To add to the tension, is the fact that the Western Cape riders are notorious for delivering the goods at their ‘home’ events although many of them have not competed at national level during the season. However, quite a few Cape riders have done their supporters proud by producing great results during the year and they now have their eye on the titles.
In the motorcycle category, the leading three OR1 (Open) Class riders have finished all four events with the standings changing after the last two rounds in Botswana. Botswana rider, Ross Branch (Brother Leader Tread KTM) took a double victory in the desert and now leads with the defending OR1 champion, Kenny Gilbert (Kargo Racing Husqvarna) still chasing an elusive victory. The Montagu rider, Altus de Wet (Team BCR Arrow Yamaha Racing), who won the KB400 in 2010, is third and aiming to please his home crowd with a win. Michael Pentecost (Proudly Bidvest Yamaha) was demoted from the lead to fourth place after the two Botswana events due to mechanical hick-ups and he will fight to get back on to the podium.
In the OR2 (250cc) Class, the defending champion, Louw Schmidt (Brother Leader Tread KTM) has fought back after a bad start to the season and he now leads after a hat-trick of victories. Cameron Becker (KTM Centurion Liqui Moly Racing) who was leading earlier this season will hope to do so again while Jaycee Nienaber (Super Moose KTM), won the opening round, will also chase hard to get to the front. Brendon Fourie (Sherco Racing SA) and Shaun Mostert (KTM) are fourth and fifth respectively and are both capable of pulling off more good results and get on to the podium.
Some serious battles are looming in OR3 (200cc) where the Botswana desert demoted the defending champion, Brett Swanepoel (Proudly Bidvest Yamaha) from the lead to the seventh place. He is not too far behind Dean Lindsay (Sherco Racing SA) in sixth and local Cape Town youngster, Calvin Wiltshire (Droomers Yamaha) who finished the last race on the podium or even Taki Bogiages (KTM) in fourth place, but it is not easy to make up lost points. Botswana’s Dartagnan Lobjoit (Yamaha) now leads Caledon’s Wilhelm Schönfeldt (Team BCR Arrow Yamaha Racing) albeit by a single point. Eduan Bester (KTM Centurion Liqui Moly Racing) is third. This class teems with entries from local riders and interesting results can be expected.
It seems the Senior Class championship is destined to go down to the wire. Wynand Kleynhans (Yamaha) still leads after four consistent runner-up results while the defending champion, Juan ‘Bollie’ van Rooyen (Brother Leader Tread KTM) has made up for a bad start by claiming a hat-trick of victories which place him second, two points behind Kleynhans. Fourth-placed Bruce May (Agrisales Peak Yamaha) has a chance to get onto the podium as third-placed Lodewyk Jansen van Vuuren (KTM Centurion Liqui Moly Racing) crashed during a recent regional event and will not be able to compete.
With only two points separating the two leading riders in the High School Class, the battle will again be on between Adriano Catalano (D&H Engineering Works Yamaha) and the current Junior Champion, Stefan van Deventer (Alfie Cox Junior KTM Racing) in second place. André Basson (Yamaha) is third with the Cape’s Troy Sullivan (KTM) fourth while Maarten van Jaarsveld (Doorzone Bikerswarehouse Racing Husqvarna) rounds off the top five.
Two victories and two runner-up results put former multiple national champion, Wayne Farmer (Doorzone Bikerswarehouse Husqvarna) in the lead in the Master Class. He will, however, have to make a mistake for another former champion, Pieter Holl (Bert Smith Racing KTM) to be able to catch him as the latter lost points due to a DNF earlier this year. Harry Grobler (Yamaha) will chase down Justin Broughton (Sherco Racing SA) for the final podium spot.
In the Ladies Class, local Cape rider, Riki Mans (Droomers Yamaha) will hope for good results in front of her home crowd to keep her lead as the youngster, Karen Jansen van Vuren (KTM) is only four points behind.
In Class D 125cc, only eight points separate the top three riders with the scholar, Ryan Pelser (KTM) leading Janco Pienaar (KTM) while Mans’ husband and team-mate, Izak, is third and aiming for his second victory after winning the opening round.
Riaan Prinsloo (Yamaha) and SJ Bester (VANS Racing Division KTM) will be at each other’s throats again in the Silver Class Challenge while both will be looking out for the Caledon rider, Hume Schönfeldt (Yamaha), who finished on the podium after both Botswana events and jumped to fourth place, one point behind Schalk Kritzinger (Honda).
In the quad category, Hannes Saaijman (EMD Racing Yamaha) has taken the lead in the Open Quad championship despite having missed the opening round. He is, however, only three point ahead of André Park (Yamaha) with Johan Oosthuizen (VANS Racing Division Yamaha) not too far behind. Brian Baragwanath (Proudly Bidvest Yamaha) might loose his fourth position as he is still recovering from an elbow injury. If Cape rider, Dewald Theron (Yamaha) enters the KB400 and scores good points, he might even find himself on the podium towards the end of the season. Other Cape riders who have entered the national category, are Jean Claude Vlok and Kevin Crouse (Helderberg Yamaha).
The defending Master Quad Class champion, George Twigge (Yamaha), will again try to hold off second-placed Stef Bester (VANS Racing Division Yamaha) and the rest of the pack while Keenan Hammon (KTM) is returning to the High School Class after an injury and will go for gold. Morné Jansen van Vuren (Yamaha) is currently leading this class with Megan Stander (Suzuki) second.
The SACC KB400 race control as well as the start and the finish of the event, the central service point and the prize-giving function will be at Donkerbos, about 60 kilometre north of Ceres, in the Koue Bokkeveld.