Sam Sunderland Races His Triumph Tiger 900 Rally Pro to Second in Red Bull Romaniacs Adventure Core
Triumph Factory Racing's Jonny Walker and Triumph Motorcycles Brand Ambassador Sam Sunderland have successfully completed the 2026 Red Bull Romaniacs racing 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.
Sam Sunderland
"Red Bull Romaniacs was an incredible challenge from start to finish. I went into the final day hoping to regain the overall lead and was actually back in front by the service point, but unfortunately a small crash in the dust snapped my clutch lever. I managed to keep going using the clutch cable, but it made the rest of the stage really difficult. To come away with second overall in the Adventure Core class is still a result I'm really proud of, especially considering how close the Tiger 900 Rally Pro is to standard specification. It's amazing what the bike is capable of in terrain like this. I could probably write a book with all the stories I've lived this week, but that's what these adventures are for, and I'm already looking forward to the next one."
Jonny Walker
"This year's Red Bull Romaniacs was definitely tougher than last year. We had to push hard every day through four really demanding offroad stages, so to come away with sixth overall, I'm really happy. Today was probably the hardest day of the week, but we got the Tiger 900 Rally Pro to the finish and ended with fifth on the day, so I think we can be pleased with what we've achieved. It's been a tough week, but I've really enjoyed it."
Ivan Cervantes
"It's been amazing to return to Red Bull Romaniacs. The atmosphere is incredible, with so many passionate fans and riders, and it's one of the most special offroad events in the world. I'm disappointed that my race ended early after damaging the bike on Offroad Day Two, especially as I felt I had the pace to fight for a podium. That's racing though, and sometimes bad luck is part of the sport. I'm already looking forward to coming back next year better prepared and aiming for a top result. Congratulations to Sam on his runner-up finish and to Jonny on a really strong ride, and a big thank you to the whole Triumph team. The Tiger 900 Rally Pro performed brilliantly all week, and everyone worked incredibly hard throughout the event."
Ian Kimber – Head of Global Racing Programmes, Triumph Motorcycles
"The team put in an incredible effort at Red Bull Romaniacs this year, and the demanding conditions once again proved just how capable the Tiger 900 Rally Pro is in extreme terrain. It was fantastic to see Sam step up into the Adventure Core class and deliver such a strong result. Even as a Dakar winner, this style of adventure riding presents a completely different challenge. Jonny also did a great job, battling through the toughest sections to bring the Tiger home against purpose-built machines. It's a shame Ivan's race ended early, but he showed exactly the sort of ambassador he is by staying to support the team and help the other riders throughout the week. That's something we're really proud of, and it reflects everything Triumph Racing stands for."
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
