Story: FIM Hard Enduro World Championship
July 25, 2024

Sherco Factory Racing’s Teodor Kabakchiev has topped the leaderboard on Offroad Day 2 at Red Bull Romaniacs, round four of the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship. The Bulgarian delivered an impressive ride, finishing almost four minutes ahead of overall race leader Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Manuel Lettenbichler.

• Kabakchiev rides to victory on Offroad Day 2 at Red Bull Romaniacs

• Lettenbichler controls overall race lead by almost 35 minutes

• Offroad Day 2 marked the first half of the marathon stage

After the hardship of yesterday’s Offroad Day 1 at round four of the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship, today was one of adventure for competitors at Red Bull Romaniacs. High mountains passes, incredible scenery, tough signature sections and over 180 kilometres of riding made for a memorable and enjoyable day in the saddle.

Gold class riders faced the LEATT LIVEmaniacs section early this morning, just nine minutes after starting the day. That early wake-up call then saw them set out on a huge day of riding that took them to their overnight stay in Râmnicu Vâlcea.

As part of the marathon stage, riders waved goodbye to their teams at the midday service and won’t meet up again until tomorrow’s service point on Offroad Day 3. A critical point in the race, the afternoon’s focus was on preserving machinery, while ensuring time wasn’t lost in the overall standings. Some called it to perfection, while others face catch-up tomorrow.

Kabakchiev goes on the attack

Beginning his day with a 29-minute lead over Sherco Factory Racing’s Mario Roman in second, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Manuel Lettenbichler looked to maintain that advantage today. Leading his classmates out this morning, he was first to arrive at the LIVEmaniacs Cliffhanger section. Fastest on all three of the laps, he built up an early advantage exiting LIVEmaniacs and looked on course to add to his Offroad Day win tally. 

Starting in fifth, Sherco Factory Racing’s Teodor Kabakchiev was also looking good. The Bulgarian muscled his way through the LIVEmaniacs traffic and soon after upped his pace as they headed higher into the mountains. Gaining five minutes on Lettenbichler as they arrived at the service point, he moved into the provisional lead for Offroad Day 2. 

With the duo battling back and forth on corrected time, Kabakchiev eventually held off Lettenbichler in the final stages of the day to claim a much-deserved and hard-fought Offroad Day 2 win by three minutes and 58 seconds.

Although unable to make it two Offroad Day wins in a row, Lettenbichler could still be satisfied with his day’s work. Finishing today as runner-up sees him extend his overall race lead to 34 minutes  and 54 seconds over Kabakchiev, who moves from fifth to second in the overall classification.

Although starting the day in second, Roman was unable to match the pace of the top two today. The Spaniard still enjoyed a strong ride to place third, but reached the finish line some 14 minutes behind Lettenbichler on corrected time. Offset by a surge from Kabakchiev, Roman drops to third in the overall classification.

Walkner GASGAS Factory’s Michael Walkner continues to hold fourth overall in the race thanks to his fourth-place result today. The Austrian was fastest through checkpoint nine, but then lost a lot of time during checkpoint 10, which ultimately saw his chance of claiming a top-three result on Offroad Day 2 slip away. 

For championship leader Red Bull Leader Tread’s Wade Young, Offroad Day 2 was a mixed bag. The South African rode consistently but never quite bridged the gap to the leading four. Finishing four minutes behind Walkner sees him slip from third to fifth in the overall classification. Young will need to bounce back tomorrow to keep his podium hopes alive.

A strong ride from Red Bull Beta’s Jonny Walker saw him end today in sixth. The two-time Red Bull Romaniacs winner is beginning to find his rhythm in the Carpathian Mountains following a lengthy break away from the event and could prove a threat in the second half of the race.

Brightmore extends Junior class lead

Continuing to lead the FIM Hard Enduro Junior World Championship supported by KLIM category, TTR Squadra Corse’s Mitch Brightmore excelled again today for seventh, finishing just two minutes ahead of Sonny Goggia (KTM) in eighth.

Brightmore already leads the Junior category by an enormous three hours over his brother and teammate, Ashton Brightmore.

Offroad Day 3 sees competitors begin the second leg of the marathon stage, which leads them back to host city Sibiu.

Offroad Day 2
1. Teodor Kabakchiev (Sherco) 6:21:38
2. Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM) 6:25:36
3. Mario Roman (Sherco) 6:39:46
4. Michael Walkner (GASGAS) 6:45:45
5. Wade Young (GASGAS) 6:49:57
6. Jonny Walker (Beta) 6:54:28
7. Mitch Brightmore (Husqvarna) 7:10:47
8. Sonny Goggia (KTM) 7:12:00
9. Graham Jarvis (Husqvarna) 7:12:48
10. Alfredo Gomez (RIEJU) 7:16:23

Event Classification (After Offroad Day 2)
1. Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM) 13:33:58
2. Teodor Kabakchiev (Sherco) 14:08:52
3. Mario Roman (Sherco) 14:17:09
4. Michael Walkner (GASGAS) 14:29:12
5. Wade Young (GASGAS) 14:31:11
6. Jonny Walker (Beta) 15:42:39
7. Mitch Brightmore (Husqvarna) 15:57:51
8. Graham Jarvis (Husqvarna) 15:59:05
9. Sonny Goggia (KTM) 17:56:12
10. Alfredo Gomez (RIEJU) 18:04:19