Local riders ready to carve up the enduro track internationally
SPORT
Two local dirt bike riders, Ryley Jenkins from Julatten, and Jason Dwyer from Mossman, will literally hit the big-time next year when they compete in the Red Bull Romaniacs, an enduro off-road motorcycle race run annually in Romania.
The pair booked their places to Romania after excellent performances at the Suncity Enduro Series in Mossman on Sunday. They will compete in Romania on July 19, 2020. This will be Dwyer’s third trip to Romania while Jenkins will be making his debut at the event.
Sunday’s event fell under the Townsville Enduro Club Inc., a non-profit club running Enduro trail ride events for adults and kids on dirt bikes. Townsville Enduro is affiliated with Motorcycle Queensland.
“I am thrilled to making the trip to Romania. This is a great opportunity to compete on the world stage and in many ways, this is a dream come true,” said 19-year-old Ryley, who was riding a KTM 300.
The Mossman event is held every year at a private property at Tara Hills and classed as a tough Enduro race. On Saturday in the Junior class, there were 15 riders who competed on a smaller track. On Sunday there were 75 Senior riders who competed in various classes. The track consisted of steep terrain, creeks and rocks along a challenging course.
Jason Dwyer placed 1st in the Ironman (5 hours, 9 laps, average lap time 33 mins) on 2020 KTM 250exc-f; Ben Grabham placed 2nd in the Ironman (5 hours, 9 laps, average lap time 36mins) on 2020 KTM 350 exc-f; and Ryley Jenkins placed 3rd in the Ironman (5 hours, 9 laps, average lap time 38mins) on 2020 KTM 300 exc Tpi.
The Red Bull Romaniacs, is an enduro off-road motorcycle race run annually in Romania. It was created in 2004 by founder Martin Freinademetz. The Red Bull Romaniacs takes place every year in July and attracts riders from more than 40 countries.
The race is spread over five days, the first being the inner-city prologue. The four “offroad race days” takes place on Enduro trails in the region around Sibiu. (Southern Carpathian Mountains).
The Red Bull Romaniacs is part of the Red Bull Hard Enduro Series, together with Red Bull Minas Riders, Brazil (April); Erzberg Rodeo, Austria (June); Red Bull Romaniacs, Romania (July); Red Bull Megawatt, Poland (September); Red Bull Sea to Sky, Turkey (October); Roof of Africa, South Africa (December). Last year, it joined the World Enduro Super Series.
Riders can participate in four different classes: Iron, Bronze, Silver and Gold, which is the hardest. Dwyer and Jenkins will compete in the Silver class.
The track crosses mountain areas, rocky ground, hills and valleys; tarmac is avoided as much as possible. The length varies between 100 km and 180 km each day depending on the class that the competitor enters.
The main challenges are the technical parts, which lead through wooded areas, where competitors are challenged with natural terrain obstacles; they traverse over trees, rocks, mud, and mountains.
Petrol fuel stops, or tank stops, are placed at intervals of approximately 70 km, where contestants refuel their motorcycles and have the opportunity to refresh themselves.
The UK’s Graham Jarvis is a six-time winner of the event. The rally is broadcast in more than 215 countries.
Check out more photos from the weekend here:
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