The Richmond WFO National Enduro, the penultimate round of the 2010 Liquorland National Enduro Motorcycle Championship that takes place on 11 September in the Richmond area in KwaZulu-Natal, will be a make or brake for the title chasers and they will be out to stop the winner of all four previous events, Jade Gutzeit, in his tracks.

Gutzeit (Full Throttle Racing Yamaha) is leading the overall standings as well as the Open Class championship, but there are a few riders who have been on the podium and who would like to chase him down. Brother KTM’s Altus de Wet, who is behind Gutzeit on the overall standings as well as in the class championship, had to play second fiddle to him for the last two events and would be chasing hard to score his first victory of the season.

Marc Torlage (Red Yamaha) is leading the 200cc Class and is third overall with a single point separating him from De Wet and therefore also putting him in line for the title chase.

Other podium finishers include Riaan van Niekerk and Darryl Curtis (Brother KTM), who are fifth and sixth respectively, as well as Louwrens Mahoney (DCM Yamaha) who has dropped to ninth place, but is still in the running for the 200cc Class title. They can all move in for the kill while Gutzeit’s team-mate, Brian Capper (KTM) has showed that he is moving closer to a podium finish at every race and will also be a threat. He is 10^th overall.

Two-times winner of the Baboons Roof of Africa as well as 2010 winner of the Red Bull Romaniacs race, Chris Birch, is visiting South Africa and will also be competing in this event. It will be interesting to see how this enduro specialist will do in a South African enduro event.

Consistency is the name of the game for Spencer Kriel (ORD/Insurance Zone/Pro Action KTM) who is fourth overall and third in the Open Class championship. The terrain will probably suit most of the local KZN-riders like Gutzeit, Torlage, Kriel, Scott Scheepers (Brother KTM), who is seventh overall and his arch-rival, Bradley van Aswegen (DCM Yamaha), who is laying 11^th overall.

The Swiss racer, Lionel Seydoux (Habitat KTM Cape Town) is also in the top ten and has been slowly moving up the points’ ladder while seasoned off-road racer, Juan “Bollie” van Rooyen (The Roost/Out of Africa Dev Kawasaki) would like to enter the top ten from his 13^th place – he has the same amount of points as the young 125cc racer, Dominic Mantle (iMAS Racing Yamaha) for who this race will also be on his doorstep.

BMW racers, Gray Dick and Wynand Delport as well as Team Liquorland Racing’s Steve Landman and local KZN racer, Adrian Fourie can also upset the applecart.

The event will also be in the backyard of the Senior Class leader, William Gillit (Red Yamaha) who would like to make his home-crowd proud with a fifth class victory. Although he has a comfortable lead ahead of Richard Moore (KTM) and third-placed Gary Sox Smith (BMW), he can not afford to put a foot wrong.

The same goes for Mark du Plessis (Habitat KTM Cape Town) who is leading the Master Class championship ahead of Torlage Snr, Denzil (Red Yamaha) and Roger Clarke (Yamaha). Torlage has won the last three events and is on a mission.

The battle in the Silver Challenge will be on between class leader, Chris Strampe (KTM) and Craig McGregor (KTM) with only four points separating them.

It is, however, important to keep in mind that only five of the six events will count towards the championship and if this system is applied at this stage, things are looking a bit different. Torlage Snr has a fighting chance of winning the Master Class while Smith will be able to hunt Gillitt down in the Senior Class battle.

The gaps will also be much smaller between Mahoney and Torlage, who has won the 200cc Class on three occasions as well as between Gutzeit, De Wet and Curtis in the Open Class chase where one slip-up of the current front runners can be to the benefit of the rest.

The Liquorland WFO National Enduro will start on Saturday (11 September) at 08h00 at the Richmond Country Club. There will be two (timed) Special Stages on the 48km loop of which one will include an enduro-cross track at the Richmond Country Club that will be ideal for spectator viewing.

On the loop competitors will also come across a rocky riverbed as well as a new section on an old access road to the power lines.

For more information, visit www.wforacing.co.za

There are only two rounds of the 2010 World of Accessories Junior National Off-road Championship for young motorcycle and quad racers left and the upcoming Mafikeng Junior National (4 September), the sixth round of the season, will be very important for those who stand a chance of winning championship titles.

A glance at the scoreboard after the recent Junior Roof of Africa shows that Tyron Miller (Miller Moore Sandton Honda) has strengthen his lead in the Open Motorcycle Class ahead of Scott Bouverie (Red Criterion Yamaha) while Michael Pentacost (Perry Yamaha) is in third place.

One will have to keep in mind, though, that only six of the seven events will count towards the championship and if the worst set of results are being dropped at this stage, Bouverie would still be leading Miller albeit by a mere five points which means that this battle will go down to the wire. Pentacost will have to stand his man against Darren Rudling (KTM) while Moore’s team-mate, Gerald Campher and Timothy Young (Xtreme Yamaha Support) can upset the applecart. The rest of the competitors will have to focus on scoring points to better their positions in the championship.

