Anger makes Sala fast
Day 4: Petrosani – Baile Herculane
3. Red Bull Romaniacs Hard Enduro Rallye, 13.-19. August 2006



After another 200 kilometers the participants have not only arrived in Baile Herculane but also at halftime in the 3rd Red Bull Romaniacs on this fourth day in the wilderness. The pentathlon in the category of the professionals tops in Sala’s second victory. The experts continue their competition and the hobby class is dominated by a German team.

Starting second, Giovanni Sala was already 14 minutes ahead of Michel Gau from France at the first checkpoint after 25 kilometers of single trails. The Italian was in a fury because he had lost 20 minutes to the French the day before after running out of petrol eight kilometres before the finish. Being on third position, Alex Antor (AND) passed the first checkpoint 15 minutes after the five times Enduro World Champion, followed by Darryl Curtis and Riaan van Niekerk from South Africa. With an injured shoulder – after crashing on concrete – the German Stefan Müller passed the checkpoint 24 minutes after the leader. Taking part in his fourth Enduro race, the only Austrian in the pro class, Michael Angerer, passes another two minutes later and rushes on to reach the German “as we have been riding together yesterday. At the moment everybody is racing on his own and Stefan is two minutes ahead. I want to get him and maybe we will again cross the finish line together.” The Austrian proved to be right, as almost five hours later they rode through the bow at the finish line together. One hour and ten minutes before the Italian KTM rider Sala passed today’s finish at 14:11 near the thermal town of Baile Herculane. “After yesterday’s anger, I wanted to be fast again. The track was very good to ride, especially when the different tracks met – I knew where to ride and could go fast” says Giovanni Sala after this day, but is sceptical about the overall win due to the 20 minutes he lost the day before. The situation behind him – a slightly changed repetition of the previous days: Michel Gau crossed the finish nine minutes behind Sala; the South Africans van Niekerk and Curtis on third and fourth place, Alex Antor shortly after. Stefan Müller and

Michael Angerer coming in sixth and seventh. The US-American Kevin Miller ended his fourth day with a broken rear brake and tired but healthy and in good mood: “Just two more days!”



The checkpoint of the pros was the starting place of the experts – a little belated due to a cow walking through the start and opening the fourth leg. Motoverde I team Romeo Dunca and Francois Vulliet started first, followed by the Romanian team Gyenes/Olah, Lisi Mucha/Thomas Fälbl (AUT) with hand shake as third. Finishing in almost the same order six hours later. There are five teams in the experts class which will fight for the top three places.

“What is called hobby class, is quite exhausting” – a statement from the German Harald Vollmer who has already changed from experts to hobby with his partner Mark Fehrmann. Due to a change in track, the participants of the hobby class rode the track of the Quads/ATVs today. The German Team Enduromania with Michael Holtz/Ulrich Denzer wins the fourth leg in a row and is quite ahead of all the other teams.

The participants in the pro, experts, hobby and Quad/ATV category have left behind the first half of the 1.300 kilometers. Tomorrow the rallye squad runs over single trails, ridges and vast downhill sections back to Petrosani.

Result, Day 4
Pro
1. Giovanni Sala (ITA)
2. Michel Gau (FRA)
3. Riaan van Niekerk (RSA)
4. Darryl Curtis (RSA)
5. Alex Antor (AND)
6. Stefan Müller (GER)
7. Michael Angerer (AUT)

Experts
1. KTM Romania - Laszlo Olah/Emanuel Gyenes (ROM)
2. Enduro Austria RT - Mathias Weichselmann/Marc Baumgartner (GER)
3. Motothek KTM - Lisi Mucha/Thomas Fälbl (AUT)
4. Motoverde I - Romeo Dunca/Francois Vulliet (ROM/FRA)
5. Team Gotech - Patrick Boissy/Aron Gorog (ROM)

Hobby
1. Enduromania - Michael Holtz/Ulrich Denzer/ (GER)
2. Condor Team - Miso Ioanitescu/Sorin Cristea/Nedelcu Laurentiu (ROM)
3. Csiki 2000 euro - Bagoly Botond/Feiltermoister Zsoli (ROM)

Quad/ATV
No race today