Pol Tarres Takes On Red Bull Romaniacs On The Yamaha Tenere 700
Never before has a rider entered the Bronze class on an adventure motorcycle.
If you’ve ever gone down a trail on a big adventure bike and realized you are on the wrong machine for the terrain, you’ll appreciate the situation trials champ Pol Tarres has put himself into. The 27 year old Spaniard has officially entered the Red Bull Romaniacs Hard Enduro race aboard a Téneré 700, something he had hinted at during his recent interview with ADV Pulse. What’s more, he’ll be competing in the Bronze category — a feat organizers have previously referred to as “not possible” for adventure bikes. If he crosses the finish line of what is often referred to as the “World’s Toughest Hard Enduro,” Pol will make history as the first participant to ever do so in the Bronze class aboard an adventure motorcycle.
The Romaniacs race takes place over five days and roughly 600 kilometers. The grueling event leads the competitors on some of the world’s most rugged enduro trails in the breathtaking wilderness of the Southern Carpathian Mountains. Taking on the race on the T7 will be an incredible challenge for both rider and machine but Pol says he is ready. “I’ve been waiting all year for this moment. On a physical and technical level I have no fear. We have been preparing physically and mentally for many weeks, I am stronger than ever.”
Other brave souls such as Gerhard Forster and Quinn Cody have successfully finished the Red Bull Romaniacs on Adventure Bikes — machines that weigh roughly twice as much as the enduro bikes ridden by the rest of the competitors. Yet that was in the Iron class, the fourth hardest out of the five categories of competition. But even the easiest routes in the Romaniacs Hard Enduro take riders through slippery roots and rocks, major obstacles like trees, step ups, slick muddy uphills and treacherous descents. The additional weight and size of the big machines makes it much more difficult and physically taxing to complete several days of competition, and now Pol plans to descend into the next level of Hell by entering the Bronze category. It will be quite the achievement in an already accomplished racing career for the young rider if he’s able to finish on his twin-cylinder adventure bike.
“We have taken a big step forward in preparing the bike thanks to the help of Boano in Italy with the new fork and rear suspension. It is true that we do not know very well what we are facing because there are many days of racing, taking care of the mechanics and riding well will be the keys to reaching the finish line without the bike in pieces. But races are races and anything can happen. Reaching the finish line is the main objective but who knows, if I have podium options compared to enduro bikes, even if I am at a disadvantage, I will push and I will not make it easy for them, ” he says.
If anyone can pull this off, it’s Pol. He’s already a trials legend and an elite Hard Enduro rider, consistently finishing in the top ten on the grueling World Enduro Championship series. Not to mention, the gravity-defying stunts he regularly demonstrates on his Téneré 700 that have reset our expectations of what is possible on an Adventure Bike. This should be one not to miss!
The 18th edition of the Red Bull Romaniacs takes place in Sibiu, Romania from 27-31 of July. For more details about how to watch the competition, go to redbullromaniacs.com.
Photos: Javi Echevarria
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Wow – Pol/Yamaha really presenting a in-ya-face-challenge to KTM/Birch to bring their reply game to town…
If only Yamaha could install e-start on the yz250x ! Pol Tarres just chose the best option available . As exciting as this may seem it’s still effing hopeless !!
The hardest part will be when he has to man handle the mass of the bike around. How often do these athletes have to push, pull, lift, drag their bikes during the tough parts. That extra 200 lbs. will feel like 2,000! He’ll need to do plenty of strength training along with endurance! Hope he finishes!
Epic Yamaha and Pol, taking it to Orange. It’s just a shame Yamaha doesn’t realize the sales potential in a new two stroke with six speed gear box, E start and balance shaft. It’s beyond me why they give most of the sales to the Europeans. Yamaha is the most proactive Japanese manufacturer that thinks outside the box however their 2-stroke thinking is very old school and backwards. I can’t for the life of me think why! Yamaha has a financial backing, technical knowledge and skills to produce a modern two-stroke with kyb suspension aimed squarely at KTM group bikes. However year in year out it’s the same old 2 stroke story.
2-stroke is dead because of emissions !
No manufacturer will invest in it annymore.
Unfortunately our governments want us to go electric
This is going to be interesting. Having seen some of the things Pol has done with the T7 thus far, and with the right type of mods and tuning, he could pull off a respectable showing; perhaps more. Two things are certain: It’s going to be entertaining, and he’s going to give us mere mortals a lot to talk about.
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