Mani Lettenbichler (DEU, KTM) flew off the start line on a mission, ahead of Teo Kabakchiev (BGR, Sherco) who was on fire, the Brightmore brothers in tandem behind. Lettenbichler, who is a master of managing pace, dominated most of the race, rolling over the obstacles with smooth efficiency, but Kabakchiev was tailing him consistently. Lettenbichler made a questionable line choice not taking the \u201cflow line\u201d which then gave Kabakchiev a chance to close the gap. Just before the final lap flag Kabakchiev seized his opportunity and passed Lettenbichler and took away the lead he held from the start, followed stealthily by Mitch Brightmore (GBR) who had crept his way forward through the last laps. With one lap remaining Kabakchiev and Brightmore were able to keep a faster pace and steal the win and second place. Lettenbichler brought home the third position.<\/p>\n
Teo Kabakchiev: \u201cI’m happy. I don’t train as much as the others for Super Enduro. The rhythm was the most challenging, staying consistent throughout. I’m really excited to start the event with winning the Prolog. I\u2019m happy to have so many fans here, they really help to bring my energy up\u201d
\nMitch Brightmore: \u201cI managed to maintain the same pace throughout the Prolog. It did get quite slippery after the water, but it was ok. I\u2019m looking forward to the new area on the Offroad Days, I\u2019ve never seen the area so it’ll be totally new to me\u201d.<\/p>\n
The intensity of the race also stood out in the Silver Class where the speed and rhythm of the competitors was a definite step up from the Bronze Class. Jiawei Sun (CHN) absolutely dominated the entire race riding with skill and precision, making it look easy. Sandra Gomez (ESP) made light work of the Prolog placing in P5. Remy Gardner (AUS), World Superbike Championship rider, former MotoGP rider and Moto2 World Champion in 2021, placed in P16.<\/p>\n
Bronze Class<\/strong> was also on fire with a strong line up of competitors revved up and ready to hit the Prolog. The race was dominated by the father and son team going back and forth for the win. The father Jes\u00fas Zavala (MEX) held the lead until he went over the handle bars on the wet Milwaukee tool box obstacle and his son, Stanislas Zavala (MEX) was able to pass him. Having held the lead for a while, the stamina and experience of his father gained him a pass which he then maintained the lead and took the win, leaving a disappointed son to come in second place. The family team were the only two to complete six laps followed by S\u00e9bastien Garreau (FRA) completing five laps finishing in third place.<\/p>\n ADVENTURE BIKE CATEGORY<\/strong> eMOTO CLASS<\/strong> The course has an exceptional flow, especially for the faster riders. I\u2019m very happy with this course, and the feedback from the riders has been fantastic\u201d
\nRed Bull Romaniacs is the first ever event to have multi-cylinder motorbikes head to head on a man made Prolog, representing the birth of a new format of \u201cHARD\u201d Adventure Bike racing. Pol Tarr\u00e9s (AND, Yamaha), who has shown the world the potential and the levels of extreme that these bikes can be pushed to, was the favourite for today. But the start line was packed with fierce competition; Kevin Gallas (DEU), Mario Roman (ESP, CFMoto), Dieter Rudlof (AUT) Jonny Walker (GBR, Triumph) and more. The atmosphere was intense, with qualifying times very close in the morning; this was anyone’s race.
\nTarr\u00e9s and Gallas were back and forth in the first couple of laps with Roman close behind. Tarr\u00e9s made a couple of mistakes but it was a fall that gave Roman the chance to take the lead and pull away into the front. Mario, having crossed over from competing for ten years in the Gold Class on his enduro bike, with his efficient style of riding, helped reduce fatigue which is critical on his bigger bike. Mario showed that he was able to convert his smooth consistent riding style into the Adventure Bike category and pushed until the finish, scoring the victory in the Adventure Ultimate Class. It is his first ever win at Red Bull Romaniacs, despite five podiums. Tarr\u00e9s finished just behind in P2 and Dieter Rudolf (AUT) in P3, also freshly converted to the Adventure Bike category from the Gold Class.
\nRoman: \u201cIt feels amazing, it\u2019s my first win here in ten years. I enjoyed the Prolog, I found my rhythm, didn’t make any mistakes, the water was the most challenging because it made the obstacles slippery. I maintained my focus and am proud of my CFMoto 450. It\u2019s going to be a long week, it’s an amazing week and I\u2019ll do my best\u201d<\/p>\n
\nThere were six eMoto competitors who competed in the Prolog, they demonstrated very competitive times comparable to both Silver Class and\u00a0Adventure Ultimate Class. With Graham Jarvis competing in Gold Class on his eMoto this year it will inspire a growing number of eMoto competitors to take on the Red Bull Romaniacs challenge.
\nAndy Fazekas: \u201cI slightly reduced the difficulty of each individual obstacle without compromising the spectacle. Instead, I increased the physical and technical demand by leaving virtually no recovery time between obstacles. This allowed us to create a course where the Ultimate, Bronze, Silver, and Gold classes can all race in the final with only minimal adjustments between them.<\/p>\n
\nThe mastermind behind the Red Bull Romaniacs Prolog, Andy Fazekas, did not disappoint. The task of designing a Prolog course to suit all nine classes on a single track only 6 meters wide, incorporating the Enduro, Adventure and eMoto classes all with enormous differences in skill levels is no easy feat.
\nWednesday 29 July is the first of the four Offroad Days.<\/p>\n
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