In the Senior (85cc) Class Wade Young (Criterion Yamaha) has not put a foot wrong and is leading the class after four victories and a third place. Even if he drops his worst set of results at this stage, he would still be leading Jason Helm who will most probably not compete again this season after breaking his leg at the Lesotho event. This means that the Lesotho winner, Angus Coetzee (Shimwells Yamaha) can get settled in third place although Jan Human (Miller Moore Sandton Honda); Willie Heyns (Honda) and Brett Swanepoel (Team Joat Yamaha) are within striking range of him.

Another ongoing battle is between the Junior 85cc Class leader, Calvin Wiltshire (Shimwells Yamaha) and the Lesotho winner, Aeron Thompson (Keeler Racing Suzuki) – only one point separates these two youngsters and if both drop points at this stage, Wiltshire will be leading Thompson by a single point. Dylan McGovern (Criterion Yamaha) and Alastair Drennan (Roost Racing KTM) can, however, not be left out of the picture. Most of the riders are only separated by a small amount of points and every point will make a difference at the end of the season.

Tiaan Shattock (Kawasaki) is leading the 65cc Class comfortably, but behind him anything can happen between second-placed Marco de Sousa (The Roost KTM); Calvin Hume (iMAS Racing Kawasaki) and Dean Lindsay (KTM) with only six points separating these three riders.

In the quad category, Michael Wagner (Factory Racing KTM) is still leading the Open Motorcycle Quad Class ahead of defending champion, Giacomo Antiga (Team Can-Am), but the gap will be smaller if points are thrown away at this stage. There are also a few riders who can pick up the pieces if the battle between Wagner and Antiga become too fierce – Tinus Bredenkamp (CDV Racing Can-Am) has proven that he can also win races and has moved into third place overall while Cornel Kannemeyer (Suzuki) and Bredenkamp’s team-mate, Gerhard Steenkamp, are now all in the top five with only a handful of points separating them.

In the Junior Open Quad Class, Shaun Smith (Honda) is still leading Tyronne Renwick (Yamaha) and Joshua Schenk (Yamaha). Competitors in this class will however have to adapt their tactics for the last two races as the drop-points system can cause the current order to look totally different at the end of the season.

A title is almost a certainty for the Junior Modified Class leader, Melchior Huskisson (Dirtrider Motorcycles Yamaha), but the top four competitors (JAG Quad Racing Yamaha’s Christopher Petersen; FD Racing’s Pandelis Kafaltis on his Arctic Cat and Wayne Smith on his Honda) have scored points after each race and will have to get rid of some of these points at the end of the season. There are also not enough points between the six chasers behind Huskisson for them to get too comfortable and every point scored at the last two events, can result in the current order to change.

Competitors in the Junior Modified and Junior Open Quad Classes compete for the Junior Quad Class Champion and here Huskisson is leading Shaun Smith; Petersen and Kafaltis, but this battle will also only be settled at the end of the season.

In the Ladies Quad Class Juandrie Meintjies (Team Nako Suzuki) is tied with Elanie van den Berg (Kawasaki) for the lead.

The Mafikeng Junior National will kick off at 09h00 on Saturday (4 September) when the junior motorcycle and quad classes will tackle their two-hour race while the senior classes will start their three-hour race at 12h00.

The fifth round of the national championship for off road motorcycles and quads, which took place in the Brits area for the first time last weekend, was a resounding success with more than 300 competitors in the two racing disciplines enjoying two days of competition in what many described as the best-organised off road race of the year.

The big winners of the inaugural Grass Factory & Eco Organics 400, apart from the off road racing fraternity in general, were Jade Gutzeit (Full Throttle Racing Yamaha) and Brendan Badenhorst (Brother KTM), who took the overall honours in the motorcycle and quad categories respectively.

Gutzeit was in imperious form, winning Friday’s 42-km time-trial and both two- and four-lap rounds of the 400-km race.  His total time in the saddle was 7 hr 27 min 16,7 sec and it brought him his third win of the season.

Second was Juan “Bollie” van Rooyen (The Roost/Out of Africa Kawasaki), fifth in the time trial, who finished 3 min 44 sec behind Gutzeit and just 52 seconds ahead of third-placed Riaan van Niekerk (Brother KTM), who won the 250 cc class.  Fourth and fifth places went to Gray Dick (Bavarian Motorcycles BMW) and Wade Blaauw (Connix Yamaha), who were separated by 1 min 29 sec.

Badenhorst took the quad victory 8 min 07 sec ahead of Dirkie Baard (Honda Windhoek Race Team) and a further 47 seconds in front of Andre du Plessis (EMD Racing Suzuki), who recovered well after crashing in the time trial.  Fourth and fifth were Philipie Baard (Honda Windhoek Race Team) and Jacques “Boesman” Struwig (Boesman Racing Hybrid).

Time-trial winner and a favourite to take the race honours, Brian Baragwanath (EMD Racing Yamaha) retired with mechanical problems while leading.

