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The Red Bull Romaniacs, the toughest Hard-Enduro rallye on earth. The Red Bull Romaniacs Extreme Enduro Rally was created in 2004 by founder Martin Freinademetz. Over the past years it has evolved to the world`s toughest Hard Enduro Rally. The Red Bull Romaniacs takes place every year (around July) and attracts riders from more than 40 countries. The race is spread over five days, the first being the inner-city prologue in front of thousands of enthusiastic fans. The four “Offroad race days” lead the competitors on some of the world`s most beautiful Enduro trails in the region around Sibiu, Romania (Southern Carpathian Mountains). The breathtaking wilderness, the Romanian hospitality and the unbelievable challenges make the 600 km race an unforgettable, lifelong memory for all participants.
Contents
The Red Bull Romaniacs is part of the Red Bull Hard Enduro Series, together with Red Bull Minas Riders, Brazil (April), Erzberg Rodeo, Austria (June), Red Bull Romaniacs, Romania (July), Red Bull Megawatt, Poland (September), Red Bull Sea to Sky, Turkey (October), Roof of Africa, South Africa (December).
Many extreme Enduro riders consider the Red Bull Romaniacs their most important race of the season - to many it is also their favorite race, due to the atmosphere of a real adventure, the beauty of the tracks and the extreme character.
To 5-times winner Graham Jarvis, the Red Bull Romaniacs is the race of his life and the event that shaped his career. He is also called the "King of the Carpathians".
Dakar Rally champion Cyril Despres said the race is "up there with the top three" hard enduro rallies.
The rally
Rally organizer Martin Freinademetz had the idea for an enduro rally in the region after he saw the Carpathian Mountains that surround the historic Transylvanian city of Sibiu.
The Red Bull Romaniacs are organized under the patronage of the Romanian National Tourism Authority.
Prologue
The prologue stage of Red Bull Romaniacs is always held on the "Bulevard Coposu", one of the main streets in the city center of Sibiu before the action moves onto the nearby rocky mountain sides and thick forests where the competitors have to prove their endurance and riding skills. A different course is set every year with spectacular obstacles and extreme elements for the competitors to race over.
Off-road
The track crosses well-chosen mountain areas, rocky ground, hills and valleys; tarmac is avoided as much as possible. The length varies between 100 km and 180 km each day depending on the class that the competitor enters. The main challenges are the technical parts, which lead through wooded areas, where competitors are challenged with natural terrain obstacles, they traverse over trees, rocks, mud, and climb and mountains. Petrol fuel stops, or tank stops, are placed at intervals of approximately 70 km, where contestants refuel their motorcycles and have the opportunity to refresh themselves.
The track is marked with banners, signs and colored markings, and is loaded onto a GPS in order to guarantee safety. There are also specially designed spectator points.
List of winners
Graham Jarvis won the rally for the fifth time in 2016 to become the most successful rider in the event's history.
Source: Results of Red Bull Romaniacs
Participants
Riders can participate in 4 different classes: Iron, Bronze, Silver and Gold - with Gold being the hardest. There are only about 20 riders in the world who can finish the Red Bull Romaniacs Gold class.
Registrations usually open early November and starting places are gone within the first few hours.
Television coverage
The rally is broadcast in over 215 countries. Altogether, the event could be seen by fans in over 1,400 hours of broadcasting.