Romaniacs 2025 Results: Billy Bolt takes the opening prologue on the streets of Sibiu

The 21st edition of Red Bull Romaniacs is officially underway and kicked off in style with the traditional urban prologue in Sibiu. In the Gold class, reigning SuperEnduro World Champion Billy Bolt left no room for his rivals, claiming a commanding win ahead of Mitch Brightmore and Mani Lettenbichler. The battle is on.

Red Bull Romaniacs 2025 Urban Prologue Recap:

The 21st Red Bull Romaniacs – the "Game Changer" edition – fired into action this afternoon with riders from all over the globe arriving to compete in the world’s most famous hard enduro rally. The opening show featured two timed laps per rider to determine the starting order for tomorrow’s Offroad Day 1, with finals reserved for the Gold, Silver, and Bronze classes in the urban prologue held in downtown Sibiu.
Designed by Andi Fazekas, the course was fun, flowing, and slightly easier than last year – though still packed with every obstacle imaginable: massive tires, boulders, water pits, logs, rail tracks, matrix sections, and wooden ramps. SuperEnduro World Champion Billy Bolt showed off his skills in the Superpole session, clocking a best time of 53.297, ahead of Mitch Brightmore (55.183) and Manuel Lettenbichler (56.657). Teodor Kabakchiev and Sonny Goggia rounded out the top five.
With the main goal of securing the best possible starting position for tomorrow’s Offroad Day 1, the pressure was on for those aiming for victory. The objective was to qualify among the top 35 riders in the Bronze and Silver categories and the top 25 pros in the Gold class, arranged in 5 rows of 5 riders each.
The Bronze-class gladiators were first to enter the arena. Gallas rocketed off the line aboard his Yamaha 700 Adventure, but chaos struck at the very first water pit – the combination of water and wood causing a massive bottleneck. Those lucky enough to escape the mess found themselves lapping back around into stalled riders stuck in the pile-up.
Gallas began to fade in what he described as “a race with a lot to lose.” Eventually, he was overtaken by the lighter enduro bikes of Mark Jackson (GB), DaYoosh Ghorbani (IRL), and Mario Rubio (ESP), who filled the podium after five grueling laps.
Next up were the Silver class competitors, where SuperEnduro ace Eddie Karlsson delivered a clinic on his Stark Future VARG electric bike. Making virtually no noise (pun intended), the Swede pulled away from the start and never looked back in a much smoother final than the Bronze one. With qualifying times already much tighter, Karlsson rode to a “comfortable win” with minimal trouble from lapped riders, finishing ahead of Kornel Ott (HUN) and Tobin Miller (USA).
Then came the main event — the Gold class final, featuring the sport’s biggest stars. Billy Bolt, already fastest in qualifying, was unstoppable. In his return to Romaniacs after three years away, the SuperEnduro World Champion launched from the front and rode with surgical precision, saving energy while floating over obstacles like it was just another playground session.
Mitch Brightmore claimed second, “just happy to finish in one piece,” while Mani Lettenbichler grabbed third, fully aware that the real race begins tomorrow with Offroad Day 1. The reigning Romaniacs champion is expected to push hard alongside Brightmore and Bolt – who, thanks to today’s win, will start first with a clear track ahead.
No finals today for other classes. In the Iron class, the fastest times went to Alexander Petroiu (CAN), Fábio Carvalho (POR), and Miguel Cortés (ESP).
In the Atom class, Israel Segundo (BRA) led the way ahead of Carlos Gracida (MEX) and Rubén Rollón (ESP).
The new Adventure categories opened the day. In ADV Ultimate, Pol Tarrés and his Yamaha Ténéré 700 took the top spot, ahead of Jonny Walker and his Triumph Tiger 900 Rally Pro – a battle that promises fireworks all week. Greg Gordine (BEL) rounded out the podium.
In Adventure Lite, a familiar name — Sam Sunderland, two-time Dakar winner — set the best time ahead of Daniel Fernández (COL) and Alin Sandescu (ROU).