Triumph Factory Racing’s Jonny Walker and Triumph Motorcycles Brand Ambassador Sam Sunderland have successfully completed the 2026 Red Bull Romaniacs racing Triumph Tiger 900 Rally Pro motorcycles in the Adventure bike classes.
Marking the 23rd edition of the world’s toughest Hard Enduro Rally, Sunderland secured an impressive runner-up finish in the Adventure Core class, while Walker claimed sixth in the highly competitive Adventure Ultimate category.
Ivan Cervantes showed promising pace before an unfortunate retirement on the second offroad day brought his event to an early conclusion. All three riders were competing on near-showroom spec Tiger 900 Rally Pro motorcycles with only a few minor modifications to meet the demands of Red Bull Romaniacs.
Stepping up to the more demanding Adventure Core class after winning Adventure Lite in 2025, Sunderland qualified 13th in the Prologue before dominating Offroad Day One. Fastest by over one minute saw him take the lead in the class. Despite losing time on Offroad Day Two when he suffered damage to his chain and adjuster, Sam recovered well to finish out the day in second and retain his advantage at the top of the standings.
Sunderland remained firmly in contention throughout the final two offroad days. With top five results each day, Sam’s consistency saw him finish this year’s Red Bull Romaniacs as runner-up in the Adventure Core class, proving both his pace and the capability of the near-stock Tiger 900 Rally Pro in world’s toughest Hard Enduro Rally.
Racing in the premier Adventure Ultimate class, two-time Red Bull Romaniacs winner Walker qualified 15th before finishing seventh in the Prologue final. Strong rides on the opening two offroad days saw him place fifth and seventh, respectively, to reach the halfway stage in the race in a competitive seventh overall.
Walker enjoyed his strongest performance on Offroad Day Three to finish fourth and move back up to sixth overall. A solid fifth-place finish on the final day secured him an impressive sixth overall in the Adventure Ultimate class, capping off a consistent week aboard his near-stock Tiger 900 Rally Pro.
Returning to Red Bull Romaniacs, five-time Enduro World Champion Ivan Cervantes made an encouraging start in the Adventure Core class. Finishing third in the Prologue and fourth on Offroad Day One, he ended the opening day just 20 seconds shy of the podium. Unfortunately, damage to his motorcycle on Offroad Day Two forced the Spaniard to retire, cutting short an otherwise promising event.
From the streets of Sibiu to the punishing mountain trails, the near-stock Tiger 900 Rally Pro once again showcased its durability and performance, taking on the world’s toughest Hard Enduro Rally with impressive success.
Results – 2026 Red Bull Romaniacs
Adventure Ultimate
1. Mario Roman (CFMOTO) 13:27:30
2. Pol Tarres (Yamaha) 13:42:10
3. Dieter Rudolf (KTM) 13:43:23
6. Jonny Walker (Triumph) 14:37:31
Adventure Core
1. Rene Columna (CFMOTO) 11:20:47
2. Sam Sunderland (Triumph) 11:32:29
3. Chris Power (CFMOTO) 11:42:59
