Red Bull Romaniacs (Day 4): Manuel Lettenbichler leaves the field in his wake!

With a lead of just over an hour in the overall standings – a rarity in the 23-year history of the Red Bull Romaniacs – Manuel Lettenbichler secured his seventh overall victory at the world’s toughest and most prestigious event in the hard enduro rally segment. The KTM rider won three of the four off-road stage wins and rounded off the final and toughest day with a performance that left many experts speechless. Only in 2023 was the lead slightly greater: Back then, Lettenbichler had a lead of 1 hour and 9 minutes, compared to 1 hour and 3 minutes in this year’s edition. With this victory, Manuel Lettenbichler secured the maximum haul of 2,000 points in the Hard Enduro World Ranking, thereby further extending his lead.

After the third day had gone narrowly to the Bulgarian Sherco works rider Teo Kabakchiev, Lettenbichler’s lead over Teo stood at just under 19 minutes at the start of the final day. A solid cushion, but one that can quickly vanish into thin air in a race like the Romaniacs, as a moment’s inattention or a wrong choice of line can lead to massive time losses or even retirement. Unfortunately, the Austrian Michael Walkner (GasGas) had to learn this the hard way, crashing on a descent literally in the final metres; he was unable to finish the race and received a two-hour time penalty as a result. A bitter end for the Austrian privateer, who had put in an impressive performance throughout the rally and would likely have finished on the podium had it not been for the crash.

The 19-year-old South African James Moore benefited from Walkner’s misfortune. Although his Beta caused him massive problems on the final day, last year’s Roof of Africa winner was not fazed and even completed the LIVEmaniacs section – peppered with extreme ascents and descents – right by the finish line. This saw Moore move up to third place in the overall standings, completing the podium.

Manuel Lettenbichler

Foto: Red Bull

Teo Kabakchiev made a navigation error at the start of the fourth day and also had to contend with technical issues. However, the Bulgarian refused to be deterred and subsequently made up ground minute by minute in impressive fashion. By finishing second in the day’s standings, Teo also secured second place in the overall standings.

The promising young German rider Lenny Geretzky from Thuringia finished both the fourth day and the overall standings in a more than respectable 13th place.

In the Adventure Ultimate class, Spaniard Mario Roman secured the day’s victory on his CFMoto. His compatriot Pol Tarrés (Yamaha), who competes under an Andorran licence, finished third on the day and second in the overall standings. For the Austrian Dieter Rudolf (KTM), it was exactly the opposite: he finished the fourth day in second place and third in the overall standings.

Teodor Kabakchiev, Manuel Lettenbichler und James Moore

Foto: Red Bull

Manuel Lettenbichler: “I’m speechless. We’ve now managed to rack up seven wins here at this mad race – to be honest, I didn’t expect that. It still feels surreal. Every win here represents so much hard work, and so much can happen. Just making it to the finish line at the Romaniacs is a brilliant feeling in itself. Winning is, of course, the best thing. The climbs after the service point today were really tough. Teo had fallen back a bit and I was just able to ride at my own pace and enjoy it. All in all, it’s just a brilliant race here; you meet other riders on the climbs and everyone’s in the same boat. It’s a great feeling to experience it all with the other riders.”

Teo Kabakchiev: “Today’s route was really tough, and my problems at the start didn’t make it any easier. One of the fuses was faulty and it took me a while to figure that out. After that, though, I managed to make up a few places. Today was by far the toughest day, and after the previous three days, fatigue had simply set in. I’m satisfied and happy for the team and everyone who helped me. I think we’ve done a good job.”

Matthew Green: “Today was a typical Romaniacs day. A good, tough route. There was still a bit of moisture and grip in the forest. Today we had to prove our technical skills and really push hard. And I’m absolutely thrilled that I was able to show what I’m really capable of today. Finishing third on a day like this is certainly something to be proud of. As the Romaniacs aren’t part of the World Championship, my team wasn’t here. What an adventure – an absolutely brilliant race.”

James Moore: “I certainly enjoyed the day, even though it was probably three times as tough as the previous days and I had a few problems with the bike. First I ruined the air filter, and after the service point the front suspension gave out. It was a completely mad adventure and I’m over the moon to have made it to the finish! My strategy today was not to race against the others, but against the track. Considering everything that happened, I’m more than happy with the result.”

Red Bull Romaniacs results, Off-road Day 4:

1. Manuel Lettenbichler (D, KTM), 5:28:36 h

2. Teodor Kabakchiev (BG, Sherco), +44:43 min

3. Matthew Green (ZA, KTM), +48:10

4. James Moore (ZA, Beta), +1:08:05 h

5. Mitch Brightmore (GB, GASGAS), +1:26:28

6. Lorenzo Gandola (I, Sherco), +2:02:39

7. Sonny Goggia (I, KTM), +2:34:59

8. Michael Walkner (A, GASGAS), +2:43:11

9. Kornel Ott (H, Beta), +2:54:57

10. David Cyprian (CZ, KTM), +3:11:52

Red Bull Romaniacs results, overall standings after Day 4:

1. Manuel Lettenbichler (D, KTM), 22:14:41 h

2. Teodor Kabakchiev (BG, Sherco), +1:03:27 h

3. James Moore (ZA, Beta), +2:20:22

4. Matthew Green (ZA, KTM), +2:50:18

5. Mitch Brightmore (GB, GasGas), +2:53:17

6. Michael Walkner (A, GasGas), +3:36:44

7. Lorenzo Gandola (I, Sherco), +4:25:59

8. Thomas Scales (ZA, Beta), +5:46:45

9. Sonny Goggia (I, KTM), +6:05:44

10. David Cyprian (CZ, KTM), +6:28:14