Triumph returns to Red Bull Romaniacs with three-star Tiger 900 Rally Pro line-up
Jonny Walker, Sam Sunderland and Ivan Cervantes will all take on the 2026 Red Bull Romaniacs aboard near-standard Triumph Tiger 900 Rally Pro machines.
Triumph is heading back to one of the toughest off-road events on the planet, with Jonny Walker, Sam Sunderland and Ivan Cervantes all set to tackle the 2026 Red Bull Romaniacs aboard near-standard Tiger 900 Rally Pro machines.
You may also like to read our Triumph Tiger 900 review.
The British brand made its debut in the event's Adventure classes last year and came away with plenty to shout about. Jonny Walker narrowly missed victory in the Adventure Ultimate class after fighting back from an early setback to finish second overall, while Sam Sunderland dominated Adventure Lite, winning every off-road stage and taking the class win by more than four hours.
For 2026, Triumph is expanding its presence with three riders spread across two classes. Walker returns to Adventure Ultimate looking to go one better than last year, while Sunderland moves up into the more competitive Adventure Core category. Joining him there is five-time Enduro World Champion Ivan Cervantes, who returns to Red Bull Romaniacs for the first time in over a decade.
Just like last year, the motorcycles remain remarkably close to showroom specification. Triumph says the Tiger 900 Rally Pro machines receive only minimal changes, including suspension tweaks and a handful of upgraded components, underlining the firm's confidence in the bike's standard off-road capability.
Walker, a two-time Romaniacs winner in the event's traditional hard enduro classes, believes there's unfinished business after last year's runner-up finish.
"I had a lot of fun racing the adventure bike there last year and we came incredibly close to taking the win, so the goal is definitely to challenge for the top step again," he said.
Sunderland also expects a tougher challenge this time around after stepping up a class.
"Last year's event was a great experience and I was genuinely impressed by what the near-standard Tiger 900 Rally Pro could do in such demanding terrain. Stepping up into the Adventure Core class adds another level of difficulty, and I'm looking forward to seeing what we can achieve against even stronger competition."
Cervantes is no stranger to making big adventure bikes move quickly off-road, having already claimed victories at events including the 1000 Dunas, Baja Aragón and Bassella Race aboard the Tiger 900 Rally Pro. His return adds even more experience to Triumph's line-up as the brand looks to build on a successful debut campaign.
The 2026 Red Bull Romaniacs gets underway in Sibiu, Romania, with the city prologue on 28 July before four punishing days in the Carpathian Mountains, running through to 1 August.
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