Errol Dalton (Connix Yamaha) won the senior motorcycle class from Wayne Farmer (World of Accessories Gas Gas) and Guy Henley (The Roost/Out of Africa Kawasaki).  Winner of the quad senior class was CJ Smith (EMD Racing Suzuki) from Vic Seabra (Honda) and Colin Joubert (JAG Quad Racing Suzuki).

Only six riders in the motorcycle master class (for competitors over 46) completed the race, with Jan Berning (KTM) taking the honors from Henk Leenstra (Alfie Cox KTM Racing) and Greg Blackwell (Kargo Racing KTM).  There were also only six survivors in the quad master class, with Geoff Osche (CDV Racing Can-Am) prevailing ahead of Kobus Visser (Eco 4×4 Powersport Can-Am) and Milton Thesen (Team Tractor World Polaris).

Tyron Miller (Miller Moore Sandton Honda) won the silver class on two wheels from Timothy Young (Xtreme Yamaha) and Thomas Saether (Yamaha).  Henrique Marques (Yamaha) took the silver class honours on four wheels ahead of Wilmer Els (Yamaha) and Jaco Snyman  (Honda Windhoek Race Team).

Also a big winner over the weekend was the community of Brits, where the Wagpos High school became the focal point of the event, providing overnight accommodation and hosting the central service area and pits for the more than 300 bikes and quads on three rugby fields – a first in national championship off road racing.  In addition to the school and local businesses benefitting from the large influx of competitors, officials and other visitors, the organisers distributing T-shirts, colouring-in books and crayons to local school and farm children.

First-time sponsor Grass Factory & Eco Organics, owned by Brits brothers and regular off road bike racers Francois and Len du Toit, replanted grass on the playing fields of the Wagpos High School.  The instant lawn and landscaping business also donated a variety of vegetable seedlings to schools in the area to establish community vegetable gardens and built new ablution facilities at Patrick’s Shop, a popular stop off point for off road riders who visit the area in their hundreds over weekends.
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The sixth and final round of the championship, the Koue Bokkeveld 400, takes place in the Ceres Area of the Western Cape on October 1 and 2.

The Open Motorcycle Class racer, Timothy Young (Xtreme Yamaha Support) and the Open Quad Class competitor, Tinus Bredenkamp (CDV Racing Can-Am) posted their first victories in the 2010 World of Accessories (WOA) Junior National Off-road Championship when they won their respective classes at the Junior Roof of Africa, the fifth round of the season that proved to be a tough, but enjoyable race held in the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho.

On two wheels Young beat Darren Rudling (KTM) with Scott Bouverie (Criterion Yamaha) and Tyron Miller (Miller Moore Honda Sandton), who are currently fighting for the title, in third and fourth places respectively. The previous race winner, Michael Pentecost (Perry Yamaha) rounded off the top five with Moore’s team-mate, Gerald Campher, sixth; Estiaan Steenkamp (Shimwells Yamaha) seventh; Darren McLeod (Full Throttle Racing Husqvarna) eighth; Robin Hudson (Yamaha) ninth and Roan Lindsay (Kawasaki) tenth.

On four wheels Bredenkamp finished five minutes ahead of his team-mate, Gerhard Steenkamp (Can-Am) with only 10 seconds separating Steenkamp from third-placed Michael Wagner (Factory Racing KTM). Michael van Zweel (Team Can-Am) finished fourth and was only eight seconds faster than fifth-placed Matthew Barnard (Factory Racing KTM) after almost three hour of racing.

Two more Factory Racing KTM riders finished in the top ten – Dustin Ledwick was eighth and an injured Dino do Amaral was tenth after a crash. Also in the top ten was sixth-placed Cornel Kannemeyer (Suzuki); Can-Am Racing’s Jamie Fensham who was seventh and Nicky Lombard (Team Nako) who finished ninth. Class leader Giacomo Antiga (Team Can-Am) was still suffering from a wrist injury and had to settle for 19^th place overall.

In the Junior Modified Quad Class Brandon Darlow (Boesman Racing Yamaha) won his class for the second consecutive year in Lesotho. He beat Pandelis Kafaltis (FD Racing Arctic Cat) with another CDV Racing rider, Morné Fourie (Arctic Cat), who lost time when he ended up on the wrong route, rounding off the podium. The same happened to class leader, Melchior Huskisson (Dirtrider Motorcycles Yamaha) who then finished sixth. Wynie Steyn could not finish his first race of the season due to damage to the front wheel of his FD Racing Hybrid.

The Cape Town racers ruled in the Junior Open Quad Class where Joshua Schenk (Yamaha) won for the first time this season. He beat Dylan van Eeden (Honda) who posted his best result for the year. Tyrone Renwick (Yamaha) was third and was followed by the class leader, Shaun Smith (Honda) and three more Cape competitors – Brodie Jacobs (Helderberg Yamaha); lady racer, Tara Falkenberg (Honda) and Joshua Louw (Yamaha) who crashed hard. The winner of the past three events, Hein van Gessellen (FD Racing Honda) finished eighth after experiencing engine problems.

