Manuel Lettenbichler has laid down a dominant opening performance at the 2025 Red Bull Romaniacs, setting the pace on Off-Road Day 1 ahead of Teodor Kabakchiev and Billy Bolt, who completed the top three on the day.

Day 1 in a nutshell:

• The 22nd edition of Romaniacs is themed Game Changer, and judging by the reactions at the finish line, it seems to be living up to the name. "The hardest and longest first day I’ve experienced in 10 years of racing," said Mario Roman at the finish.
• Riders tackled more than 120 kilometres of off-road terrain featuring a mix of iconic Romaniacs sections like Galindo’s Ridge, plus fresh new additions for 2025. The fastest Gold class riders were out on the bike for nearly seven hours.
• After a short six-kilometre road liaison out of the paddock, riders had barely any time to warm up before diving into the Sibiu forests – and the surprises came early...
• First up was a gnarly descent aptly named Sky Dive, where Mitch Brightmore took a wild tumble as his bike barrel-rolled down the mountain. Lettenbichler and Bolt both commented that just looking at the drop was “ridiculous”.
• Despite a few sketchy moments – including at Sky Dive – Lettenbichler managed the navigation and terrain better than anyone. Although he only clocked the fastest time at three of the 11 checkpoints, he limited losses in the trickier sections and pulled out a 6m59s lead by the finish.
• Teodor Kabakchiev continued the strong form he’s shown in recent Hard Enduro rounds and proved once again that Romaniacs brings out the best in him. He was the fastest through four checkpoints and ended the day second overall.
• Billy Bolt, the Prologue winner, rounded out the podium. Romaniacs has never been Bolt’s best event, but he’s off to a solid start, sitting just nine minutes behind Letti. His impressive performance through Checkpoint 14, one of the toughest of the day, helped secure his position.
• Mario Roman improved as the day progressed. The Sherco rider was second-fastest through CP14, showing smart line choices, but a slower start compared to his rivals meant he had to fight back to finish fourth, 12 minutes down.
• Graham Jarvis, the legendary veteran, completed the top five. As always, when things get long and brutal, Jarvis steps up. He’s currently 42 minutes behind Letti, but with three more days to go, anything can happen.
• Behind Jarvis, familiar names filled out the top 10: Alfredo Gomez (6th), Michael Walkner (7th), and Mitch Brightmore (8th), who recovered well after his crash. But all of them are already over an hour behind the leader – and its only day one!
• Other class results:
• Silver class: Costa Rican Justin Elizondo took the win, five minutes ahead of Australia’s Adam Giles, with Hungary’s Kornal Ott in third.
• Bronze class: Yali Tali claimed the top spot, followed by Kevin Gallas on his Yamaha Ténéré, 17 minutes back. Diego Chang rounded out the podium.
• Adventure Ultimate: A promising KTM vs Yamaha battle is unfolding between Pol Tarrés and Johnny Aubert. Tarrés took the day’s win by just 48 seconds, while Romania’s Krisztian Tompa was third on another Yamaha.
• Jonny Walker, also a class favourite, struggled with mechanical issues on his Triumph, eventually finishing fifth, 8m down. Enduro21’s own Jonathan Person finished just outside the top 10.
• Adventure Lite: As expected, Sam Sunderland dominated, already opening a 14-minute lead over Dutch rider Joop Nissink. Daniel Fernández from Colombia sits third, 22 minutes adrift.

Red Bull Romaniacs day 1 results – Gold:

Red Bull Romaniacs day 1 results – Silver:

Red Bull Romaniacs day 1 results – Bronze:

Red Bull Romaniacs day 1 results – Adventure Ultimate:

Red Bull Romaniacs day 1 results – Adventure Lite:

Red Bull Romaniacs day 1 results – eMoto Expert:

Red Bull Romaniacs day 1 results – eMoto Hobby:

Images: Andrea Belluschi/Enduro 21