Port Elizabeth once again played host to the annual Winterberg Enduro, forming round three of the 2016 Liquorland South African National Enduro championship. With a format closer to World Enduro standards, full distance riders had to complete five laps of the 32 km course which included a 2.8 km Extreme special, a 7 km Terrain special and a 1.7 km spectator friendly MX special near the pit area.
Both the Extreme special and MX special were timed from the first lap, while the Terrain special was only timed from the second lap, allowing riders to familiarise themselves with the longer special on the first lap of the day.
Riders came to the event prepared, rainy and windy conditions however added to the difficulty of the track and the field had to set off into the cold. From early in the race Brother Leader Tread KTM’s Travis Teasdale proved that he is a worthy title contender in the competitive E2 class. Teasdale managed to win 12 out of 13 special tests onboard his trusty KTM 250 XC-W 2-stroke machine and walked away with another overall and class win this year.
“Going into the event I knew that under the conditions it was important that I rode smooth all day. My KTM 250 XC-W handled well and having a consistent ride worked out really well for me. I am very happy to take the overall win and enjoyed this well organised event.”, said Teasdale.
In the E1 class Scott Bouverie had a great day onboard his KTM 250 XC-F. Bouverie just missed out on the E1 class win and had to settle for second place in class, adding valuable points to his championship ranking. His Brother Leader Tread KTM team mate and E1 championship leader Dwayne Kleynhans unfortunately didn’t have luck on his side when he first ran out of fuel and then ran into further problems later in the race, resulting in Kleynhans running late on some laps and incurring penalties, putting the talented rider all the way back into eight place in the E1 class. Kleynhans is now behind in the championship ranking, but is even more motivated to prove a point at the next event.
The Seniors class saw Offroad expert and local favourite Juan ‘Bollie’ van Rooyen tackle the Seniors class at the Winterberg Enduro. Van Rooyen had a good day out onboard his KTM 300 XC-W and played it safe, finishing in fifth place in class.
Kirsten Landman, Brother Leader Tread KTM’s lady rider, enjoyed the Winterberg Enduro despite terrible weather conditions and pushed hard, resulting in the talented rider to win the Silver class onboard her KTM 200 XC-W. Landman was the only Silver class rider to zero her regularity times on 3 out of 4 laps and proved that she was a worthy class winner.
“I had a really good day on my bike. My KTM 200 XC-W went so well and I felt comfortable all day, despite the muddy conditions which made the track slippery. Fortunately, my fitness was good and I only got tired towards the end of the race. I’m extremely happy with my result and can’t wait for the next event.”, said Landman who will be tackling the Silver Class at the Red Bull Romaniacs event coming up in July.
The team is now getting ready for the prestigious Red Bull Romanaics event taking place in Sibiu, Romania from 13 to 16 July. With the winter break taking place the next National Enduro event is only scheduled for 13 August in the Underberg area of KwaZulu-Natal.