In the motorcycle category, Wade Young (Criterion Yamaha) made it four out of five when he won the Senior 85cc Class comfortably. He beat Angus Coetzee (Shimwells Yamaha) who finished a minute ahead of Brett Swanepoel (Team Joat Yamaha). Only four riders managed to finish the three hour race described by most as a “Real Junior Roof of Africa” race with John de Souza (The Roost KTM) scoring points in fourth place.

In the Junior 85cc (motorcycle) Class for racers between the ages of eight and 12 years Aeron Thompson (Keeler Racing Suzuki) scored his third victory for the season when he beat Dylan McGovern (Criterion Yamaha) and Tristan Menschy (Yamaha). It was a close race with just over a minute and a half separating the three front runners. Ross Blackwell (Kargo Racing KTM) finished fourth with the current class leader, Calvin Wiltshire (Shimwells Yamaha) fifth after recovering from a crash. Megan Kemp (KTM) was the only lady on two wheels and finished ninth place in this class.

It was a long and rough race for the brave youngsters on their small 65cc 2-stroke or 80cc 4-stroke motorcycles in the Junior 65cc Class. Tiaan Shattock fell a few times, but still managed to win with KTM rider, Dean Lindsay, second and Calvin Hume (Imas Racing Kawasaki) third. Eric Merry (KTM) raced for almost three hours (the class winner finished the four laps in two hours 21 minutes) and was fourth – Marco de Souza (The Roost KTM) was the only rider who could not finish the race.

Juanri Meintjies (Team Nako Suzuki) was the first lady quad racer home and finished 13^th in the Open Quad Class with Zoyra Ellison (Kawasaki) 15^th in this class and Elanie van den Berg (Kawasaki) 17^th.

The penultimate round of the 2010 WOA Junior National Off-road Championship will take place on 4 September outside Mafikeng in the Disaneng Dam area in the North-West Province.

The penultimate round of the national off road motorcycle and quad championships, the Grass Factory & Eco Organics 400, which takes place for the first time in the Brits area of North West Province on August 20 and 21, brings together all the top riders in what promises to be the sporting highlight of the year for the area.

With just two of the six rounds counting towards the various titles in the two- and four-wheel categories remaining, there is much at stake for the top contenders in the 21 motorcycle and 17 quad classes that are expected to attract a massive entry of more than 400 competitors.  The event, organised by MotorSport 2000, is also a round of the Northern Regions championships for bikes and quads.

In the national motorcycle category, Jade Gutzeit (94 points) has a comfortable lead in the Open class after wins in the opening round in Ermelo in February and the most recent round in Lesotho in June.  Second is Louwrens Mahoney (69) and Jean “Bollie” van Rooyen (63).  Riaan van Niekerk leads the 250 cc class with 75 points from Brett Cummings and Alex Vowles (64 each).

Bradley van Aswegen heads the table in the 200 cc class with 78 points from Scott Scheepers (75) and Brandon Bouwer (65), while the 125 cc class is headed by Charan Moore (90 points), Dominic Mantle (69) and Kent Plecia (62).

Errol Dalton leads the Senior class with 94 points ahead of Wayne Farmer (92) and Brian Bader (71).  The Masters class has Henk Leenstra leading on 94 points followed by Ray Lloyd (84) and Jan Berning (58).  Timothy Young is on top in the Silver Challenge with 100 points from four successive wins.  Second and third are Tyrone Miller (86) and Roberto Ramos (59).

In the national quad category, Brian Baragwanath (89 points) reigns supreme in the Pro 450 class ahead of Dirkie Baard (75) and Phillipus Baard (62).  Brendan Badenhorst narrowly leads the Open class with 70 points from Jacques “Boesman” Struwig (69) and Chris van der Westhuizen (38).

Top three in the Senior class are Colin Joubert (77 points), CJ Smith (72) and Victor Seabra (65).  Clive Cronje (90 points) will be hoping to retain his lead in the Masters class from Jurie Meyer (83) and Kobus Visser (68).

First-time sponsor Grass Factory & Eco Organics, owned by Brits brothers and regular off road bike racers Francois and Len du Toit, will be contributing towards Motorsport South Africa’s commitment to environmental responsibility by replanting grass on the playing fields of the Wagpos High School, which will host the central service area and pits on three rugby fields.  The instant lawn and landscaping business will also donate a variety of vegetable seedlings to schools in the area to establish community vegetable gardens.

In addition to the school and local businesses benefitting from the large influx of competitors, officials and other visitors, the organisers will be distributing T-shirts and colouring-in books and crayons to local schools.

The start, finish and main designated service point is at the Wagpos High School in Brits.  The route will take competitors to the De Wildt area, a popular destination for weekend off road bikers, past the landmark Patrick’s Shop (also a designated service point), through to Three Fences and back to Wagpos School.

It consists of a 42-km time trial on Friday (called the short loop), which is compulsory for all national competitors (regional and club competitors only race on Saturday).  The results of this determine the start order for Saturday’s race, which consists of the short loop and a long loop of 135 km.

