium.
The “UNSTOPPABLE” Edition lived up to its name—and once again, Mani Lettenbichler proved to be the rider everyone else must catch.
Roast Mode
Mani arrived at the final day with an 18-minute lead and still decided that riding carefully was apparently too boring.
James Moore completed three Hillclimb laps with a collapsing fork
Walkner crashed within sight of his first podium
Jarvis finished Gold Class on an electric bike without changing the battery.
