The competitors of “In Madness We Trust”, the 19th edition of Red Bull Romaniacs entered the atmosphere of the most difficult hard enduro rally in the world crossing Sibiu as part of the Parade of Nations.
https://youtu.be/TDDkHmziA-U
Flags from more than 50 countries flew in the historic center on Monday, as the riders passed under the Bridge of Lies, the Council Tower and across the Great Square, on their way to the route from Prologue. Arriving on Bd-ul Coposu, the riders from the Gold class (the hardest in the rally) had their first contact with the obstacles of the steepest route in the history of Romaniacs. After this demo ride it is clear that we will see a combination of hard-enduro and freestyle motocross on Tuesday.
For the first time, two ramps are included in the course which has a total of 11 obstacles and is designed to be run in the shape of a figure eight. “Most motor sports have a typical start and I would like to bring this world of hard-enduro to a classic start, where the riders hit an obstacle right from the first cm. That means the front wheel is almost touching the first log. We have two ramps that will make everything fluid especially in the Gold class where a very good pace will be maintained. Overall, if I had to give a grade for difficulty, on a scale on a scale of 1 to 10, this route would be about a 6-7,” says mastermind Andy Fazekas behind all Red Bull Romaniacs prologues.
Among the elements used to build the 11 obstacles are approximately 200 tons of stone and 80 volleyball tires, each weighing around 500 kg. The first to take action on Tuesday, on the day of the Prologue – the urban show that has the role of establishing the starting order for the first off-road day – are the Silver class riders, followed by the Bronze class riders. Qualifying starts at 07:30 in the morning, and the final in which the fastest 35 riders from the Bronze, Silver and Gold classes compete is scheduled at 17:00.
After the urban show where fans can see the best riders from the world’s hard enduro elite at work running alongside enduro riders from around the world, the first off-road day follows on Wednesday. The rally will remain close to Sibiu, and on Thursday it will reach Rânca, after several incursions in which it will be run at 2,000 meters altitude. On Friday it will return to Sibiu, and on Saturday the traditional finish at Gușterita with its almost vertical climb will also be garnished with a series of artificial obstacles intended to remind the competitors that they have finished the most difficult hard enduro rally in the world.
Here’s what 2021 winner Manuel Lettenbichler has to say about Red Bull Romaniacs – In Madness We Trust: “When it comes to the general classification of the Hard Enduro World Championship I am in a good position. But Mario Roman is just a few points behind and is doing very well. I will try to keep him behind me in this race. I’m sorry Billy (Bolt) isn’t here. I send him good thoughts and hope to see him in the saddle soon. I’m glad to be at Red Bull Romaniacs again and I’ll try to have an edition as good as the last ones.”
