Tensions are running high as team Comsol prepares for the gruelling four-day Redbull Romaniacs offroad motorbike enduro, set to start on 17 July.
The prologue to the race will be held on the 16th in the town of Sibiu, Romania, with riders expected to show off their skills and prove their ability to take part in the arduous offroad event.
Reigning Romaniacs champion, Chris Birch, has been living in South Africa since January 2011 as part of the Comsol-Alfie Cox-KTM enduro team. He recently completed the legendary Roof of Africa – winning for the third year in a row – joining a very small group (three to be precise) to have done that!
At home in KZN
His time in KwaZulu-Natal has also provided him with experience on various riding terrains, a great advantage in international events. “I’m expecting this year’s Romaniacs to be a huge challenge, as it always is,” says Chris. “The riding in Romania is world class, as is the competition. I’ll be doing everything I can to defend my number 1 plate!”
Click here for mad footage from Romaniacs 2010
Enduro veteran William Gillitt (aka Wild Will) will be participating for the first time this year and, besides his fear of flying, he’s looking forward to an experience of a lifetime. According to William, other than having to be obsessed with motorbikes, an offroad rider needs to be extremely focused.
“Training has been my biggest focus,” says Wild Will. “It’s easy as my team mates arrive daily to train with me, but this has been the first year that I have actually taken time out of my day for fitness training. Sometimes you have to give up leisure time in order to get all the necessary preparation and training done. This takes a lot of commitment.”
Romaniacs novice
Another first-time Romaniacs entrant and team Comsol member, Dominic Mantle has been religiously following the advice and training tips of his experienced team mates. The 19 year old has had a great racing season thus far and hopes to continue this in Romania.
The team are supporting Miles for Smiles, an initiative that aims to inspire and challenge individuals to go out and make a difference in the lives of those around them, by challenging themselves to achieve the impossible.
Follow the team’s progress on Comsol’s Facebook (Comsol Wireless Solutions) or Twitter page (@comsolwireless). It’s going to be wild! Chris Birch will be at VMacs Roadhouse on 7 August.
Main image by Prof Pete Burnett