The first of four Offroad Days at Red Bull Romaniacs delivered a long, fast and increasingly technical opening stage, with Mani Lettenbichler taking control of the Gold Class after 180 kilometres of racing.
Conditions were almost ideal as competitors left the start early in the morning. Sunshine, dusty tracks and occasional damp sections gave the riders good grip for the opening battle in the Carpathians—but with sections carrying names such as “Live or Die,” “Last Chance” and “Mental Trap,” nobody was expecting an easy day.
Lettenbichler completed the stage fastest, but Teo Kabakchiev remains close enough to keep the fight wide open. After nearly a full day of racing, only seven minutes and 58 seconds separate the leading pair.
Lettenbichler Leads the Gold Class into the Mountains
The starting order was decided by the previous day’s Prolog results.
Mani Lettenbichler was the first Gold Class rider onto the course, followed by Mitch Brightmore and Prolog winner Teo Kabakchiev, who began the day with renewed confidence after his victory in Sibiu.
With 25 Gold Class competitors facing a massive 180-kilometre route, the opening stage immediately tested both speed and endurance. Faster trails followed before the field reached Masterpiece Loop, positioned shortly before the mandatory Service Point.
Lettenbichler maintained his position at the front, but Kabakchiev remained close behind and applied pressure for much of the day.
The Octopus Turns the Race in Mani’s Favour
The decisive moment came at the new LEATT LIVEmaniacs Stage 1, named “The Octopus.” The section combined brutally steep climbs, difficult descents and off-camber terrain. Dry conditions and loose dust made traction unpredictable, while Gold Class riders were required to complete the loop three times.
Lettenbichler set the standard and improved his time with every lap. By the time Kabakchiev reached the section, Mani was already starting his final loop. The Bulgarian struggled more through the loose terrain, losing valuable time to the KTM rider as the race began to swing in Lettenbichler’s favour.
Behind them, Michael Walkner produced one of the strongest rides of the day. The Austrian charged through the field, arrived third at The Octopus and completed all three laps with an impressive performance.
Less Than Eight Minutes Separate Lettenbichler and Kabakchiev
Lettenbichler reached the finish as the Offroad Day 1 winner, but his advantage is far from decisive. With Kabakchiev only 7m 58s behind, there is still almost no margin for error across the remaining three Offroad Days.
Walkner completed the Gold Class podium after an excellent day, while James Moore, Mitch Brightmore and Ashton Brightmore finished fourth, fifth and sixth respectively. All three remain serious contenders in the fight for the overall podium.
Gold Class – Offroad Day 1
- Mani Lettenbichler – Germany
- Teo Kabakchiev – Bulgaria
- Michael Walkner – Austria
Mitch Brightmore Fastest Through LIVEmaniacs
Although Lettenbichler won the day, Mitch Brightmore posted the fastest combined time through the LIVEmaniacs section.
Fastest LIVEmaniacs Times
- Mitch Brightmore – 12m 49s
- James Moore – 13m 37s
- Michael Walkner – 13m 37s
Graham Jarvis Makes Electric Romaniacs History
Graham Jarvis completed Offroad Day 1 in 19th position aboard the electric Jarv-e, making history as the first rider to compete in the Red Bull Romaniacs Gold Class on an eMoto.
The “Silent Assassin” successfully brought the electric machine through the toughest category in the race, offering another demonstration of the growing potential of electric motorcycle technology in Hard Enduro.
Finishing Gold Class at Romaniacs is already a major challenge. Doing it without the familiar sound of a combustion engine made Jarvis’ performance one of the most significant stories of the day.
A Finish Inside the Abandoned Petrila Mine
The day ended in one of the most unusual locations in Red Bull Romaniacs history: the abandoned Petrila Mine. The race had not visited the former mining region since 2018. Before reaching the finish line, competitors had to ride through a deteriorating concrete building filled with narrow corridors, damaged stairways, rubble and fallen beams.
After spending the day covered in dust from the mountains, the riders crossed the finish tired and coated in black coal dust. It was a suitably dramatic conclusion to the opening Offroad stage.
Mani Lettenbichler: “I Found a Good Rhythm”
“It was a fast day, long day, some technical sections—not bad though. In the LIVEmaniacs section I found a good rhythm and I was riding by myself, which was nice. Hopefully I recover well tonight for tomorrow. It was a fast day, and I pushed hard.”
Sandon Kerswell Dominates the Silver Class
Silver Class riders began the day on faster terrain shared with Bronze before moving onto more demanding tracks and selected Gold Class sections.The 155-kilometre stage belonged to Sandon Kerswell. The Australian dominated the class and finished with an advantage of more than 26 minutes over his closest rival.
Sandra Gomez delivered an excellent ride to finish sixth, while former MotoGP rider Remy Gardner completed his first Romaniacs Offroad Day in 40th position.
Only Two Minutes Cover the Bronze Podium
Bronze Class faced its longest stage of the event, covering 152 kilometres across a mixture of technical terrain and faster, more flowing tracks. Despite the distance, the battle at the front remained extremely close, with only two minutes separating the leading three riders.
David Rusanescu took the victory ahead of Emanuel Gyenes, the Romanian rider who has competed in all 23 editions of Red Bull Romaniacs. Maik Schubert completed the podium. Slovenian rider Tjaša Fifer also delivered a strong result, finishing sixth.
Friedmann Leads Iron After 143 Kilometres
The Iron Class completed a 143-kilometre route featuring traditional Romaniacs climbs and descents alongside faster, flowing sections.
Germany’s Nico Friedmann ended the day in first place, followed by two New Zealand riders, Cameron Mackintosh and Mark Whyte.
Iron Class – Offroad Day 1
- Nico Friedmann – Germany
- Cameron Mackintosh – New Zealand
- Mark Whyte – New Zealand
A Gentle Start for Atom—But Not for Long
Atom Class received the softest introduction to the Carpathians, although the riders still covered an imposing 142 kilometres. Their route occasionally joined the Iron tracks before avoiding the most difficult sections. The organisers have already warned that the class will not be treated quite so gently on Offroad Day 2.
Atom Class – Offroad Day 1
- Bas Fokkema – Netherlands
- Kristaps Šmats – Latvia
- Gerd Bommer – Austria
Red Bull Romaniacs continues to encourage the eMoto Hard Enduro and today the eMoto Hobby Class had some nice tracks covering 48 km, there weren’t any heavy sections, focusing more on enjoyable terrain, which the competitors and the bikes completed with success.
Romanian TV celebrity Dani Otil had a great result coming in third position which is good publicity for the eMoto sector.
eMoto Hobby Class Results:
- Martin Dosch (DEU)
- Ovidiu Tronaru (ROU)
- Dani Otil (ROU)
