KTM Enduro Factory Team rider Jonny Walker takes to the start of the 2013 edition of the Romaniacs Hard Enduro Rally today, following a runner-up result in the event’s prologue in Sibiu yesterday.
A second time entrant at Romaniacs having made his debut in 2012, Walker, who topped day four’s stage last year, heads into the 10th anniversary edition of the event knowing that it’s going to a long and demanding week.
Competing in the Enduro X event at the Munich X Games on his way to Romania, where he placed eighth following an incident filled main event, Jonny is well aware that the next few days are going to be anything but straight forward. With the picturesque but often brutally challenging Romanian countryside to contend with, as well as unpredictable weather, and the strongest line-āup of competitors ever at Romaniacs, Walker is ready to rise to the challenge.
The 2013 Red Bull Romaniacs runs from July 2-6.
“If this year’s Romaniacs is going to be anything like the prologue it’s going to be a crazy race! But it should be great,” says Jonny Walker. “The weather’s amazing here in Sibiu at the moment, and like all the riders I can’t wait to get stuck into the real riding. The prologue was fun, but it’s what happens over the next few days that really matters. I’m pleased to have finished second in the prologue. I was leading until the final lap, but second is a great result. I guess the prologue is a bit of fun, but it was tough.
“This is my second time here at Romaniacs. I’m hoping for a good race but so much can happen. There’s a great line-āup of riders competing here, with all of the Hard Enduro regulars competing. Last year I learned a lot – it was my first time using a GPS. I won the fourth day, which was great, but it took me some time to settle in. I hope I can get up to speed a little quicker this week.
“As this is the 10th anniversary of Romaniacs I’m sure the organisers have a few surprises for us. The race was hard last year. With the weather, using a GPS, the tough competition, it’s certainly not going to be easy this year. But I’m looking forward to it. I feel good, got a little practice in at X Games in Munich, so fingers crossed all goes well.
“X Games was a strange one again. It kind of went from good to not so good for me, but it was a great experience again. Qualifying went well, I was second fastest behind Taddy. It was good to know my speed was good. I got a good start in the final but made a mistake on one of the rock sections. It was a real hit n’ miss section – a lot of riders went around it but I stuck to the track and rode it every lap. I ended up eighth, which isn’t great, but it was strange race. I enjoyed it, and it was another great experience.”
