Source: Red Bull Romaniacs | The 23rd edition of Red Bull Romaniacs delivered its usual mix of brutal terrain and standout storylines, but the moment that will define this year’s race came from 51-year-old Graham Jarvis, who became the first competitor ever to finish the world’s toughest hard enduro rally on an electric motorcycle.
Jarvis, who has raced Romaniacs since 2008, rode a prototype called the Jarv-e through the Gold class – the event’s hardest route – and crossed the finish line in 20th place. He says he intends to keep developing the bike ahead of the 2027 edition.
The rally opened on July 28 with the traditional prologue through Sibiu city center, before moving into off-road stages that kept some riders on their bikes for over nine hours a day. Racers from 57 nations tackled terrain ranging from open landscapes to steep climbs and descents through boulder fields and former mining areas, before the finish on August 1.
Lettenbichler equals the record
Manuel Lettenbichler won his seventh Romaniacs title, matching Graham Jarvis’s record. The German led from the first off-road day despite battery issues on his bike, and sealed the win with a precise, trial-honed ride through a livestreamed section above the Straja resort on day two.
“I’m speechless. At the service point I realized I’d be going home with the trophy,” Lettenbichler said at the finish.
Teo Kabakchiev, winner of the prologue, took second – his fourth career Romaniacs podium. The battle for third in Gold went down to the wire: Michael Walkner held a 15-plus-minute lead before a hard crash late in the final off-road day cost him time and, after missing checkpoints, dropped him to sixth. South Africa’s James Moore ultimately took third, becoming the fourth South African to reach a Romaniacs podium, after Darryl Curtis, Riaan Van Niekerk and Wade Young.
Adventure Classes
Mario Roman, a longtime Gold-class competitor, took his first Romaniacs win – but in the Adventure Ultimate class. He held off Pol Tarres, the rider who first proved an adventure bike could finish the rally, by just 14 minutes after four days of off-road racing. Austria’s Dieter Rudolf, another rider who moved over from Gold this year, finished third and is expected to stay in Adventure for 2027.
In Adventure Core, the Dominican Republic’s René Columna capitalized on technical trouble for Sam Sunderland to take the win. Sunderland finished second, 11 minutes back after GPS times were confirmed. New Zealand’s Chris Power completed the podium. Former MotoGP and WorldSBK rider Remy Gardner also entered Adventure Core during his summer break from the World Superbike Championship, finishing the rally despite calling the first off-road day, with its eight hours on the bike, “a shock.” Australia’s Sandon Kerswell won the class.
In Adventure Lite, China’s Guishu He won on his Romaniacs debut. Adrian Răduță finished second despite starting the rally with a sprained left wrist, the Czech Republic’s Matej Oliva took third, and Sorina Răduță – a multiple Romanian enduro champion returning to competition after nearly a decade away – finished fourth.
Silver, Bronze and eMoto
Sandon Kerswell’s Silver class win came alongside a notable finish from fellow Australian Remy Gardner (see above). Spain’s Sandra Gomez finished fifth in Silver after nearly withdrawing on day one due to chest pain.
In the eMoto class, raced on a shorter route to account for battery charging time, Germany’s Martin Dosch and Valentin Rehrl topped the podium alongside Romania’s Dani Oțil, who picked up his fourth Romaniacs podium overall.
Race director Martin Freinademetz called the 2026 edition “amazing,” citing favorable weather and strong performances across all classes, and credited the wider organizing team for the event’s growth, including the addition of large-displacement motorcycles to this year’s field.
