The Red Bull Romaniacs are considered to be the world’s toughest hard enduro rally. Nobody has ever thought about riding it with a twin cylinder bike – so far. With its R9X, the Niedereschach-based motorcycle outfitter Touratech sends a heavily modified BMW R nineT into the Romanian wilderness.
Touratech has more than 10 years of experience when it comes to competing in dirt bike races with the so-called „Fat Ladies“: From the TB 652 Oryx, a BMW F 650 GS conversion which successfully was used in the 24-hour race in Torgau, to the Husqvarna Nuda at the Erzbergrodeo up to the class win of Touratech Racings’s Honda Africa Twin during the Hellas Rally last year.
The reason for this exceptional commitment is very practical: Touratech’s development department uses these extreme competitions to test new products under toughest conditions and in order to enhance them. What proves itself in tough sports, will handle everything else with ease.
The youngest and boldest project is to race the Red Bull Romaniacs on a BMW R nineT (by birth rather a Scrambler). From July 25th to 29th, 2017, 600 kilometres of the most difficult off-road terrain in the Southern Carpathians are waiting for Touratech’s R9X. Gerhard Forster, a Bavarian BMW bike instructor and extreme enduro specialist, will ride it in the Iron Class.
This project is not only interesting because of the fact that nobody in the 14-year-old history of the Romaniacs yet came up with the idea to compete with a twin cylinder engine, but also because of the participation of the 2010 Romaniacs winner Chris Birch from New Zealand who will race a KTM 1090 Adventure R.
The Red Bull Romaniacs are supposed to be the toughest multi-day enduro rally in the world. About 500 riders from 49 countries will try their luck at the start of the rally in Sibiu.
From July 25th to 29th, Touratech will publish daily race reports, photos and videos of the Red Bull Romanicas at www.touratech.com as well as at www.facebook.com/touratech.
(The photos show Gerhard Forster during the first test ride with the Touratech R9X.)
