Off-road star Manuel Lettenbichler (Red Bull KTM) is aiming to defend his Red Bull Romaniacs crown.
The 22-year-old German should have begun the defence of his title in July but COVID-19 forced organisers to postpone the event. Instead, this year’s five-day marathon kicked off in Sibiu in Romania yesterday
“I’m feeling pretty good right now,” said Mani. “I’ve been trying to get as much riding in as possible over the last couple of weeks as I wasn’t able to do too much after injuring my thumb back in August.
“I’m really excited to just go back racing again – this year has been so mixed up, just the fact that we can do an event like Romaniacs is great. I won it last year and I want to do well this year, it’s just so difficult to know what to expect.
“Having not raced so much, it’s not easy to gauge where you are in terms of form compared to the other riders. The move to October hopefully won’t change things too much – it looks like it will stay dry and it will be cold early in the mornings but it’s the same for everyone.
“I think we’re going to have a good race and I can’t wait to get into battle with the boys once again.”
The super-tough hard enduro – now in its 17th year – started with a spectacular time trial before competitors headed into the mountains for four days of mentally and physically challenging racing.
Britain’s Jonny Walker, a two-time Romaniacs winner, was unable to compete after sustaining an elbow injury at a recent round of the British Extreme Enduro Championship.
