Husqvarna Motorcycles enjoyed a wealth of success at Red Bull Romaniacs 2015 with Graham Jarvis and Alfredo Gomez both securing podium results
Regarded as the toughest Hard Enduro Rallye in the world, this year’s Red Bull Romaniacs served up five gruelling days of tough riding in the Romanian Carpathian Mountains.
For Bel-Ray Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Graham Jarvis, this year’s edition of the race was a closely fought affair. Hungry to capture a record breaking fifth victory at Romaniacs, Jarvis fought tooth and nail with eventual winner Jonny Walker during close to 24 hours of racing during the five-day event.
Third in Tuesday’s infamous Sibiu city prologue, Jarvis quickly took control of the race lead with a commanding win on day one – the first in the mountains. However, a navigational error saw his advantage lost on day two. Third on day three, the Husqvarna rider entered the final day of competition just over three minutes shy of the lead. Riding at maximum attack, Jarvis won the final day but it wasn’t enough to win the overall victory and he had to settle for the runner-up result.
Back in Romania having missed the event in 2013 due to a foot injury, Alfredo Gomez initially struggled to find his rhythm in the race. Needing the opening two days in the mountains to settle in, he delivered his best performance on day three, finishing second. Putting himself back into contention for a podium result, he again produced a strong ride on the last day to claim third overall.
Graham Jarvis: “It’s been an unbelievable race – I think that’s the closest and most competitive one I’ve ever done. It literally went down to the final 50 metres for the win. Of course I’m disappointed that the victory didn’t fall my way by I gave it everything I had. I rode a good week – only had a couple of mishaps – but overall it was a solid ride. It’s been a very competitive race this year. I think the level has really stepped up. It’s nearly turning into a sprint each, the pace has stepped up that much. I think with it being very dry this year that was a factor but I’m enjoying the competition. I’m not unhappy to finish second in such a strong group of riders but hopefully next year I’ll get back on the top step of the podium again.”
Alfredo Gomez: “Finishing on the podium in third is fantastic for me. Honestly, I didn’t know if it would be possible this year. Having missed last year’s race and with only one-year of experience here, I knew it would be a tough week. The first two days in the mountains were not the best I’ve ever ridden. I definitely made it hard on myself. But day three I turned things around with second place and I sort of found my Romaniacs rhythm. Starting day four I knew third could be a possibility so I pushed hard and got it. I’m super happy with this result. Also congratulations to both Graham and Jonny – they rode incredibly this week.”
Results – Red Bull Romaniacs 2015
1. Jonny Walker (KTM) 23:49:42; 2. Graham Jarvis (Husqvarna) 23:51:22; 3. Alfredo Gomez (Husqvarna) 24:48:03; 4. Paul Bolton (KTM) 25:00:10; 5. Wade Young (KTM) 25:10:39; 6. Andreas Lettenbichler (KTM) 25:44:50; 7. Philipp Scholz (KTM) 26:2:37; 8. Blake Gutzeit (Husqvarna) 26:26:59; 9. Lars Enockl (KTM) 26:39:38; 10. Brett Swanepoel (Yamaha) 26:44:01…