Having broken his femur and shoulder during a practice Motocross race long before the Supermoto season had even begun Michael had not had the opportunity to ride his Honda CRF 2010 Supermoto bike. Being given a clean bill of health by his Doctors, Physiotherapist and Biokineticist towards the end of July, Michael decided to join some of his fellow competitors at the Vereeniging Karting Circuit on Sunday the 25^th of July for a Supermoto practice on his new Honda. Not long into his first day of practice and Michael was ready and eager to race again, making a last minute decision only 5 days before the event to enter the 5^th Round of the Mr Price National Supermoto in East London.

Arriving at the Boarder Karting Circuit on Sunday the 1^st of August at around 7am the air was thick with tension in the Kokstar’s pits and all nerves were on edge. Purely because Michael had not ridden in so long and had literally been on the bike only three times before the day, and let’s face it the boy was by no means at his fittest after so long on the bench. So expectations were a bit blurred so to speak because if you know Michael you know that he does not just go out and ride for fun, he does it to win and considering the circumstances the likelihood of that happening seemed somewhat impossible. But as always Mike was determined as ever and proved everyone wrong.

Michael kicked the day off coming into the first turn third off the line behind Brian Capper and Grant Ferichs, he kept the pace steady and was up into second position and fuelled by the support of his fans and the spectators he pushed hard to catch up, visibly closing the gap between himself and Brian, unfortunately three laps to the end of the 15 minute race Michael got a rear wheel puncture and had to slow down and settle for a second place finish to Heat 1.

Heat 2 saw Michael fourth off the start but a fired-up Michael had his eyes on the prize and he was soon up to second position. True to Michael’s nature he continued to charge relentlessly to the finish, which resulted in him getting the fastest lap time which he managed to maintain for the duration of the race finishing Heat 2 in second.

The final race of the day, Heat 3 and it was evident that the Kokstar really had returned for good, Michael was first into the corner on his brand new lightning-fast Honda opening up a gap between himself and second. Half way into the race and a tire from the tire-wall that had moved slightly into the track caught Michaels gear leaver bending it, not being able to change gears slowed Michael down in a corner relegating him to second.  A bent gear leaver meant nothing to Michael’s willpower; it only meant he was going to fight harder for a win. After much looking down whilst racing and really kicking the gear leaver Mike managed to find a way to make the damaged gear leaver work for the duration of the race. Pushing the pace again and fighting to the very end Michael passed fellow competitor Brian in the last corner taking an emphatic win in the final heat of the day.

Finishing the day with a 2^nd overall and the fastest lap times of the day Michael proved consistency is King: “It feels great to be back and battling it again with the boys, I was told a couple months back by the doctors that I would need a small miracle to get my shoulder working 100% again but by the grace of God look where I am today. I would just like to say thanks to my family and the sponsors who have stuck by me during my injury. It feels awesome, I couldn’t ask for a better day considering.”

Caring for the environment and the communities where an off-road race will take place was a key factor to consider by the owners of Grass Factory and Eco Organics, the sponsors of the upcoming Brits event to be held on 20 and 21 August in the North-West Province.

Grass Factory and Eco Organics is a family landscaping business and belongs to the Du Toit family from Brits of which Len and Francois have been avid off-road motorcycle racers competing in the national championship for more than a decade. And because of their involvement with grass, plants and landscaping as well as their racing experience, they have seen the effects an off-road race can have on the environment.

Almost a year ago the Du Toit brothers decided to become involved with off-road racing from a different angle and they became sponsors of this national event organised by the MS2000 Club that will take place from Wagpos High School outside Brits. The route will also include areas in the popular De Wildt area. But they would do so much more than being just financial sponsors.

Grass from Grass Factory and Eco Organics, who also supplies compost, has already been planted at the Wagpos High School. The organisers hope to attract about 300 motorcycle and quad competitors and the three rugby fields will serve as the pits and central service area during the race. After the race the company will also repair the lawn if it is damaged.

The agricultural school, founded in 1928 and situated on a 365 hectare farm about six kilometres outside Brits on the Rashoop Road, will also benefit from the race as they will make their hostels available to serve as affordable accommodation to competitors and their teams. The school will also be responsible for the food and refreshments from the tuck shop area on the terrain and will gain financially from these projects.

There are also numerous game lodges, bed-and-breakfast accommodation, guest houses and self-catering facilities in the area and with more than 300 riders expected to enter for this event, the influx of visitors from all over the country as far as Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and East London, KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State, will provide a boost for local tourism.

Organisers are also expecting more local competitors from Gauteng and the North-West Province, who are not competing in the national championship, to enter this event that will also form a round of the hotly contested Northern Regions Motorcycle and Quad championships.

On Saturday (21 August) the race route will include a service point at Patrick’s Shop in the De Wildt area. This is a popular stop-over for dozens of weekend social and fun riders, but has minimum ablution facilities. The sponsors will build an ablution facility at this venue that can be used by all in future. MS2000 has also distributed hundreds of colouring-in books and crayons to the local previously disadvantaged schools as an upliftment gesture.

