From unleashing multi-cylinder adventure bikes and being bold where other are afraid to tread with electric motorcycles, the 2025 Red Bull Romaniacs ripped up expectations – make a date for next year kids, July 28-August 1, 2026.  

The headlines and the social media videos will show you some spectacular riding, as always, but the rub of the 2025 Red Bull Romaniacs will live under the fingernails and ingrained in the backpack straps of the 600+, 63 nations rider entry list for a while to come.

From Guatemala to China, Kazakhstan to Portugal, riders from every continent stood on the podium, proving that hard enduro is a global sport.

The 22nd edition also saw an amazing battle of the bike brands including CFMOTO, Triumph, Yamaha, BMW, KTM, Ducati, Husqvarna, Sherco, GASGAS, Rieju, Beta, Aprilia, Kove and Stark Future (did we forget anyone?!). It’s hard not to reflect on the 22nd edition of Romaniacs as anything but a boost for the sport – without the FIM involved.

Chasing the old man (and Mani)

A drier than usual course suited a faster race and though the boys ran Mani Lettenbichler closer, he walks away one win closer to Jarvis’ record seven titles. Among those chasing Mani were Graham Jarvis himself who ticks off another week with fifth place overall.

Billy Bolt excelled and dominated the prologue, as expected. Not the spectacle it once was, the prologue finals races now suit the SuperEnduro Champ more. But come the main four days racing in the mountains, Bill was arguably the best we’ve seen him which is to say constantly up there. The next step is obvious, to turn a one day win into more and take it to the Man(i).

A full hour adrift, Mario Roman collects yet another podium for himself and Sherco and showed yet again why fitness as much skill matters at this race.

Teo Kabakchiev was one of a list of riders with broken bones at this Romaniacs. The need for speed being more evident on the drier than normal course also showed these guys are trying tsuper-hard to catch that orange bike out front. It’s only natural if you want it bad enough Romaniacs will bite you back. Unlucky for the Bulgarian it is bad timing for his season with events thick and fast over the next couple of months.

Evolving the Sport: Key Milestones from 2025

2025 was about much more than titles. It was about a shifting tide in motorcycle sport, from the rise of electric bikes in elite competition, to big-bike adventure racing earning a place alongside traditional classes.

Adventure Bikes Make Their Mark: For the first time, Romaniacs welcomed multi-cylinder bikes into the high mountains in their own calsses. Pol Tarres and Jonny Walker led a fierce contest in the Adventure Ultimate category, while Dakar legend Sam Sunderland topped Adventure Lite on debut.

Electric Breakthrough

Eddie Karlsson won the Silver Class aboard a Stark VARG EX, going head-to-head with combustion bikes across nearly 600km of terrain, a first at this level. It deserves praise to Eddie for coping with the head-mess of not knowing how hard he could ride each day (the harder you go the more battery you use), but also to the organisers for doing what so many other major races, especially Erzberg and the FIM HEWC races, dare not.

Shoutout to Justin Elizondo who hit bad luck very close to the finish of what would likely have been the Silver class win. Next year.

“This edition was more than a race. It was a turning point,” said Martin Freinademetz, Red Bull Romaniacs founder. “We set out to push boundaries, and the response from the riders, fans and industry shows that the future of enduro is wide open. Electric is real. Big bikes belong. And the global community is stronger than ever.

“Our mission has always been to evolve the sport without compromising its essence. What we saw in 2025 proves that the spirit of hard enduro is alive, inclusive, and evolving.”

The 2026 edition is already in the works and it promises to raise the bar once again, mark your calendars: July 28 - August 1, 2026.

Photo credit: Andrea Belluschi | Future7Media + Attila Szabo | Red Bull Content Pool