Racing

Wade Young Tops 2018 Red Bull Romaniacs

Sherco rider youngest winner ever of Romaniacs

August 1, 2018

Wade Young

With his victory, Wade Young became the youngest winner of the Red Bull Romaniacs and he was over the moon about it. “It’s been such a long race and so tough,” Young said. “Manni caught me early on today. He would gap me on the hills and then I would have to charge on the fast sections to reel him back in. It went like that for the whole day right until the last couple of checkpoints where I was able to break away from him before the finish. It’s always been my goal to win here, and now I’ve managed to tick that box. It’s the toughest race in the world and it feels awesome to have won it.”Red Bull Content Pool/ Predrag Vuckovic

Sherco Factory Racing’s Wade Young (from the Republic of South Africa) claimed top honors at this year’s Red Bull Romaniacs, round 4 of the World Enduro Super Series in Sibiu, Romania, after finishing fourth on the final day of racing.

With a second place in the Prolog, Young finished second on the first day of the race and then won on days 2 and 3, which left him with more than a four-minute advantage going into the final day. It was a stressful day, but Young managed to masterfully win this 15th edition of the Red Bull Romaniacs.

With the win, Young etched his name into the history books as the youngest winner and first South African to win the epic race, which is considered the world’s toughest Hard Enduro. Germany’s Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM) and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jonny Walker (Great Britain) joined Young on the podium after finishing second and third, respectively.

Cody Webb

Cody Webb was forced to sit out this year’s race due to an injury he suffered during practice a few weeks ago, but was on hand to help with the television broadcast.Red Bull Content Pool/ Predrag Vuckovic

Manuel Lettenbichler

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jonny Walker maintains first place in the World Enduro Super Series championship standings following a hard-fought third-place result at Red Bull Romaniacs.Red Bull Content Pool/ Predrag Vuckovic

Romaniacs Results

Position	Rider	Brand
1	Wade Young	Sherco
2	Manuel Lettenbichler	KTM
3	Jonny Walker	KTM
4	Billy Bolt	Husqvarna
5	Alfredo Gomez	Husqvarna
6	Paul Bolton	KTM
7	David Cyprian	KTM
8	Blake Gutzeit	Yamaha
9	Mario Roman	Sherco
10	Philipp Scholz	KTM

William Bolt

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Billy Bolt finished fifth on the final day of racing to end his Red Bull Romaniacs in fourth overall.Red Bull Content Pool/ Predrag Vuckovic

2018 World Enduro Super Series Point Standings

Position	Rider	Brand	Points
1	Jonny Walker	KTM	2,900
2	Manuel Lettenbichler	KTM	2,715
3	Billy Bolt	Husqvarna	2,520
4	Wade Young	Sherco	2,220
5	Paul Bolton	KTM	1,832
6	Graham Jarvis	Husqvarna	1,818
7	Josep Garcia	KTM	1,750
8	Taddy Blazusiak	KTM	1,445
9	Travis Teasdale	Beta	1,410
10	Lars Enockl	GasGas	1,351

Alfredo Gomez

Building pace throughout the week, Spain’s Alfredo Gomez (Husqvarna) took fourth on Off Road Day 4 to complete the top five in the overall classification.Red Bull Content Pool/Future7Media

Emanuel Gyenes

Just missing out on an overall top-five position, Paul Bolton (KTM, Great Britain) was sixth in the final classification.Red Bull Content Pool/Future7Media

Tadeusz Blazusiak

Taddy Blazusiak finished third in the Romaniacs Prolog. “I watched the Prolog last year and it looked like so much fun so it’s been good to race it,” Blazusiak said. “The track rode really well and luckily it stayed dry too. It’s cool to be on the podium, but third is a bittersweet position to be in as it means I’ll lead out tomorrow due to the reversed start order of the top three.” The Polish rider finished 18th in the final results.Red Bull Content Pool/ Predrag Vuckovic

Graham Jarvis

Feeling low on energy, Graham Jarvis, was forced to withdraw from this year’s race on day 3. “Deciding to stop on Off Road Day 3 was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, but it was the most sensible option to take,” Jarvis admitted. “I simply had no more energy to continue and knew the safest thing to do was retire from the race. The race this year was tough, one of the toughest for a very long time, and right from the off I just wasn’t feeling right. I didn’t get into that groove like I normally do and was struggling in places where I knew I shouldn’t have been. I really wanted to challenge for a seventh Romaniacs win this year but it wasn’t to be. My focus now is to rest and recuperate and get back to full fitness and energy for the rest of the WESS championship.”Red Bull Content Pool/ Predrag Vuckovic

Manuel Lettenbichler

Manuel Lettenbichler won the fourth day of competition, moving the German KTM rider into the runner-up slot in the overall results and earning his first-ever podium at Romaniacs.Red Bull Content Pool/ Predrag Vuckovic

Josep Garcia (ESP)

Josep Garcia finished 15th. The young Spanish up-and-comer has been a big weapon for Spain in the ISDE the past two years.Red Bull Content Pool/Attila Szabo