Multi Plant, a subsidiary of Grass Factory, is one of the biggest seedling growers and is also donating vegetable seedlings to schools in the area in order for them to start their own vegetable gardens.

The Grass Factory and Eco Organics 400 will form the penultimate round of the 2010 national off-road season and will play a major role in determining the titles for the year.

Documentation will start on Friday (20 August) at the Wagpos High School after which national competitors will have to complete a 42km time-trial that will determine the starting order and times for the main race. On Saturday the leading motorcycle competitor will tackle the race at 08h00 while the first quad will be off at 09h00.

There will be various spectator points on the route and guides will be available at Wagpos High School.

It is time for the popular Junior Roof of Africa, the fifth event on the World of Accessories (WOA) Junior National Off-road Championship calendar and the young competitors have been looking forward to this race for the whole year! The race will take place on 7 August in the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho and will provide title contenders with another chance to earn valuable points towards the championship challenges.

There are only three races left and according to the current point standings, almost all the titles are still up for grabs.

After some bad luck at the Naboomspruit race, Scott Bouverie (Criterion Yamaha) dropped to second place in the Open Motorcycle Class where Tyron Miller (Miller Moore Sandton Honda) has now taken the lead while race winner, Michael Pentacost (Perry Yamaha) has moved into third place. Meiring Vermeulen (Salley’s Yamaha) could also not finish this event and is now fifth with Moore’s team-mate, Gerald Campher, a few points ahead of him in fourth place. Bouverie and Miller have also won this year and a victory can go to any one of them again.

In the Open Quad Class the leader, Giacomo Antiga (Team Can-Am) could also not complete the previous event due to an injury, but he has kept his lead ahead of Michael Wagner (Factory Racing KTM) who has won last time out. Wagner’s team-mate, Julian Greef-Hoffman, has dropped to the third place and as he has not experienced too much luck in Lesotho before, he would hope to do so this year to reclaim his position. A victory can go to anyone of these racers while Tinus Bredenkamp (CDV Racing Can-Am), who finished second at the previous event, has recently won the Silver Challenge Class in the senior off-road championship in Lesotho and this experience can come in handy at the upcoming Junior Roof of Africa.

Quad riders in the Junior Modified and Junior Open Classes are competing for the overall junior title where Melchior Huskisson (Dirtrider Motorcycles Yamaha) is currently leading. He is also leading the Junior Modified Class ahead of Wynie Steyn (FD Racing Hybrid) and Christopher Petersen (JAG Quad Racing Yamaha). Huskisson has won three of the four events this season with the only other victory going to Pandelis Kafaltis (FD Racing Arctic Cat). Brandon Darlow (Boesman Racing Yamaha) has won his class last year in Lesotho and would like to do so again.

The Junior Open Class rider, Shaun Smith (Honda) is leading his class and is second behind Huskisson in the battle for the overall junior title. He has a comfortable lead in his class ahead of the winner of the past three events, Heinrich von Gessellen (FD Racing Honda) with Tyronne Renwick (Yamaha) third. Only a few points separate the front runners and a good result can change the standings dramatically.

It seems as if Wade Young (Criterion Yamaha) is unstoppable in the Senior Motorcycle Class after winning three of the four events so far this season. He is, however, not far enough ahead to be totally save and if anything happens, second-placed Jason Helm (Honda) will be there to pick up the pieces. Jan Human (Miller Moore Sandton Honda) and FD Racing’s Willie Heyns (Honda) are respectively third and fourth.

Competitors in the 65cc and 85cc Junior Classes are fighting for the overall Junior Motorcycle Champion title and although he had to settle for second place at the previous race, Calvin Wiltshire (Shimwells Yamaha) is still leading the overall standings while he is also ahead in the Junior 85cc Class. Naboomspruit class winner, Aeron Thompson (Keeler Racing Suzuki) is on his heels with Alastair Drennan (The Roost KTM) and Dylan McGovern (Criterion Yamaha) not too far off.

After winning the last three events, Tiaan Shattock (Kawasaki) is leading the 65cc Class with Marco de Sousa (The Roost KTM) second. Dean Lindsay (KTM) is still third although he could not finish the last event.

It is, however, important to keep in mind that only six of the seven events will count towards the various championships at the end of the season. This means that competitors will have to throw a set of points away and this could make a difference to the points’ standings.

The Junior Roof of Africa race will take place in the Machache area in Lesotho with the start and finish at the Molangoane Lodge. Junior racers will start at 09h00 and after their two-hour race, the senior classes will tackle a longer loop at 12h00 and will race for about three hours.

Saturday 17 July – The two extremely competitive senior classes of the 2010 World of Accessories (WOA) Junior National Off-road Motorcycle and Quad Championships, the Open Bike Class and Open Quad Class, delivered new winners at the recent RORMC Junior National, the fourth round of the 2010 season that was held in the Naboomspruit area in the Limpopo Province.

