The Kalahari beckons and it is time for the 2015 junior and senior off-road championships to head to Stella where the fourth round of the TOTPAK National Championship and the third round of the Raslouw Academy Junior National Championship will take place on Saturday, June 6th. It is the second consecutive year that the national off-road motorcycle and quad championships will visit Stella and the people from the area known as the ‘Texas of South Africa’ due to the large cattle farms, are looking forward to welcome the racing community to the Stella Bush2Bush Challenge.
The championships have reached quite a crucial stage and with only four races in the senior series and three events for the juniors remaining, the serious title chasers will know that they can not afford to make a mistake while the other contenders will aim for their best personal result to add as many points as possible to their tally thus far. One has to keep in mind that the points of the best six of the seven races will count towards the final standings at the end of the year and it can change the picture totally.
The Kalahari has always been special to many off-road competitors and the 2015 Stella Bush2Bush Challenge will be no different. Brother Leader Tread KTM team-mates, Louwrens Mahoney, who has won many a Kalahari race, and Botswana rider, Ross Branch, will again be at each other’s throats in the OR1 (Open) Championship – Branch won here in 2014 – while Michael Pentecost (Kargo Racing Yamaha), who shares the lead with Branch, and Kenny Gilbert (Proudly Bidvest Yamaha) will both aim for another class win. With two podium results behind his name, Jonathan Webster (Yamaha) is just behind Branch and Pentecost with Gilbert and Mahoney (he could not finish the season opener) hot on his wheels.
The standings in the OR2 (250cc) Championship, has changed almost after every race with Jaycee Nienaber (D&H Engineering Works Yamaha) currently leading Louw Schmidt (Brother Leader Tread KTM) despite Smidht’s two victories. Schmidt could not finish in Swaziland while a victory is on the cards for Nienaber who finished as the runner-up after each race.
Nicholas Pienaar (Ridgeway Racing Husqvarna) is currently third (he has won once, but fell and was injured at the recent Mooi River race) while Nienaber’s team-mate, Roan Lindsay, will again compete after breaking his wrist at Mooi River. Schmidt’s team-mate, Tyron Miller, will aim to make up for lost points and to better his seventh place.
Local Mafikeng rider, Jarryd Coetzee (Brother Leader Tread KTM) might be more used to the desert type terrain and will put it to good use when chasing the tripple OR3 (200cc) winner and class leader, Brett Swanepoel (Proudly Bidvest Yamaha). Darren Macleod (D&H Engineering Works Yamaha) is currently third and will also go for more good results while both Wilhelm Schonfeldt (Helderberg Yamaha) and Botswana’s Dartagnan Lobjoit (Yamaha) , who are fourth and fifth respectively, will aim for a fourth set of good points. There is no margin for error as not many points separate the riders in this extremely competitive class championship.
Juan ‘Bollie’ van Rooyen (Brother Leader Tread KTM) might also enjoy the Kalahari type terrain and will aim for a third victory to keep his lead in the Senior Class Championship. Being the runner-up after three races is not what Wayne Farmer (Roost KTM / EC Security) likes and the battle will be on between the defending champion (Van Rooyen) and the multiple former Senior Class Champion (Farmer). Kobus Jonck (Bert Smith All Stars Racing Powered by RAD KTM) missed the Mooi River race, but will be back in action to defend (or better) his third place.
The competition in the Master Class Championship has been tough this season and all three events produced a new winner. Wade Miller (KTM), who has not yet won, is however leading albeit by a mere two points. The winner of the season opener, Ian Venter (KTM Centurion Liqui Moly Racing) and Martin Poole (Yamaha) are sharing the same amount of points behind Miller. The winner of the most recent event, former multiple national enduro champion, Denzil Torlage (Proudly Bidvest Yamaha) will again be on the start line and he can cause an upset again.
The situation in the High School Class Championship is as interesting with three different winners and the same three riders sharing the podium at each race. The defending champion, Eduan Bester (KTM Centuion Liqui Moly Racing) won the opening round and leads the Mooi River winner, Dean Lindsay (D&H Engineering Works Yamaha) by a mere two points while the Swaziland winner, Brendon Fourie (Kawasaki) is again only two points behind Lindsay. Behind them Lindsay’s team-mate, Adriano Catalano (fourth) and Tyrone Flanagan (Roost KTM / EC Security) have also completed all three events. They will all keep an eye on the points and will plan their strategy carefully towards the end of the season.
In the Q1 Championship in the quad category, the battle will again be on between the defending champion, Brian Baragwanath (Proudly Bidvest Yamaha) – he has won twice this year – and Stefan Swanepoel (Yamaha) who has won in Swaziland and trails him by a single point. André Park (Yamaha) is third and will continue his chase while fourth-placed Jaco Moller (Extreme ATV Tzaneen Yamaha) and fifth-placed Damien Lee (Honda) have both already ‘dropped’ a result as they could only finish two races.
Stuart Freeman (Yamaha) has a comfortable lead in the Senior Class Championship, but that will not mean that the defending champion, Russell Ferreira (Honda) or Paul dos Santos (Suzuki), who have both been on the podium this year, will not go for a race victory. Ted Barbier (Yamaha) is fourth.
An even fight is brewing in the Master Class championship where the defending champion, George Twigge (Yamaha) and George Michaelides (Yamaha) are on even points at the front. Michaelides is however the only rider who has scored at each of the three races.
Ryno Trichardt (Yamaha) has a clean record in the High School Class Championship and leads Keenan Hammon (KTM) with local Stella rider, Ruan Stander (Yamaha) in third place.
The 16-year old Tzaneen girl, Wilmarie Moller (Extreme ATV Tzaneen Honda) leads the motorcycle and quad ladies in the Combined Ladies Class Championship with another young lady, Jade Schutte (Yamaha) second. The defending champion, quad competitor Liezel Barnard (Barnard Vervoer Can-Am) is third after she was not able to complete the Swaziland event. Her team-mate in the motorcycle category, Taye Perry (KTM) is fourth. A total of eight ladies have entered the Stella race and interesting results can be expected.
Gerhard Grove (Yamaha) and Nicholas Mauerberger (Barnard Vervoer Yamaha) will battle it out on two wheels in the Silver Class Challenge with Grove aiming for a third victory.
The ‘young lions’, the junior competitors between the ages of seven and 14 who are competing in the four classes in the Raslouw Academy Junior National Championship (the 65cc Class, 85cc Class and Senior 85cc Class in the motorcycle category and the Junior Quad Class), will race in the Kalahari for the very first time. They compete on a separate 20km loop and race for two hours. Find the preview for this championship on www.dirtracing.co.za (link)
The racing action starts on Saturday morning (6 June) at 7:30 when the motorocycle and quad comeptitors tackle a 60km time-trial that will determine the starting order for their race that will start at 10:30. They will complete a total distance of 360 kilometres on separate loops. The junior motorcycle riders will tackle their two-hour race at 8:00 while the junior quads will race at 12:00.
The Stella Bush2Bush Challenge also form a round of the Northern Regions Championship. All the action starts and finishes at the Stella Beesfees terrain where information about the spectator points will also be available.