Watch Pol Tarres Tackle 2021 Red Bull Romaniacs Aboard Yamaha T7

Yamaha’s Ténéré 700 took the middleweight ADV category by storm when it hit the market in 2019. Favoring a stripped-down electronics package and bonafide off-road performance, the T7 quickly became the weapon of choice for back-to-basics adventurers. However, few engineers and designers at Yamaha could predict that riders such as Pol Tarres would push the platform to such heights.

As the nephew of seven-time trials world champion Jordi Tarres, Pol’s had off-road riding in his blood all along. In 2011 and 2013, he placed second in the FIM Junior World Trials series and now specializes in extreme and hard enduro competitions. Like a fish to water, Tarres instantly took to the Ténéré 700, showcasing the adventure bike's capabilities in The Seeker short film.

To fully highlight the T7’s performance Tarres enlisted in the 2021 Red Bull Romaniacs hard enduro race. The five-day competition covers over 600 kilometers of grueling terrain throughout Romania’s Southern Carpathian Mountains. Taking part in the popular Bronze class, Tarres was the only rider to register an ADV for the competition. While elite hard enduro riders stick to the Silver and Gold classes, they aren’t traversing some of the toughest obstacles on earth with a 452-pound machine.

Despite the Bronze classification, competitors still need to exhibit “peak physical fitness, mental stability, ability to deal with pain and endurance,” according to the Red Bull Romaniac’s guidelines. Tarres prove that much and more when he crossed the finish line in 18th place, becoming the first adventure bike to complete the event in the Bronze class.

From tackling man-made obstacles to bombing tight single tracks, Tarres made the middleweight ADV look like a lightweight dirt bike throughout the five-day race. Yamaha may not have intended on making a Romaniacs-worthy enduro, but in the hands of Tarres, the booming twin behaves more like an agile single. We can’t wait to see what exploits Tarres and the T7 gets into next, but we’ll be enjoying his 2021 Red Bull Romaniacs highlights until then.

Trail-Ready T7s:

Here’s Pol Tarres' New Custom Yamaha Ténéré 700

Rally Raid Beefs Up Ténéré 700 For Off-Road Domination

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