It was a first victory for KZN racer, Michael Pentacost (Perry Yamaha) who beat Tyron Miller (Miller Moore Honda Sandton) who lost time when he crashed twice. Supermoto racer, Estiaan Steenkamp (Shimwells Yamaha), also from KZN, made a welcome comeback to the national off-road racing scene after breaking his ankle at the beginning of the season. He finished third and rounded off the podium.

There was some bad luck for championship leader, Scott Bouverie (Criterion Yamaha) who could not finish due to engine problems while Meiring Vermeulen (Salley’s Yamaha), who was third in the championship, ended up on the wrong part of the loop and did not complete the race. Darren Rudling (KTM) finished fourth with newcomer, Louw Schmidt (Suzuki) rounding off the top five.

In the Open Quad Class Michael Wagner (KTM) flew the flag for the Factory Racing team when he won his first race of the season. Less than a minute separated him from CDV Racing’s Tinus Bredenkamp (Can-Am) with Cornel Kannemeyer (Suzuki) rounding off the podium. Two more Factory Racing riders completed the top five – Rorke Millar and Quad MX ace, Dino do Amaral, finished fourth and fifth respectively.

In this extremely competitive class (there were 31 racers on the starting grid) the championship leader, Giacomo Antiga (Team Can-Am) could not finish the event due to a niggling wrist injury. His team-mate, Jamie Fensham, made up for it by posting his best result so far this season when he finished sixth overall. There was also some bad luck for Wagner’s team-mate, Dustin Ledwick – he had to call it a day when his KTM experienced engine problems on the very last of the five laps that consisted of 35km each.

Also in the top ten were Julian Greef-Hoffman (Factory Racing Yamaha) who crashed and finished the race in seventh place. His team-mate, Matthew Barnard, finished just behind him while Jaco Möller (Boesman Racing Suzuki) was ninth. CDV Racing’s Gerhard Steenkamp (Can-Am DS450) rounded off the top ten.

In the Open Bike Class Schmidt was followed by four Yamaha racers – Karel Hattingh (Yamaha) was sixth; Robin Hudson finished seventh; Kevin van Rensburg was eighth and Brandon Hinton ninth while Kawasaki racer, Emile Maree, rounded off the top ten.

Wade Young (Criterion Yamaha) posted his third victory of the season in the Senior 85cc Motorcycle Class after a problem-free event. He was almost nine minutes ahead of second-placed Jan Human (Honda) who finished the event with a flat front tyre. Human won a close-fought battle with third-placed Angus Coetzee (Shimwells Yamaha) with only 24 seconds separating the two youngsters. Brett Swanepoel (Team Joat Yamaha) and Jason Helm (Honda) finished fourth and fifth respectively.

After a nail biting battle in the Junior 85cc (motorcycle) Class, class leader Calvin Wiltshire (Shimwells Yamaha) had to settle for second place when Aeron Thompson (Keeler Racing Suzuki) beat him by a mere 19 seconds after the two hour race that consisted of three 35km laps. Alastair Drennan (The Roost KTM) finished third with less than a minute covering the podium finishers. The rest of the field was somewhat behind with Dylan McGovern (Criterion Yamaha) and Brandon Miller (Miller Moore Honda Sandton) finishing in the top five.

Only three motorcycle competitors in the 65cc Class, all younger than 12 years of age, managed to finish the race – Tiaan Shattock (Kawasaki) scored a hat-trick when he won the event beating Marco de Souza (KTM) and Calvin Hume (Kawasaki). The soft sandy tracks tested these young kids with their 65cc-powered bikes fitted with small wheels.

Hein van Gessellen (FD Racing Honda) might be new to the sport and missed the opening round of the season, but he also scored a hat-trick when he won the Junior Open Quad Class for the third consecutive race. It was a close battle though as less than a minute separated him from class leader, Shawn Smith (Honda) who finished second. Cape Town racers Brodie Jacobs (Helderberg Yamaha) and Joshua Louw (Yamaha) finished third and fourth respectively while Dylan van Eeden (Honda) was fifth.

A third victory this season will keep the Modified Quad Class leader, Melchior Huskisson (Yamaha) in the lead of this class. He enjoyed a comfortable lead of more than 12 minutes over second-placed Wilru Pienaar (Boesman Racing Suzuki) who scored his best result for the season. Only 18 seconds separated Pienaar from third-placed Christopher Petersen (JAG Quad Racing Hybrid) who experienced brake problems. He was 10 seconds faster than Wayne Smith (Honda) while Pienaar’s team-mate, Brandon Darlow (Yamaha) overcame electrical problems and finished fifth.

Morné Fourie (CDV Racing Arctic Cat) crashed and could not finish the event while the winner of the previous event, Pandelis Kafaltis, finished the race eventually after temporarily fixing a broken ball-joint on the front wheel of his FD Racing Arctic Cat in the bush.

