01/08/2026
🏁 Red Bull Romaniacs 2026 – Race Recap
Four incredibly tough days in the Carpathian Mountains have once again proven why Red Bull Romaniacs is known as the hardest hard enduro rally in the world. Steep mountain climbs, endless rock gardens, deep ravines, river crossings and unforgiving terrain pushed every rider and every motorcycle to their limits.
We are immensely proud of everyone who chose to take on this challenge aboard a Kove.
In Adventure Ultimate, Tomaz Jernejsek delivered an outstanding and remarkably consistent race to finish 8th overall, while Greg Gordinne fought hard all week to secure 9th overall. Both riders remained inside the top 10 throughout the event, showing the pace and reliability needed to compete at the very highest level. Michal Fujak completed a strong race to finish 14th overall, proving once again that the Kove 800 Rally belongs among the front runners.
In Adventure Core, Kamil Bałkowski impressed with an excellent 5th overall, including several top-10 stage results. Nikolaus Häring followed with a fantastic 8th overall, giving Kove two motorcycles inside the Core top 10. Kamil Toroń battled through every challenge to finish 19th overall. Joop Nissink perhaps delivered one of the most determined rides of the week. After his motorcycle disappeared almost 30 metres into a ravine on Offroad Day 2, he lost hours recovering it and later had to miss a stage because of hidden damage. Refusing to give up, both rider and bike returned for the final day, where Joop rewarded the team with an outstanding 6th place stage finish—a perfect example of the Romaniacs spirit.
In Adventure Lite, Michał Wantola showcased impressive speed throughout the event, claiming a 4th place stage finish and ending the rally 7th overall. Paweł Wójcik and Tomasz Wróblewski both fought through to the finish despite the demanding conditions. Rick Smits showed excellent pace early in the event before an unfortunate crash—after being hit from behind by another rider—forced him out of the rally. Thankfully, both Rick and the motorcycle are doing well.
Beyond the final classifications, this week demonstrated something even more important: the determination of everyone riding a Kove. Every rider faced setbacks, crashes, technical challenges or exhaustion, yet they continued to push forward, proving the capability of both rider and machine in one of the world's toughest motorcycle races.
A huge thank you to all riders, mechanics, families, supporters and everyone behind the scenes who made this possible. Congratulations to every competitor who reached the finish line—it is an achievement to be proud of.
See you at Red Bull Romaniacs 2027. The adventure continues.