Story: FIM Hard Enduro World Championship
July 26, 2024

The penultimate day of racing at round four of the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship saw Sherco Factory Racing’s Mario Roman take the win. The Spaniard proved fastest on Offroad Day 3 at Red Bull Romaniacs, edging out overall race leader Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Manuel Lettenbichler for victory.

• Penultimate day of racing completed at FIM HEWC round four

• Win for Mario Roman on Offroad Day 3

• Manuel Lettenbichler moves closer to third victory of the season

In what’s already been a tough and demanding round four of the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship, competitors began 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, riders left the city early morning to begin the long ride back to Sibiu across the Carpathian Mountains.

Following a liaison section, the gold class completed two signature sections before reaching today’s LEATT LIVEmaniacs loop, aptly named Cliffhanger. Riding three laps of the super steep climb, they then took in more hillclimbs to reach the service point. Another liaison section delivered a welcome breather before a couple of final stings in the tail rounded out a 180-kilometre day of racing.

For those with sights set on claiming a podium result in this year’s race, today proved pivotal among the front runners. While Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Manuel Lettenbichler set about protecting his 35-minute race lead, the Sherco Factory Racing duo of Teodor Kabakchiev and Mario Roman battled for podium placings, with Red Bull Leader Tread’s Wade Young and Walkner GASGAS Factory’s Michael Walkner in tow.

Roman sets the pace on Offroad Day 3

Kabakchiev, having won Offroad Day 2, was first on the road, with Lettenbichler setting off three minutes later. After a further three minutes had elapsed, it was Roman’s turn to go. Arriving at LIVEmaniacs after one hour of racing, the pack had bunched up. Lettenbichler had reached the rear wheel of Kabakchiev. Roman was in close contention and looking determined.

Battling back and forth, Lettenbichler found his way around 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. Finishing one minute and 53 seconds quicker than Lettenbichler in second, the Spaniard was hunting down his first victory of the week. Walkner and Young were third and fourth, while Kabakchiev sat fifth, losing eight minutes and 31 seconds to Roman in the process.

Arriving at the service point, Roman continued to hold the race lead by over two minutes with about three hours of racing remaining. Closing in on the finish line, the Sherco rider rode each section with near-flawless precision, keeping Lettenbichler at bay. Holding firm, despite a late attack from Lettenbichler, Roman topped the time sheets on Offroad Day 3 following a determined ride.

Despite giving it his best, Lettenbichler had to settle for second today. However, the German was able to further extend his race lead to 40 minutes and 45 seconds. With just one day of racing remaining at round four, he’s on course to secure his third victory of the season and regain the championship points lead.

Behind the top two, Young pushed hard to place third on Offroad Day 3. The South African put in a solid ride in the latter half of the day and finished just over seven minutes behind Roman 

After a tough start to his morning getting caught by Lettenbichler and Roman, Kabakchiev began to find his rhythm in the afternoon. The Bulgarian was quickest through two of the five checkpoints after service, regaining some of the time lost. However, the damage would be too great and he would eventually end his day fourth. Losing nine minutes and two seconds to his teammate Roman, he slips to third in the overall classification. Now trailing the Spaniard by only 45 seconds entering the final day, it sets up a grandstand finish for the runner-up result between the duo.

Walkner completed the top five today, finishing just over six minutes behind Kabakchiev. Sonny Goggia (KTM) was sixth. Securing his best ride of the week so far, Rigo Racing’s Matthew Green came on strong for seventh. The South African had a tough start to his week on Offroad Day 1, but today’s performance lifts him from 12th to ninth in the overall classification

Brightmore brothers 1-2 in Junior

Once again proving himself as the best FIM Hard Enduro Junior World Championship supported by KLIM rider, TTR Squadra Corse’s Mitch Brightmore finished eighth today. The result sees him move up to sixth overall with just one day remaining.

Also enjoying his best result of the week so far, TTR Squadra Corse’s Ashton Brightmore ended his day inside the top 10 with ninth. The Junior rider, and Red Bull Romaniacs rookie, impressed many as he headed home the experienced veteran of RIEJU Factory Racing’s Alfredo Gomez in 10th.

Cementing 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 the overall winning time of Lettenbichler from 2023. With tomorrow’s Offroad Day 4 bringing round four of the FIM Hard Enduro World Championship to a close, everyone will be eagerly anticipating the finish line in Gusterita.

Provisional 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 Kabakchiev (Sherco) 5:27:26
5. Michael Walkner (GASGAS) 5:34:03
6. Sonny Goggia (KTM) 5:59:52
7. Matthew Green (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 Kabakchiev (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 Green (KTM) 24:34:25
10. Francesc Moret (Sherco) 24:34:55