Exciting and nail-biting racing action, at the Rock Blend Offroad this past weekend, saw Kenny Gilbert (Proudly Bidvest Yamaha) clinching his first national victory.
He won the motorcycle category of the 180km race that formed the second round of the SA National Off-road Championship.
There was also a first victory this season for former quad champion, Brian Baragwanath (Lonestar PEP BB Motorsport Yamaha) who worked his way up from the middle of the field.
Gilbert was one of the eight starters on the first row after finishing third at the previous national event. He settled in behind Louwrens Mahoney (Brother Broadlink KTM) who set a blistering pace, but a problem with Mahoney's front shock absorber on the second of the three loops saw him losing time and positions. He had to settle for seventh place on the overall standings (sixth in OR1/Open Class).
Gilbert, who won OR1, shared the podium with Ruan Roberts (Yamaha - OR1) and Michael Pentecost (Kargo Racing Yamaha) who finished third and claimed OR3 (200cc). It was a first podium visit for both Roberts and Pentecost - he finished fourth at the first event - while it was Pentecost's second class victory this season.
QUADS
On four wheels Baragwanath (Q1 championship) started on the 11th row (the quads started in pairs) and chased the frontrunners in the dust. He made up time despite a flat tyre even though he was not leading on the road and took the lead from Jurie Meyer (Yamaha Support - Q1) on the last lap where the route was altered due to a muddy river crossing that became impassable.
Meyer, who won the opening race, had two flat tyres on the first lap and was in a tight battle with John Aylward (Yamaha - Q1) and Jacques Struwig (Boesman Racing Suzuki). Meyer finished second with Aylward third (Struwig was 23rd and third in the Senior Class after he experienced battery problems on the last lap).
125 CLASS
Dust, a demanding route and tough competition tested the 125 national motorcycle competitors and 69 quads and riders were separated by seconds.
Dino do Amaral (Factory Racing KTM - Q1) was fourth in the quad category with Leonard dos Santos (Suzuki) winning Q2 for riders older than 28 years and rounding off the top five. He was only 17 seconds faster than youngster Mike Wagner (Sabcool KTM - Q1) who finished sixth.
Wagner's team-mate, Matthew Barnard (both are former junior champions), was a minute behind him with Danie Erasmus (Suzuki - Q1) eighth. Jaco Moller (Extreme ATV Tzaneen Suzuki - Q1), the 2012 junior champion, dropped from the top five back to ninth place due to electrical problems and Enrico da Silva (Suzuki - Q1) rounded off the top ten after competing on national level for the first time in some years.
There was even closer racing in the motorcycle category where less than a minute separate the four riders just off the podium.
Privateer JC de Bruin (Yamaha - OR1) was fourth, 16 seconds faster than both Altus de Wet (Husqvarna Racing - OR1) and Chris Webster (Micks Motorcycles Yamaha - OR1) who posted the exact same time.
Mahoney (OR1) was 41 seconds behind Webster and was followed by his two team-mates, Riaan van Niekerk who won OR2 (250cc) after he started on row five
and Juan 'Bollie' van Rooyen (OR1) who got tangled up in a fence early in the race. Only one second separated Van Niekerk and Van Rooyen. Timothy Young (Kargo Racing Yamaha) rounded off the top 10 (he was second in OR2) - he was only 26
seconds slower than fellow Port Elizabeth rider (Van Rooyen).