It is Red Bull Romaniacs time and the area around Sibiu and Petrosani in Romania appears to once again turn into the hot-spot of the world’s best hardman enduro riders from all over the world, including once again Kiwi hero Chris Birch.

This 6th edition of “torture on mostly two wheels” will cater just anything brutal, available in the beautiful countryside of Sibiu, Romania.

The world’s best riders in this rather difficult terrain, such as KTM’s 3 times winner Cyril Despres (AND), Chris Birch (NZL), Darryl Curtis (RSA), BMW’s armada baring 2 times runner-up Gerhard Forster and Erzberg-Hero Andi Lettenbichler (both GER), and Husaberg’s 4-stroke army with Shane Cuthbertson (CAN), Dieter Happ (AUT) and Jimmy Lewis (USA). Not to be forgotten at all in this elite field: Graham Jarvis, the title defender from UK on his Sherco 4-stroke 250. Overall, there will be riders from 24 Nations out of 4 continents at the start.

A race-track which has the capacity to squeeze out even the very last drop of blood out of the competitors: After an in-city prologue over man-made obstacles and held in front of thousands of spectators, four more tough days, compiled and masterminded by Rallye Organiser Martin Freinademetz, are waiting for the competitors: Day one leading over nice barbecue areas but featuring countless zig-zagging climbs and descends, just to wake everybody up. Day two making GPS navigation THE issue, day three leading over merciless tracks to the old mining-town of Petrosani, where a separate night-bivouac will be held, and day four returning to Sibiu on a stage which appears to bear more than a day’s work can stand. Very looooong, tough and absolutely merciless.

In short: In it’s sixth edition, the Red Bull Romaniacs Rallye will again do just anything in order to kick a** Make sure you’ll be there: Live, on the starting line (free starting slots still available!), as a media-representative (riding with guides along the racetrack) or online HERE with our superb live tracking, allowing to follow the blinking dots live on an online-map, commented live by an elite crew of (embedded) field journalists and a blogging field waiting for your personal comments on the racing.

Photo by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com