60 Second Update – Red Bull Romaniacs, Day Three

Victory on day three takes Graham Jarvis one step closer to winning the Red Bull Romaniacs. After ending day two in fifth, Jarvis bounced back to secure a four-minute win on day three.

Jonny Walker pushed hard all day but was unable to hold off Jarvis and ended his day was the runner-up. Alfredo Gomez continued his run of good form and placed inside the top three for the third day in a row. Admitting that he crashed more times than he cared to remember, Paul Bolton finished five minutes behind Gomez to take fourth.

Andreas Lettenbichler endured a difficult day to complete the top five. Crashing during the morning and then running into some over heating problems due to a faulty cooling fan, the Husqvarna rider has let his cushion over Walker slip to three minutes.

A shepherd’s dog watches the riders ride past… © Lynn / Enduro21.com

With just one day remaining, the fight for the final step of the podium looks set to be decided between Lettenbichler and Walker. But with Gomez only a further nine minutes clear of the duo, he too will have to push hard to ensure his runner-up result in the race.

Day three saw competitors leave the overnight bivouac in Petrosani and race back to Sibiu. But with day three also bringing the first spell of rainy weather, the long and technical mountain tracks became quite slippery and caught many a weary rider out.

Day three marked the end of his race for South African Altus de Wet. One of the few Pro riders to compete on a four-stroke, the Husqvarna rider holed an engine casing on one of the near vertical Pro descents.

“I’m gutted about having to retire,” told de Wet – runner-up at the 2012 Roof of Africa. “I must have hit a rock and it was enough to put a hole in the casing. My bike lost all its oil and I couldn’t go on. After surviving day one it’s frustrating to end my race like this.”

The mountain top passes were incredible… © Lynn / Enduro21.com

It was a good day for Germany’s Philipp Scholtz with the KTM breaking inside the top ten to place eight.

The fourth and final day of the Red Bull Romaniacs will see riders face a different race to the finish than just the infamous hill climb. After climbing the hill they then have to traverse down it and aquaplane across a short stretch of water to reach the final Red Bull arch.

Results – Red Bull Romaniacs, Day Three

1. Graham Jarvis (Husaberg) 6:01:17; 2. Jonny Walker (KTM) 6:05:16; 3. Alfredo Gomez (Husaberg) 6:24:33; 4. Paul Bolton (KTM) 6:29:30; 5. Andreas Lettenbichler (Husqvarna); 6. Chris Birch (KTM) 6:35:08; 7. Ben Hemingway (Beta) 6:45:48; 8. Philipp Scholtz (KTM) 7:04:40; 9. Scott Bouverie (KTM) 7:20:29; 10. Dan Hemingway (Beta) 7:31:09…