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Counting down to the 2016 Red Bull Romaniacs: the facts New extremes for riders & more action for fans and followers; Offroad Day two: One of the toughest Gold class days ever! With the Erzberg Rodeo out of the way and less than six weeks to go till launch, all eyes are now on the Red Bull Romaniacs. Participants will be happy to use the in-between time to recover from their latest adventures and put final touches to their preparations for the trip into the Romanian wilderness. However, those who are only just starting to prepare, will be in for some sweating and might not see the finish. The 2016 Red Bull Romaniac will most certainly not be a walk in the park. Here are the facts: Riders, the ones to watch: In the Gold class, Letti junior had his first taste of the Red Bull Romaniacs last year. He showed good performance, but did not finish due to injury. “Junior” has a good chance to end up among the 2016 top ten, especially since Letti senior will be dedicated to coaching only and not competing while in Romania this year. Among the many Gold class newbies, we will also keep an eye on Red Bull Romaniacs newcomer Billy Bolt, who is considered one of the most promising new entries of Extreme Enduro. Billy Bolt comes prepared by Jonny Walker`s manager Julian Stevens. And then there are four Spaniards to watch: Mario Roman with quite a name in Extreme Enduro but no experience at the Red Bull Romaniacs. The two Leon brothers - trial legends and also Red Bull Romaniacs newcomers - and of course Alfredo Gomez, who is already considered one of the “top guns” and a candidate for the podium - especially after his Red Bull Minas Riders-win earlier this year and a Red Bull Romaniacs podium in 2013 and 2015. Last but not least, there is the Armada from the UK, lead by Walker, Jarvis and Bolton. The riders from the UK are by far the largest number of participants, a clear sign which nation has the most interest in Extreme Enduro - as well as some of the best riders! Walker, Jarvis and Bolton are the usual suspects for the podium, but everything is open during the Red Bull Romaniacs until the last minute at the Sibiu hillclimb finish. For Walker, who was unable to attend Red Bull Minas Riders and Erzberg Rodeo, the Red Bull Romaniacs will be the first race after his injury. Jarvis missed the “crown” only by a heartbeat in 2015 and comes prepared: He is still considered the “King of the Carpathians”! Other noteworthy entries from the UK are the trial legends and brothers Hemingway (Gold class) and Andy Noakley, who will try to mix up the Silver class this year! South African Kirsten Landman will give it another try in Silver class: she didn`t finish in 2015 - but if she manages to this year, she will be the first woman ever to finish the Red Bull Romaniacs Silver class! Her fellow countryman Wade Young, who finished the Gold class third in 2014 and fifth in 2015, is another hot candidate for the podium. Red Bull Romaniacs legend Chris Birch will not race. Lorenzo Quinn, an Italian sculptor and Anthony Quinn`s fifth son, will compete in the Bronze class. The “wisest” rider will be John Trevor from the UK, age 69, in the Iron class. Info about the Prologue and the Race-track: Like in previous years, the rallye will kick off with an inner city prologue in the center of Sibiu. The track will again be a full loop on one of Sibiu`s main boulevards along the historic city wall. Sections with names like “Alcatraz”, “Jarvis`s Masterpiece”, and “Mad Max” will induce some horror into the less experienced riders on first look, but will actually all be somewhat rideable for everyone. For the “top guns” of course, it will be nothing but bumps on a motocross track! Out there, on the four day Offroad-track, things will get gnarly though. The Gold-class, featuring one of the strongest line-ups ever, is in for some serious trouble. Since the skill level of the top riders is improving every year, the bar has been raised higher. The sections will not be harder than in previous years - but they are coming in higher numbers and frequency. For example Offroad Day 2 (Gold class) will be one of the toughest riding days in the history of the Red Bull Romaniacs - fitness will count! The Silver class will be hit by the same hard style as in the previous years, but with fewer sections - to allow a moderate number of riders to finish. The Bronze class tracks went through a face lift and will be a harder than in previous years. The challenges will still be rideable for most competitors: A lot of super single trails, long hill climbs and deep canyon crossings. For the Iron class, riding will be similar to 2015: doable but hard enough to make less motivated riders realize that after all this is the Red Bull Romaniacs! For all classes the total length of the race track will be higher than in previous years and the riders of the different classes will be more separated during the day. The covered terrain and the sections are fine-tuned for each class and adjusted to the expected skill level of the riders. The team around track directors Klaus Sorensen and Teo Isac tapped into a completely new region for Offroad Day 4 with fresh and untouched tracks. There, the Iron and Bronze class will be happy to ride fast tracks until the service point. The Gold class will face the most difficult uphill during the 2016 race. The 2016 Red Bull Romaniacs will, again, be 100% based in Sibiu. There will be no out-of-town overnight bivouacs. Spectators and media will enjoy much better access to the action and can constantly stay up to date via smartphone app. The spectator points will be released in early July on www.redbullromaniacs.com . Track Details: Offroad day 1 - Olt valley - Lotru valley - Olt valley Gold class: Expected finishers 60-70%, Estimated daily ''fastest competitor ride time'': 6 hours Offroad day 1 - 169km Silver class Expected finishers 65-75%, Estimated daily ''fastest competitor ride
time'': 5 hours Bronze class Expected finishers 70-80%, Estimated daily ''fastest competitor ride
time'': 5 hours Iron class Expected finishers 80-90%, Estimated daily ''fastest competitor ride time'': 4.5 Hours Offroad day 1 - 112km Engine oils, additives and bike care products LIQUI MOLY: Starting this year, the Red Bull Romaniacs Hard Enduro Rallye will be supported by LIQUI MOLY. The Southern German company will be the exclusive partner for quality engine oils, additives and bike care products. Peter Baumann, Director Marketing, LIQUI MOLY: „Extreme Enduro is a rapidly growing motorsport and an ideal test-environment for our product development. Engine oils and additives are facing the hardest challenges there - more than in any other sport: extreme revs, temperatures, load-changes and track conditions. The performance requirements are enormous and our products deliver perfectly under these conditions. While the racing teams benefit from our experience, we benefit at the same time from the feedback of riders and mechanics, who help our products to grow even better. In the long run, this filters through all the way to the motorbike-rider on the road, who gets to use products that are developed and tested under racing conditions. The Red Bull Romaniacs are a perfect environment for our brand - and we are looking forward to a great co-operation!” Donate used gear for a good cause! Even though the standards in Romania have grown much closer to what we are used to in Western-Europe, there is still a lot of poverty and desperation in the rural areas. Despite the poverty - for many years now, people keep welcoming our event in their neighborhoods – with hospitality and enthusiastic support for the riders. Starting this year, we will be raising funds to support those in need - in the remote areas, for example by renovating schools, equipping medical-aid points and delivering supplies. To raise the necessary funds, we will host a flea-market with used and excess Enduro gear during the 2016 Red Bull Romaniacs. We encouraged riders and visitors to bring anything they can spare: for a good cause! We all have boxes full of unused equipment, memorabilia and sponsor articles in the basement: we will collect it in the paddock (no used tires or stuff that belongs in the trash…) We will throw-in our own stuff and host a huge Enduro-Flea-Market! The money will be used 100% for a good cause – which will be executed directly through our team. All financial results will be thoroughly reported – as will the activities to help people!
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