HUNT-THE-WOLF-2011

Best Hunter

Giuclea George Dan

ATV Extreme

Radoslav Bubenko - 14:47:03

Balz Felix - 14:53:19

Szabo Mihaly - 15:22:16

ATV Open

Rus Tudor - 13:06:57

Chiujdea Sever - 13:42:54

Gliga Alex - 14:41:12

Quad

Irimescu Razvan - 11:59:22

Bodea Sebastian - 12:36:06

Sorban Cosmin - 12:36:13

Side-by-Side

Nicchi Velso

The fifth edition of HUNT-THE-WOLF-2011 ended. Four days of hard fight, four days of offroad, four days of spectacular tracks in the heart of Transylvania.

43 pilots took start in 4 different categories (ATV Extreme, ATV Open, Quad and Side-by-Side) in the most challenging ATV race all over Europe. Only half of them came to the start line at the trial from the last day. The technical problems, little accidents, but also the rule imposed by the organizers to not give penalties higher than one hour to any racer in one day made the fight to be open until the end of trial from Saturday.

The most spectacular category was ATV Open. Young riders, but also veterans fought with daring and pushed to the extreme ambition to win the first place of the most respected race. The surprise was that places 1st and 3rd were occupied by Tudor Rus and Alex Gliga, beginners who came to their first race and surpassed racers with years of experience. The second place was occupied by Sever Chiujdea who at only 17 years old made quite a sensation also in the trial and in the forest on the seat of his super-tuned Polaris.

Crying and full of anger all three winners and others looked helpless when their ATVs were lying broken and waiting for the second when they will start again in the rage of the race. Respect for those young LIONS and for their well deserved places.

In Extreme on the first day Mihai Lazaroaie, one of the favorites in the competition and second place last year, abandoned when because of a mistake in a special track he rolled over his ATV into a 30 meters canyon. Bad luck and mistakes fallowed also Mihaly Szabo, one of the best Romanian pilots who didn’t succeed again in winning HUNT-THE-WOLF after his Renegade rolled over and his engine broke in the last kilometers of day 2 and 3. In the end he had to accept place 3, a few minutes in front of Petre Stanescu, another pilot who begin the race with technical problems after the special track of the first day.

The second place was won by Felix Balz, this year the most constant rider, a pilot who trains one year long wherever he can in a very restrictive offroad Germany so he can race in his favorite competition, HUNT-THE-WOLF.

The first place was won by the Slovak Rado Bubenko, maybe the most positive racer. Never upset on any situation, all the time ready to help others with technical problems, but in the same time very fast, he succeeded to surpass Felix with 3 minutes until the trial. The very fast Mihaly Szabo commented Rado's driving during a checkpoint stop perplex: "This guy is so fast, almost crazy! He passed me on fast sections. I am REALLY surprised!" When Oliver Renzler later told this to Rado, the always modest winner said laughing: "And I did not even empty my exhaust..."

In Quads Razvan Irimescu won the race. The two Slovenians who raced, Alojzij Pirih and Ales Kavcic, had a very commendable participation, especially Pirih who finished the trial very close to Irimescu and at a great distance from Sebastian Bodea, although he was driving a stock LTZ 400, an inferior vehicle to the other pilots.

The surprise was Cosmin Sorban who surpassed Sebastian Bodea on the trial with one second, in the general classification getting the third place.

For Side-by-Side category Nicchi Velso won without any problems against the two Commanders. As usual Velso was the salt and the pepper of the race being the only pilot who raced in all 5 editions of HUNT-THE-WOLF, being part of the spirit of this unique race.

Hunt the Wolf was harder and more technical then ever!

SIDE-BY-SIDE

I. Sandor Csibi

II. Velso Nicchi

QUAD

I. Sebastian Bodea

II. Adrian Dib

III. Cosmin Sorban

ATV OPEN

I. Dan Siminie

II. Moga Ioan

III. Viorel Mocan

ATV EXTREM

I. Iaroslav Katrinak

II. Mihai Lăzăroaie

III. Laszlo Nyaradi

IV. Mihaly Szabo

V. Angelescu Bogdan

Never was the fight for podium in the biggest ATV race in Romania tougher and tighter as this year. Never up to now were the winners more uncertain until the last minute. The final result was a surprise!

After 3 hard days of Trial, night race, off-road tracks in the woods, special tracks, the one of the hardest ATV races in the world finished without accidents and in a great atmosphere.

54 racers from 5 countries gave everything in 4 categories: Extreme, Open, Quad and Side-by-Side.

The night race, "the wolves hunt", the secret ingredient of these racing days, one of the most expected and enjoyed stages, was full of surprises. Only few “hunters” found all the 9 wolves, and the best hunter proved to be Bogdan Blajan, from Curtea de Arges, who demonstrated that the local racers who know better the area didn’t have any advantage in the night hunt.

In Open a big surprise was Sever Chiujdea, from Mures, who, only 15 years old, fought shoulder-to-shoulder with the best in his class, racers much older and with much more experience. At the trial - hard stage and very technical, considered by Dakar racer Jaroslav Katrinak one of the hardest he ever did - the young Sever placed third in the general result of this stage. The lack of experience in navigating with the help of a GPS caused penalities which cost him in the end the podium in the general ranking of Open.

The old wolves from ATV Spirit Sibiu, Dan Siminie, Ioan Moga and Viorel Mocanu drove constantly and with no mistakes and they won the first three places for Open.

For Quads, the boys from Timisoara, less used with GPS and off-roading through canyons enjoyed this race totally different from the usual having fun on motocross and endurocross tracks, with whom they are very accustomed. Sebastian Bodea, one of the best Romanian riders has won the first place, followed by his friends and colleagues, Adrian Dib and Cosmin Sorban.

For Side-by-Side class, Nicchi Velso did a great show again. At the trail he used all his four wheels, but not always at the same time... On the rear, on the front, sideways and even on one wheel, his performance delighted the public. Csibi Sandor, his opponent in the class, although was at his first race, and his RZR was “stock”, without the tuning which made Velo’s toy cost a few thousands euro more, he didn’t spare anything and at the end he was the winner. Velso had broken his RZR and he had to abandon the race.

In Extreme the show and fight were total. Most of the racers, Romanians, Slovaks or Germans fought hard until the end of the race. Special tracks, very technical, and the navigation issue differentiated in the end the racers and established the winners.
At the end of the race the winner was Katrinak, who has 20 years of experience behind in Enduro Moto and a lot of races like Dakar. In Extreme the second place was conquered by Mihai Lazaroaie from ATV Spirit Sibiu and the third was Laszlo Nyaradi from ATV Club Mures, both Romanian riders proofing their qualities.

The big winner of this event was the good mood and an absolutely great atmosphere which lasted three days, but also the enthusiasm of those who attended their first race and which we will surely see again at the next editions of the race and maybe also at other important races in the country.

See you in 2011!