Graham Jarvis Wins 2013 Red Bull Romaniacs for the 4th time, Gomez 2nd

In what was a dominating display of riding, Jarvis asserted himself as the most successful rider in the history of the race by collecting his fourth title. After a fifth place result on the Prologue, Jarvis began day one in a determined mood. Ending the day with a staggering 26-minute lead over his nearest rival, he continued to maintain his pace throughout the week and captured the victory.

 

“It’s feels incredible to have won the Red Bull Romaniacs for the fourth time,” confirmed Jarvis after the podium celebrations. “With such a strong line-up of riders entered I knew the battle for the win would be tough. But after taking an early lead on day one I was able to put myself into a perfect position to win the race. Crossing the finish line as the winner was an amazing feeling.”

 

Starting day one of four in fifth position, Jarvis quickly carved his way to the front of the field. With the event organisers setting out an incredibly difficult and technical course to follow, the Husaberg rider revelled in the conditions. Finding the terrain exactly to his liking, Jarvis pushed hard to end his day with a healthy lead.

 

“Day one was probably the most important result of the week for me,” continued Jarvis. “Between the hot weather and the hard trails it was a really tough ride. I kept pushing all day and managed to make very few mistakes. I think that helped set me up for the rest of the week.”

 

Despite gaining a 15-minute time penalty on day two due to a faulty GPS navigation system, Jarvis fought back on day three to extend his lead by taking the win. Knowing that the victory was almost his, the Brit continued to control the race from the front of the field. Topping the standings for the third time on day four, Jarvis crossed the finish line as the winner of the Red Bull Romaniacs.

 

“I was disappointed to have got a 15-minute penalty on day two. My GPS system was programmed wrong and I missed a couple of waypoints. Even though I had a big lead I knew I couldn’t afford any more mistakes like that again. I rode hard on day three and was able to gain some time back.

 

“Throughout day four I kept an eye on the times and after the final service check I knew the race was mine. It felt great to stand on the top step of the podium for the fourth time. I’m really happy with how everything has gone.”

 

Joining his teammate on the podium, Gomez delivered a faultless performance to claim the runner-up result. In what was only his debut ride at the Red Bull Romaniacs, the young Spaniard consistently placed inside the top three each day. Ending day one in third position, Gomez moved into second place on day two and held it for the remainder of the race.

 

“I can’t believe how well this race has gone for me,” commented Gomez. “This was my first time competing at the Red Bull Romaniacs and I didn’t know exactly where I could finish. I’m so happy to have ended the race in second potion. “This event is different to most other races. There’s a lot of navigation and at first I found that difficult. But once I learned it I began to feel more comfortable. On day four I made things a little difficult for myself. I found it hard to get a good rhythm and lost some time – I was thinking too much about the result. After the service check I relaxed and rode much better. I caught up to Jonny Walker and then stayed with him to the finish. Finishing on the podium for the first time is just incredible.”

 

Also making his debut ride at the Red Bull Romaniacs, 17-year old South African Wade Young enjoyed a solid result. Battling his way forward from a difficult day one, Young ended his week in eighth position, even though he was first announced as tenth. After a second check of the GPS information the organizers took away the time penalty he got on 3rd offroad day, which moved him forward 2 places to the final eight position.

 

“It’s been four hard days,” told Young. “Ideally I’d liked to have placed higher up the classification than eight but I made things tough for myself on day one. It was a brutal day and I constantly made mistakes. That set me down the running order and I had to work hard to recover from that. Overall, it’s been a great experience. I’ve learned a lot about riding in this type of terrain and I’m pleased with the progress I’ve made this week.

 

Results – Red Bull Romaniacs 2013

1. Graham Jarvis (Husaberg) 23:46:55; 2. Alfredo Gomez (Husaberg) 24:32:21; 3. Andreas Lettenbichler
(Husqvarna) 24:46:57; 4. Jonny Walker (KTM) 24:50:46; 5. Paul Bolton (KTM) 26:01:54… 8. Wade Young
(Husaberg) 31:25:37