Jarvis goes extreme in Sibiu
By TMX Archives on 21st Aug 09
GRAHAM Jarvis, surprise but fully deserved winner of last year's Red Bull Romaniacs extreme enduro, was holding fifth place in the 2009 event on Monday night following the second day's off-road action at the all-action event which is based on the town of Sibiu. In the lead was Spanish newcomer, 250 KTM mounted Xavier Galindo and fellow event rookie, German BMW teamster Andreas Lettenbichler. Paul Bolton was sitting in eighth place.
The event began on Saturday with a spectacular Prologue in the town with man-made obstacles set around natural terrain. Jarvis, on the factory four-stroke 250 Sherco, was right on the money here using his experience to sit right behind Galindo followed by BMW pairing German Forster and Lettenbichler. Bolts was in ninth. In the Hobby class the Brits ruled with Richard Main and Keith Patstone sitting pretty in an initial first and second place!
On Sunday, the first genuine off-road day, it was experience up front with New Zealander Chris Birch just easing ahead of French legend Cyril Despres who in turn was ahead of former trials ace Andy Lettenbichler. Jarvis was down in fifth, some nine-minutes down on the leader after five-hours of action with Bolton eighth, a further 20-minutes behind Graham.
On the second day the Spaniard Galindo had found his pace and moved into the lead with a total time of 11-hours 45-minutes and 23-seconds but he was only 23-seconds up on Lettenbichler with Despres just a single second adrift in third. Kiwi Birch had slipped to fourth while Jarvis remained in fifth spot, still around nine-minutes behind the leaders. Bolts was sitting in eighth, now around 30-minutes astern of Graham.
In the Hobby riders the Blagg Roofing squad of Darren Blagg, Richard Main and Keith Patstone somehow managed to finish altogether, sharing the combined time of 16 hours, ten-minutes and 51-seconds.
The event was due to finish on Wednesday evening when the survivors, winners and losers, will whoop it with a full-on Red Bull party!
2009 red bull romaniacs extreme enduro
Sibiu, Romania
Day TWO: 1 Xavier Galindo Arbones (250 KTM), 2 Andreas Lettenbichler (450 BMW), 3 Cyril Despres (300 KTM), 4 Chris Birch (300 KTM), 5 Graham Jarvis (GB - 250 Sherco), 8 Paul Bolton (GB - 250 KTM).
Hobby: 15 Darren Blagg/ Richard Main/ Keith Patstone.
Current British Trials Champion Graham Jarvis (1) - pictured in Saturday's Prologue - out on his factory Four-stroke 250 Sherco used all of his experience as he finished fifth after day two. Picture: PREDRAG VUCKOVIC