The first results for the 2016 SA Cross Country Championship (SACC) for motorcycles and quad competitors are on the scoreboard after the opening round, the Vryburg Race, this weekend. Louwrens Mahoney, SANORA’s Race Director for the SACC motorcycle and quad championship and former multiple race winner at Vryburg, was satisfied with the outcome of the first national race of the season that ran side by side with the Donaldson Cross Country Championship for vehicles for the first time in many years.
“It was an honour to return to the Vryburg area and to be involved with the organisation of the Vryburg Race as this event was my first national race I won,” he said. Mahoney said that SANORA is an extremely professional organisation and that the motorcycle racing community is privileged to be part of their structure. “We have received very positive feedback from competitors who not only enjoyed the route, but enjoyed being part of their new cross country racing family and we are looking forward to the rest of the season.”
Unfortunately the second of the two 150km loops had to be cancelled on Saturday after a serious accident involving a motorcycle competitor.
A 50km time-trial on Friday to determine the start order for the race on Saturday saw Michael Pentecost (Proudly Bidvest Yamaha) open the road for the motorcycle field on a windless day to take the overall victory as well as the OR1 (Open) Championship. The riders behind him had to eat some dust on the 150km loop and he was followed by Botswana’s desert fox, Ross Branch (Brother Leader Tread KTM) with Kenny Gilbert (Kargo Racing Husqvarna) third overall and third in OR1.
Former SA National Off-road Champion, Altus de Wet (BCR Arrow Yamaha) made a return to off-road racing to claim fourth place in OR1 with Ruan Smith (Sherco Racing SA) fifth.
With the time-trial and Saturday’s race results combined, it was Jaycee Nienaber (D&H Engineering Works Yamaha) who claimed his first victory in OR2 (250cc) with Alastair Drennan (KTM) second and Hein Jnr van Niekerk (Doorzone Bikers Warehouse Husqvarna) third. The defending champion, Louw Schmidt (Brother Leader Tread KTM) started last after not finishing the time-trial and managed to finish 11th. Cameron Becker (KTM Centurion Liqui Moly Racing) was fourth and Brendon Fourie (Sherco Racing SA) fifth.
It seems like the 2015 battle between the OR3 (200cc) champion, Brett Swanepoel (Proudly Bidvest Yamaha) and Jarryd Coetzee (Brother Leader Tread KTM) will continue this season with Swanepoel taking a close win ahead of Coetzee while Darren MacLeod (D&H Engineering Works Yamaha) third. Taki Bogiages (KTM) and the 2015 High School Champion, Eduan Bester (KTM Centurion Liqui Moly Racing) finished fourth and fifth respectively.
The defending Senior Class Champion, Juan van Rooyen (Brother Leader Tread KTM) started from the back of the field and worked his way to 10th in class with a new name, Warrick Wolfe van Schalkwyk (Yamaha) claiming victory ahead of Wynand Kleynhans (Yamaha) and enduro specialist, Bruce May (Agrisales Peak Yamaha Racing).
Multiple former champion, Wayne Farmer (Doorzone Bikers Warehouse Husqvarna) moved to the Master Class and won it first time out ahead of former champion, Pieter Holl (KTM) and Johan Gray (KTM) with the defending champion, Ian Venter (KTM Centurion Liqui Moly Racing) opening his score sheet with a seventh place and the former SA National Enduro Champion, Denzil Torlage (Proudly Bidvest Yamaha) in sixth place.
The High School Class was won by Adrian Catalano (D&H Engineering Works Yamaha) with Andre Basson (Yamaha) second and the 2015 Junior Champion, Stefan van Deventer (KTM) third, only 19 seconds behind Basson.
Izak Mans (Droomers Yamaha) claimed the first win in the new 125cc Class ahead of youngsters Michael Glockle (D&H Engineering Works Yamaha) and Leon Jardine (KTM) with scholar Ryan Pelser (KTM) giving up his race in this class to wait with the injured rider.
Taye Perry (KTM) won the Ladies Class ahead of Izak’s wife, Riki Mans (Droomers Yamaha) and Karen Jansen van Vuren (KTM). Riaan Prinsloo (Yamaha) won the Silver Class Challenge.
Quad competitors started Saturday’s race behind the last two-wheeler with Dakar Rally hero and defending champion, Brian Baragwanath (Proudly Bidvest Yamaha) off first.
“The track was sandy and fast with some tight bush sections and rocks,” he said. He had to settle for third place after he lost time due to two rear flat tyres. The race was won by André Park (Yamaha) with Stefan Swanepoel (Yamaha) less than a minute behind in second place. This was also the Open Quad Class podium.
Russell Ferreira (Yamaha) finished fourth with Johan Oosthuizen (VANS Racing Division Yamaha) rounding off the top five. In the Open Quads the top ten were Yamaha riders, Ruan Stander (sixth); Dewald Theron (seventh); Paul dos Santos (eighth) and Wiaan van Wyk with Lourens van Rensburg finishing ninth on his Suzuki.
For defending Master Champion, George Twigge (Yamaha) it was a ‘close’ race but he continued his winning streak of 2015 by claiming the victory. He was followed by two new names on the national scene, Petrus van Heerden (Honda) was second and Stef Bester (Yamaha) rounded off the podium. Tony dos Santos (Yamaha) finished fourth, only 51 seconds behind Bester with Motsumi Lekone (Yamaha) fifth.
The High School Class was won by the lady scholar from neighbouring town, Stella, Megan Stander (Suzuki) with Morné Jansen van Vuren (Yamaha) second.
The Manufacturers’ Award in the motorcycle category went to Yamaha, KTM, Husqvarna, Sherco, Kawasaki and Honda and Yamaha, Suzuki and Honda in the Quad category.
The second round of the SACC for motorcycle and quad competitors will take place on May 6 and 7. This will be a standalone event in Dundee in KwaZulu-Natal with the next combined event the Toyota Desert Race 1000 in June in Botswana.