Birch takes Romaniacs lead

From KTM Racing
       
At the first offroad-day of Red Bull Romaniacs 2009 on Sunday it was the experienced riders to score, the strong rookies from prologue were fenced off.
       
Kiwi Chris Birch, third in 2007 and second in 2008 in the Pro-Class finished first, slightly ahead of three-time RBR Champ Cyril Despres from Andorra. In third sits German Andreas Lettenbichler.

The first riders of the Pro-Class took off before sunrise, facing 155km of racetrack and 15 more as liaison. The track could be described best as "sketchy" and technically challenging, but still rideable.

"That was definitely no holiday for the Pros today. It wasn't very long, though, but thanks to the dry ground conditions - and good grip - the field kept going constantly," stated organizer Martin Freinademetz.

"So far, everything has been marked very well," said KTM rider Birch. "I did not have to look at my GPS very often and could ride with a good flow. I've had a lot of fun today."

Second-placed Despres (KTM) also had some fun after some exhausting moments right after the start: "I got off with a way too hard rear tire mousse, could not find a lot of grip and burned a lot of energy. At the service-point, we managed to fix this problem, and after that, I could get along way better. I haven't been riding any Hard-Enduro Rallyes for the last two years, and so today has been truly extreme for myself."