Hard enduro star Wade Young has won the infamous Red Bull Romaniacs event after five brutal days of racing. The 22 year-old Sherco Factory rider placed second in the prologue in the streets of Sibiu, Romania, before the field attacked the mountains for four days of extremely tough and technical racing.
Young hit the lead after the second day of racing in the mountains and went on to extend the margin to four-minutes before the fourth and final day. Young came under attack from Manuel Lettenbichler on the last day of racing but fought back to secure his maiden Romaniacs win.
“I can’t believe it,” Young was reported to have said. “I am over the moon to have won. It’s been such a long race and so tough. Manni (Manuel Lettenbichler) 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 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.”
Not only has the Sherco racer etched his name into the record books by winning the 15th edition of Red Bull Romaniacs, he has become the youngest rider to do so in the process.
“It’s been a hard week of riding, one of he toughest I’ve ever done here, but I think that played to my strengths,” said Young. “I seem to enjoy the long days and tough riding. All the best hard enduro riders have won here so to get my name on that winner’s list means a lot.”
The 2017 Wildwood Rock Champion has a very strong following in Australia and the Romaniacs win is being widely celebrated by fans and Sherco loyalists alike.
“Wade made a lot of fans when he came to Australia and won Wildwood Rock last year,” said Sherco Australia’s Stephen Tuff. “We got to see first-hand just how amazing he is on a bike and how incredibly fit he is. Wade and his mechanic, Franck, are a class act, a very strong team. Their preparation and attention to detail is meticulous. They just want to win and showcase Sherco as the premium enduro brand. They also happen to be great blokes. We’re very proud of them and look forward to them returning to Melbourne to defend the Wildwood Rock win again this year.”
Results:
1. Wade Young – Sherco
2. Manuel Lettenbichler
3. Jonny Walker
Photography: Cristi Cojocariu, Mihai Stetcu and Predrag Vuckovic