As predicted, the outcome of the recent Toyota Kalahari Botswana 1000 Desert Race resulted in the standings of the SA National Cross Country Championship for Motorcycles and Quads to be shuffled and forecasts a title battle of note at the final two rounds of the championship.
The recent Toyota Kalahari Botswana 1000 Desert Race (TDR 1000) formed the third and fourth rounds of the 2016 national series and those who survived the tough three-day challenge bagged a heap of valuable points for their efforts. The various class championships are by no means settled and the title battles between the leaders will most probably go down to the wire.
In the motorcycle category, the Botswana rider, Ross Branch (Brother Leader Tread KTM) moved to the top of the OR1 (Open) ranking after a clean sweep in his home country. A victory still eludes the defending OR1 champion, Kenny Gilbert (Kargo Racing Husqvarna), but two more runner-up results in Botswana resulted in him now filling the second spot, six points behind Branch while consistent results – another fourth and a third place at the third and fourth rounds respectively – see Altus de Wet (BCR Arrow Yamaha Racing) moving onto the podium, 12 points behind Gilbert. Michael Pentecost (Proudly Bidvest Yamaha) dropped the most positions when a crash prevented him from completing the fourth round. He lost the championship lead and is now fourth, four points behind De Wet.
The situation in OR2 (250cc) has also changed with the defending champion, Louw Schmidt (Brother Leader Tread KTM) completing a hat trick of victories in Botswana and taking the class lead. Cameron Becker (KTM Centurion Liqui Moly Racing), who led before the TDR 1000, is now 15 points behind Louw. Jaycee Nienaber (Super Moose KTM) had problems on the last day in Botswana and he had to settle for eighth place. He did, however, move from fifth in the class to third and is 10 points behind Becker, but only two points ahead of Brendon Fourie (Sherco SA Racing) who has been scoring consistently after moving up from the High School Class.
The current OR3 (200cc) champion, Brett Swanepoel (Proudly Bidvest Yamaha), could not finish either rounds in Botswana and, like his team-mate, Pentecost, he also dropped off the podium and is now seventh in class, 24 points behind the new leader, Dartagnan Lobjoit (Yamaha) who won both rounds in front of his home crowd. A single point separates him from Wilhelm Schönfeldt (BCR Arrow Yamaha Racing) who moved to the second place (he was fifth) after scoring a fourth (round three) and second (round four) in Botswana. Consistency, including a third place at the TDR 1000, saw Eduan Bester (KTM Centurion Liqui Moly Racing) getting on to the podium, five points behind Schönfeldt. After finishing second at the third round, Taki Bogiages (KTM) could not complete the fourth round. He is now fourth in OR3, 12 points behind Bester and only one point ahead of Dean Lindsay (Sherco SA Racing) who finished fifth in each round in Botswana.
The battle between the defending Senior Class champion, Juan ‘Bollie’ van Rooyen (Brother Leader Tread) and the class leader, Wynand Kleynhans (Yamaha) is continuing with Kleynhans still leading the standings after four runner-up results this season. Van Rooyen had to fight back after a problematic start to the season, but after three consecutive victories including two in Botswana, he now trails Kleynhans by a mere two points. Lodewyk Jansen van Vuuren (KTM Centurion Liqui Moly Racing) is third after two more fourth place finishes. He is 14 points behind Van Rooyen and is only eight points ahead of Bruce May (Agri Sales Peak Yamaha Racing) who could not finish the Dundee event, but was third after both races in Botswana.
The High School championship fight became even tighter with only two points now separating the leader, Adriano Catalano (D&H Engineering Works Yamaha) who has kept his lead over Stefan van Deventer (Alfie Cox KTM Junior Racing). Catalano won the first two rounds, but had to settle as the runner-up to Van Deventer at both TDR 1000 events. André Basson (Yamaha) is now third after a fourth (round three) and third place and trails Van Deventer by 12 points. The rest are somewhat further behind with fourth-placed Troy Sullivan (KTM), who moved up four places, also completing all four events so far and now trails Basson by 23 points.
