With the prologue proceedings firmly behind them, the 2012 Red Bull Romaniacs began in earnest as competitors faced the first of four tough days of competition. Basked in perfect weather the route took competitors across some extremely picturesque and scenic views of the Romanian wilderness. However, with the race already gathering considerable pace, those at the head of the field had little time to take in the view.
Focused on establishing himself at the front of the field, Jarvis began the day in a determined fashion. Making short work of the first technical sections he quickly opened up an early lead and gapped the chasing pack by almost ten minutes. Maintaining his advantage throughout the day, the Husaberg rider now leads the standings at the end of day one.
Husqvarna's Andreas Lettenbichler rode a safe race to place second behind Jarvis.
Starting the event in eighth, KTM's Chris Birch soon began to carve his way through the field to eventually end his day in third.
“I felt pretty good today,” confirmed Birch. “The first part was nice with lovely scenery however, after the service point it got harder. The river section was the most difficult and I lost a lot of time to Graham in that.”
As winner of the previous day's prologue, Romaniacs rookie, Walker was first to start the event at 6am. Although leading during the opening checkpoint, the KTM rider struggled to adapt to the GPS route marking and lost his way numerous times. Retracing his steps he eventually linked back in with the leading group and followed them home to finish fourth on the day.
“I got lost a few times, but navigation was easier than I thought,” commented Walker at the end of a long day. “I'm happy to have finished the day safely though at one point I was even chased by shepherd dogs. In the end I teamed up with Xavi, Graham and Letti – and towards the end with Chris - who was super fast in the mountains!”
Runner up during the prologue, Husaberg's Xavi Galindo struggled with GPS damage during the latter half of the afternoon and ended his day in fifth.
Day One Results:
1. Graham Jarvis (Husaberg) 4:25:07; 2. Andreas Lettenbichler (Husqvarna) 4:42:44; 3. Chris Birch (KTM) 4:42:50; 4. Jonny Walker (KTM) 4:55:39; 5. Xavi Galindo (Husaberg) 5:05:07...
