Enduro: Brutal race appeals to Kiwis

Tokoroa's Sean Clarke.

It seems that when the going gets tough, the Kiwis get going.

The world-renowned annual Red Bull Romaniacs extreme enduro event in central Europe is not for the faint-hearted, the weak or the fearful - and that's perhaps why this brutal dirt bike marathon appeals to a growing band of intrepid Kiwi motorcycle racers.

Tokoroa's Sean Clarke has competed in this gruelling event in the rugged Carpathian Mountains of Romania on a number of occasions and this year he will again lead a large contingent of New Zealand entrants.

The five-day race runs from July 12 to 16, starting and finishing in the town of Sibiu.

"There has been a core group of us who have gone to race at The Romaniacs since about 2011 - myself, Taupo's Mark Delatour and Glen Eden's Chris Birch - and we've all returned safely and in one piece to pass on our stories about the event," Clarke said. "There's a great atmosphere there and we tell the riders back home that they should give it a crack."

Birch won the race outright in 2010, the only New Zealander ever to do so, but he will not be competing this year.

"Many other riders have joined us in the years that followed and an interest in contesting this race has grown," said Clarke.

"We had 12 New Zealand riders go over in 2012, then 24 the following year and now we have 29 who will tackle the race.

Sean Clarke, with one of the official New Zealand rider shirts. He will lead the Kiwi contingent that head to Romania next month. Photo / Andy McGechan, Bikesportnz.com

"Nothing really compares to the difficulty of New Zealand hard enduros, where it's very hard to survive until the end, so we tell these guys there's nothing for them to fear in Romania."

New Zealand riders Jake Whitaker, Dougy Herbert and Phillip Cheater are entered in the premier "gold" class this year, while fellow Kiwis Craig Thompson, Rob Fraser, Mark Delautour, Raymond Lampriere, Jacques Bakkenes, Warren Laugesen, Josh Hunger, Grant Herbert, Sean Clarke, brothers Hamish and Angus Macdonald, Carey Thompson, Wayne Thompson, Phil Singleton, Mackenzie Wiig, Kelly Paterson and Ryan Armitage are registered as "silver" class.

Fellow New Zealanders Lucas, Clinton and Tony Walch, Mathew Thorburn, Ricky Kilgour, Duncan Mclaren, Robert and Michael Vandenberg and Dean Christmas are entered as "bronze" class riders.