Romantics slots open
By TMX Archives on 26th Mar 09
ENTRIES for the 2009 edition of the Red Bull Romaniacs, scheduled for August 15 to 19, are still open. There are 140 starting slots still available at www.redbullromaniacs.com
Founder and mastermind of the Red Bull Romaniacs – this year will be the sixth event running – Martin Freinademetz, from the organising agency Xventure Offroad Tours, explains: "We'll be able to host and cater for up to 250 riders in 2009. More is not possible due to track conditions and safety aspects for the riders.
‘‘From last year's feedback from the European markets, we know that the demand for our starting places remains high. In 2008, the 230 slots were all taken up by March for an event in September. To date, we have a little more than 100 inscriptions, so it's starting to get a little tight already.”
The event's centre and main bivouac will again be the town of Sibiu but, for one night, an overnight bivouac will be set up in the city of Petrosani, in order to ramp up the Rallye's character and to include superb additional tracks over the mountain stages.
Again this year, new routes have been created. The route plotters have been out since the end of the 2008 event, finding and developing some new adventurous tracks.
Prominent names have already announ-ced their participation for 2009, including last year's debutant winner and title defender Graham Jarvis (Sherco), Kiwi Chris Birch (KTM) or the Husaberg force with Shane Cuthbertson (Canada), Dieter Happ and Erich Brandauer (both Austria).
BMW's decision on whom to send for this extreme challenge in 2009 is still awaited, it will probably send new signing David Knight, who has won pretty much everything globally EXCEPT this event.
KTM has already dropped a bombshell. Reportedly, it will be sending two big guns with Dakar winner and three-times Red Bull Romaniacs champion Cyril Despres (France) as well as extreme enduro star Taddy Blazusiak (Poland).
The line-up at the Red Bull Romaniacs Rallye in 2009 will be better than ever before and, following the start of the event on August 15, everyone can watch the event live on www.redbullromaniacs.com – with mini-tracker technology allowing real-time online tracking accompanied by superb live pics and videos.