Consistency and experience pay and the leader of the Master Class, Wayne Farmer (Doorzone Bikers Warehouse Husqvarna) can vouch for that as four out of four finishes and two victories keep him at the top of the leader board. He might get worried though as Pieter Holl (KTM) did not finished round two, but won both events in Botswana to move to the second spot albeit 22 points adrift. There are fairly big gaps between the riders with third-placed Justin Broughton (Sherco SA Racing) third after a podium at the TDR 1000 round three, but a DNF at round four putting him 14 points behind Holl and eight points ahead of Harry Grobler (Yamaha) who finished fourth (round three) and third (round four) in Botswana.
The standings in the 125cc Challenge has also changed with veteran rider, Izak Mans (Droomers Yamaha) dropping from the lead to third place after not finishing the third round (he was fourth at round four), but only eight points separate the top three riders. The scholar Ryan Pelser (KTM) has moved into the lead after two runner-up results in Botswana and now leads Janco Pienaar (KTM) by seven points with Mans one point further behind. Stefan van Deventer’s dad, Faan, competed for the first time this year in this class and won it on both occasions in Botswana. He is now fourth with youngster Michael Glöckle (D&H Engineering Works Yamaha), who was on the podium earlier, dropping to fifth place after not scoring any points in Botswana.
There is a new leader in the Ladies Class with young Karen Jansen van Vuren (KTM) taking the lead after claiming a second and third place in the desert. Riki Mans (Droomers Yamaha) could not finish round three, but was second in round four and she dropped to second place, 16 points behind the youngster. The desert suited another young lady, Yanke Pieterse (KTM), well and although she competed for the first time this year in the Ladies Class, she finds herself in third place after winning both rounds in Botswana.
In the Silver Class Inter Provincial Challenge, only Riaan Prinsloo (Yamaha) and SJ Bester (VANS Racing Division KTM) have competed in all four rounds with Prinsloo having a comfortable lead of 33 points ahead of Bester who only scored once in the desert. There was also a change in the Manufacturer’s Award where KTM now leads Yamaha by 50 points with Husqvarna 117 points behind in third place. Sherco is fourth.
There was a huge turn-around in the Open Quad Championship with the 2015 Dakar Rally finisher, Hannes Saaijman (Yamaha) jumping into the lead after two runner-up results. He did not compete in the season opener. Saaijman does not have any breathing space though as he is only three points ahead of the earlier leader, André Park (Yamaha) who posted two solid fourth place results at the TDR 1000. Johan Oosthuizen (VANS Racing Division Yamaha) also scored a podium in Botswana and together with a fifth place, he has moved to third spot and is nine points behind Park. There were problems for defending champion, Brian Baragwanath (Proudly Bidvest Yamaha) who dropped to fourth place despite winning the third round in Botswana. He fell the next day and injured his elbow and could not finish the race. Dewald Theron did not compete in Botswana and is still fifth, but Hannes’ brother, Attie Saaijman (Yamaha) now has the same amount of points as Theron after a third (round three) and fifth (round four) at the TDR 1000. He did not participate in the first two rounds.
In the Master Class, the defending champion, George Twigge (Yamaha) kept his lead after a victory and a runner-up result at the TDR 1000. He leads Stef Bester (VANS Racing Division Yamaha) by a comfortable 37 points while Botswana rider, Motsumi Lekone (Yamaha) is now third after winning round four in front of his home crowd.
After winning twice in Botswana, Morné Jansen van Vuren (Yamaha) has strengthened his lead in the High School Quad Class to 47 points over Megan Stander (Suzuki) who was second on the first day, but could not finish round four. Keenan Hammon won the Battlefields Race (he did not compete in Botswana) and is third.
Yamaha leads the Manufacturer’s Award ahead of Honda and Suzuki.