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The ultimate round of the Liquorland South African National Enduro championship was held this past weekend in the beautiful area around Heidelberg, a 40-minute drive south of Johannesburg. A hot, dry and dusty day with above average wind speeds made for a tough day’s racing where competitors had to make sure they stayed hydrated on the 22km long course that consisted of a 3km MX special test, a 10km Enduro special test and a 4 km Extreme special test.
Brother Leader Tread KTM’s Travis Teasdale had a consistent season in the E2 (open) class and conquered Heidelberg on the new 2017 KTM 250 XC-W, bringing home the race win and securing his first E2 championship title:
“I’ve had a really good year of racing, moving from the 4-stroke onto the 2-stroke which I feel improved my riding. It was a great choice to move onto the KTM 250 XC-W for this season and I enjoyed the MX test at Heidelberg where I found a good rhythm and felt I could push. The Extreme special didn’t leave room for any mistakes and one had to make sure to pick the right lines. I felt fit and strong in the very hot conditions and I’m glad to have brought home the 2016 championship.”, said Teasdale who also took the overall laurels this Enduro season.
In the E1 class Dwayne Kleynhans and Scott Bouverie were both in the running for the championship on board their KTM 250 XC-F machines, but a second and third place in class respectively were not enough to win the title. The talented E1 riders however are reflecting on a good season and are looking forward to the Roof of Africa event later this year.
“After I hurt my wrist at the Red Bull Sea to Sky event in Turkey I knew it was going to be hard to push at Heidelberg. I started off slow, but warmed up quickly and got faster throughout the day. I enjoyed the Enduro special stage, but struggled with the Extreme special test and couldn’t find my rhythm. All in all I had a good day though and I am happy with my season. It was full of ups and downs, with a lot of good races and I feel that I am improving from race to race.”, said Kleynhans.
Scott Bouverie who impressed with a podium finish at the Red Bull Sea to Sky event was motivated to bring home good results at Heidelberg. He enjoyed the technical Extreme special due to its intensity and rode a consistent day to secure yet another E1 podium finish.
Kirsten Landman was determined to finish the Silver class on the podium, which is what the talented lady rider achieved on board her Brother Leader Tread KTM 200 XC-W. She raced a consistent season with some class wins and just missed out on the win by a few points. With her enjoying the more technical riding and with another Red Bull Sea to Sky Gold finish under her belt she is now starting to prepare for the Roof of Africa event, know as ‘the Mother of Hard Enduro’ where she will conquer the Maluti mountains together with hear team mates from 1 to 3 December with race headquarters in Maseru, Lesotho.
The 2016 season also saw a talented bunch of youngsters showcasing their talent with Calvin Hume (KTM Durban) taking victory in the National High School class ahead of PE’s Max Jordaan (Auto Motorcycles KTM) and Stefan van Deventer (Alfie Cox Racing KTM).