Juanri Meintjies (Team Nako Suzuki) was the first finisher in the Ladies Class (she finished 15^th in the Open Quad Class) while Elanie van den Berg (Kawasaki) was just behind her (she finished 16^th in the Open Quad Class).

The young racers have only three weeks to prepare for the Junior Roof that will take place on 7 August in Lesotho.

Jade Gutzeit (Full Throttle Racing Yamaha) has scored his fourth national enduro victory this weekend when he won the Saverite Kei Enduro, the fourth round of the 2010 Liquorland National Enduro Motorcycle Championship that was held at the Katberg Leisure Hotel in the Fort Beaufort area in the Eastern Cape.

Gutzeit, who has just returned from the Red Bull Romaniacs event in Europe where he finished fifth overall, started the race from the front and was also the first competitor to tackle the 18km Special Stage high in the Winterberg mountains. National Open Class and 200cc Class riders had to complete this special stage twice and he posted the fastest times.

The 2009 Kei Enduro winner, Altus de Wet (Brother KTM), had to settle again for second place in both the overall standings as well as the Open Class and was 71 points (71 points equals 71 seconds) behind Gutzeit. A severely injured ankle could not keep Marc Torlage (Red Yamaha) from finishing third overall and winning the 200cc Class – he finished 92 points behind De Wet.

Only 29 points separated Torlage and the rest of the top five finishers. The former multiple trials champ and Supermoto racer, Brian Capper (Full Throttle Racing KTM) has improved on his first result of the season by finishing fourth overall (third in the Open Class) although he got himself stuck in some roots during the first Special Stage where he lost valuable points – and Lady Luck smiled upon Spencer Kriel (ORD/Insurance Zone/Pro Action KTM) for a change. He is still nurturing a few broken ribs after crashing at the recent Lesotho off-road race, but finished only 12 points behind Capper in fifth place.

Their recent participation in the Romaniacs event did not keep Brother KTM team-mates, Riaan van Niekerk and Darryl Curtis as well as the Swiss racer, Lionel Seydoux (Habitat KTM Cape Town) back from posting more good results – Van Niekerk finished sixth (second in the 200cc Class); Curtis was seventh overall and Seydoux, who lives in South Africa to learn the English language, finished eighth.

DCM Yamaha racer, Bradley van Aswegen, outperformed his team-mate, Louwrens Mahoney, by finishing ninth (third in the 200cc Class) with James Hodson (Honda) following in tenth place, 18 points behind Van Aswegen. Lady Luck again turned her back on Mahoney who had to put his mechanical skills to the test on the route to repair a hole in his Yamaha’s water pump. He had to settle for 23^rd place (ninth in the 200cc Class).

The consistent Bollie van Rooyen (The Roost/Out of Africa Dev Kawasaki) finished 11^th and was closely followed by Scott Scheepers (Brother KTM) who got himself badly stuck during his second Special Stage – a fellow racer came to his rescue and pulled him out, but the lost time counted against him. Wynand Badenhorst (Connix Internet/Salley’s Yamaha) was 13^th overall and his team-mate, Charan Moore, 20^th.

Also in the top 20 was Adrian Fourie (Team Liquorland Racing Yamaha) who made a welcome comeback after losing the tip of a finger just before the previous enduro race. He was 14^th with Graham Hedgcock (Habitat KTM Cape Town) 15^th overall. Both the factory BMW racers finished this event with Gray Dick 16^th overall and Wynand Delport 22^nd.

Two more Eastern Cape racers made it into the top 20 after a head-to-head battle – the youngster Tom Moolenschot (Team Rockstar Thor KTM) was 17^th, two points ahead of Rory Gower (Gas Gas). Kriel’s team-mate, Mark Garland, finished in a respectable 19^th place.

William “Wild Will” Gillitt (Red Yamaha) won the Senior Class for the third time this year after completing an uneventful race. He had a comfortable point’s lead ahead of second placed Clive Coulthard (Criterion Yamaha), but a mere five points separated Coulthard from third-placed Gary Bostock (cc Gallery KTM). Richard Moore (KTM) was fourth and Calvin Wright (cc Gallery KTM) was only 15 points behind him in fifth place. Gary Sox Smith (BMW), who was second in the championship, could unfortunately not finish the race.

Like father, like son and youngster Marc’s dad, Denzil Torlage (Red Yamaha) scored a hat-trick by winning the Master Class for the third consecutive race. Class leader, Mark du Plessis (Habitat KTM Cape Town) kept his lead for now by finishing second overall while Brian Conacher (TM Racing Cape Town) rounded off the podium. Mechanical difficulties prevented Dave Estment (Pro Action KTM), who was second in the class championship, from finishing the race.

The Silver Challenge for novice and beginner racers received a healthy amount of entries and local racers filled the podium – Chad Hill won the class for the second consecutive race when he beat Scott Woods (Yamaha Support) and Craig McGregor (KTM) with the current class leader, Chris Strampe (KTM) fourth overall.

The penultimate round of the 2010 Liquorland National Enduro Motorcycle Championship will take place on 11 September in KwaZulu-Natal.