Mario Roman takes Red Bull Romaniacs Offroad Day 3 victory in FIM HEWC Round Four

IIn what was already a tough and demanding fourth round of the 2024 FIM Hard Enduro World Championship, competitors kicked off the second half of the Red Bull Romaniacs with Offroad Day 3.

After their overnight stay in Râmnicu Vâlcea as part of the marathon stage, the riders left the city early in the morning to begin the long ride back to Sibiu through the Carpathian Mountains.

After a liaison section, the gold class completed two signature sections before reaching today’s Leatt LIVEmaniacs loop, aptly named Cliffhanger. They rode three laps of the super-steep climb before tackling more hill climbs to reach the service point. Another liaison section provided a welcome breather before a few final stings of the tail wrapped up a 180km race day.

For those eager to secure a podium finish this year, today proved crucial for the front runners. While Manuel Lettenbichler to protect their 35-minute lead in the race, the Sherco Factory Racing duo of Theodor Kabachiev And Mario Roman competed for podium places, with Wade Jong And Michael Walkner in tow.

Kabakchiev, who had won Offroad Day 2, was the first to go, with Lettenbichler leaving three minutes later. After another three minutes had passed, it was Roman’s turn to go. When they arrived at LIVEmaniacs after an hour of racing, the peloton was bunched up. Lettenbichler had reached Kabakchiev’s rear wheel. Roman was tight and looked determined.

Battling back and forth, Lettenbichler found his way past Kabakchiev to take the lead on the road. But when all the leading riders had completed their mandatory three laps of LIVEmaniacs, it was Roman who was fastest on corrected time. One minute and 53 seconds faster than second-placed Lettenbichler, the Spaniard was on the hunt for his first win of the week. Walkner and Young were third and fourth, while Kabakchiev was fifth, eight minutes and 31 seconds behind Roman.

Arriving at the service point, Roman continued to hold on to the race lead by over two minutes, with around three hours to go. Close to the finish line, the Sherco rider rode each section with near-flawless precision, keeping Lettenbichler at bay. Roman held on, despite a late charge from Lettenbichler, to top the timesheet on Offroad Day 3 after a determined ride.

Despite his best efforts, Lettenbichler had to settle for second place today. However, the German managed to extend his lead in the race to 40 minutes and 45 seconds. With just one day left in round four, he is on course to secure his third victory of the season and regain the lead in the championship points standings.

Behind the top two, Young went all out to finish third on Offroad Day 3. The South African put in a solid ride in the second half of the day, finishing just over seven minutes behind Roman.

After a difficult start to his morning, in which he was overtaken by Lettenbichler and Roman, Kabakchiev began to find his rhythm in the afternoon. The Bulgarian was the fastest through two of the five checkpoints after the service, making up some of the lost time. However, the damage would be too great and he would eventually end his day in fourth place. With a loss of nine minutes and two seconds to his teammate Roman, he drops to third place in the general classification. With him entering the final day just 45 seconds behind the Spaniard, it is a grandstand finish for second place between the duo.

Walkner completed the top five today, finishing just over six minutes behind Kabakchiev. Sonny Goggia finished sixth. He achieved his best ride of the week so far, Matthew Green came in strong in seventh place. The South African had a tough start to his week on Offroad Day 1, but today’s performance lifts him from 12th to 9th in the overall standings.

Once again he proves himself as the best FIM Hard Enduro Junior World Championship, supported by KLIM rider, Mitch Brightmore finished eighth today. The result puts him in sixth place overall with just one day to go.

Also enjoying his best result of the week so far, Ashton Brightmore ended his day in the top 10 with a ninth place. The Junior rider, and Red Bull Romaniacs rookie, impressed many when he sent RIEJU Factory Racing’s veteran Alfredo Gomez home in tenth place.

To underline just how tough and demanding this year’s edition of Red Bull Romaniacs has been so far, all but the top three riders have already surpassed Lettenbichler’s overall winning time from 2023. Tomorrow, the fourth Offroad Day will follow, bringing round four of the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship to a close, with everyone eagerly awaiting the finish in Gusterita.

Preliminary results: FIM HEWC round four, Red Bull Romaniacs

Offroad day 3
1 Mario Roman (Sherco) 5:18:24
2 Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM) 5:20:50
3 Wade Young (GASGAS) 5:25:25
4 Teodor Kabakchev (Sherco) 5:27:26
5 Michael Walkner (GASGAS) 5:34:03
6 Sonny Goggia (KTM) 5:59:52
7 Matthew Groen (KTM) 6:09:28
8 Mitch Brightmore (Husqvarna) 6:12:58
9 Ashton Brightmore (Husqvarna) 6:17:40
10 Alfredo Gomez (RIEJU) 6:25:45

Event classification (after offroad day 3)
1 Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM) 18:54:48
2 Mario Roman (Sherco) 19:35:33
3 Teodor Kabakchev (Sherco) 19:36:18
4 Wade Young (GASGAS) 19:56:36
5 Michael Walkner (GASGAS) 20:03:15
6 Mitch Brightmore (Husqvarna) 22:10:49
7 Sonny Goggia (KTM) 23:56:04
8 Alfredo Gomez (RIEJU) 24:30:04
9 Matthew Groen (KTM) 24:34:25
10 Francesc Moret (Sherco) 24:34:55