Triumph Motorcycles is jumping into one of the most notorious hard enduro challenges on earth: Red Bull Romaniacs. From July 22nd to the 26th in Sibiu, Romania Triumph will make its official debut in the event’s Adventure categories, entering the chaos with two near-stock Tiger 900 Pro adventure bikes.

Leading the charge are two heavy hitters. Jonny Walker, fresh off a strong sixth-place finish at this year’s Red Bull Erzbergrodeo, is back for more, this time targeting the Adventure Ultimate class. Joining him is two-time Dakar Rally champ Sam Sunderland—who’ll be making his competitive debut on Triumph machinery in the Adventure Lite class. 

For two-time Romaniacs champ Jonny Walker, trading in his usual featherweight two-stroke enduro weapon for a Tiger 900 adventure bike is more than just a gear swap—it’s a whole new game. Still, he’s embracing the challenge with his trademark confidence. “I’ve raced Romaniacs plenty of times,” he says, “so it’s cool to be going back in a completely different way. I’m pretty confident, I think it will be fun, and of course the main goal is to win the Adventure Ultimate class. It’s going to be totally different to anything I’ve done before, and probably a bit more enjoyable on the big bike.”

According to Triumph, both riders will compete on Tiger 900 Rally Pro machines fitted with only a small number of race parts. Their mission is ambitious, but it’s worth noting that the Adventure Ultimate and Lite classes are designed to be more accessible than the traditional Romaniacs categories like Silver or Gold. 

Event officials call the Adventure Lite category a “softer” multi-cylinder rally class that takes competitors through Romania’s gravel roads, forest trails, and singletrack without the extreme technical demands of the higher tiers. The Adventure Ultimate class, on the other hand, is the spicier of the two categories. Built for riders who are ready to wrestle a big twin-cylinder machine through seriously tough terrain. It’s not quite Gold or Silver Class-level brutality, but it’s no Sunday cruise either.

That said, taking on a top tier Romaniacs class aboard a large adventure bike isn’t exactly uncharted territory. Just ask Pol Tarrés, who in 2024 became the first rider in history to finish on the Tenere 700 in the punishing Silver class —an incredibly challenging four-day course, famous for extreme climbs and descents, almost as technically difficult as the ones for the insane Gold class. Aboard the T7 Tarres defied the odds, placing 60th out of 113 riders and setting a new bar for what’s possible aboard a twin-cylinder machine.

With both Walker and Sunderland bringing world-class racing experience to the challenge, the team says they aim to gain valuable insight while showcasing the durability and versatility of the Tiger 900 in one of the most extreme riding environments imaginable.

“It’s super exciting to be taking on such an iconic hard enduro race,” said Sunderland. “The adventure classes are a great way to get involved and I can’t wait to get out to Romania to get stuck in. It’s more similar to what I have done in rally-raid in the past, especially with the five-day format, and I’m looking forward to getting into race mode again. My Triumph Tiger 900 will be pretty much standard, so it’s going to be cool to put it to the test.”