Westonaria, situated on the western border of Gauteng, played host to the ultimate round of the 2016 South African National Cross Country championship (SACC) on 28 and 29 October. With all championships still up for grabs, the ‘Atlas Copco 450’ promised to be an exciting round not to be missed.
Competitors had to complete a 50 km time trial on Friday which would determine the starting order for the following day. A second place for OR1 championship leader Ross Branch would give him a great position to start from ahead of his championship rival Kenny Gilbert (Husqvarna). Both Schmidt and Van Rooyen also placed second in their respective classes, making for an exciting day’s racing on Saturday where competitors had to complete a 150 km loop twice.
Extreme heat was the order of the day and hydration and fitness played a big role in order to stay focused. With riders setting off into the dust at 8 am they had to start charging early before fatigue could kick in later in the day as temperatures were peaking at 37 degrees. A rocky track with fast, flowing sections further into the loop had a bit of everything in store for the field with sandy as well as hard pack sections, testing both rider and machine.
The OR1 class saw Michael Pentecost (Yamaha) continue to lead with Brother Leader Tread KTM’s Ross Branch hot on his heels. Branch, racing a KTM 450 XC-F, rode a consistent pace the entire day and didn’t make any mistakes. He managed to pull away from his rival Kenny Gilbert and finished the Atlas Copco 450 in second place overall, handing Branch his first ever South African National title:
“I am over the moon to take my first National title, I’ve been close many times, but to finally take the championship is a dream come.”, said an excited Branch.
Defending OR2 champion Louw Schmidt went into the last round with an 18 points lead over KTM Centurion’s Cameron Becker and knew he had to finish this race in order to add yet another championship title to his name. Having a fantastic day onboard his KTM 350 XC-F, Schmidt had caught up all the way to Kenny Gilbert and was lying in fourth place overall when a big crash 3 km’s before the finish line almost put him out of title contention:
“As I could see the finish coming down the last hill I lost concentration for a second and hit a rock and had a very big crash, breaking my handle bars off. I had to get creative in order to nurse my KTM back to the finished, but a few cable ties later I managed to very slowly get to the finish, exhausted but relieved and at the same time excited to bring home the OR2 championship title.”, said Schmidt.
In the Seniors class it also came down to the wire as Juan ‘Bollie’ van Rooyen had to win this race over his rival Wynand Kleynhans (Yamaha). With Kleynhans posting a faster time in Time Trial, Van Rooyen had to make a pass early on in the race to ensure he stays ahead of Kleynhans. Van Rooyen managed to do just that and extended his lead over Kleynhans to over 7 minutes by the time he crossed the chequered flag to take another Seniors championship.
More championships were secured on orange mounted machinery when Alfie Cox Racing KTM’s Stefan van Deventer brought home the High School class title at the Atlas Copco 450. KTM riders dominated the series in 2016, securing yet another Manufacturers title for the Austrian manufacturer.
With the SACC racing season having come to an end, riders can now enjoy a little break before they start their training routine for the 2017 season. Based on the 2016 season spectators can expect an exciting year where South Africa’s best will continue to battle it out to take championship glory.