Time is running out for competitors in the SA Off-road Motorcycle and Quad championship as the penultimate round of the series, the Rysmierbult National Off-Road, take riders to the Carletonville / Ventersdorp area on Saturday 10 August where a short, tough, dry and dusty 180km route will give riders an opportunity to secure or better their position in the standings.
Six Yamaha riders are filling the top three overall positions in both the motorcycle and quad categories with Kenny Gilbert and Jurie Meyer leading on two and four wheels respectively.
Yamaha privateer Ruan Roberts will be shooting for a hat trick of wins, hoping to pass Gilbert for the overall and OR1 (Open Class) lead. Schoolboy Michael Pentecost, is somewhat further adrift and will have to fight to keep his overall third spot - another OR3 (200cc Class) victory will not only strengthen his lead in this class but also continue his clean sweep so far this season.
OR2 (250) CLASS
Altus de Wet (Husqvarna) is fourth overall and close enough to overtake Pentecost, but is also within the reach of Nicholas Pienaar (KTM), who'll be aiming for a second win this season, as well as Yamaha riders JC de Bruin and Timothy Young - who's chasing the OR2 (250cc Class) championship.
Young finished on the podium at the previous round and is second behind Jonathan van Wyk (KTM) in OR2, but that situation could change. Dillon Inggs (KTM) is third in OR2 and has moved into the top 10 overall - only four points behind Juan 'Bollie' van Rooyen (KTM). Van Rooyen didn't make the finish last time out (his first DNF in six years!) while Chris Webster (Yamaha) dropped to eight overall (just one point ahead of Van Rooyen) after he too failed to finish.
QUADS
Yamaha stalwart Brian Baragwanath has already won three times this season and has caught up to Meyer - but he's still only 11 points ahead of John Aylward in third. There's a significant gap between the top three and the pack, but the season-long battle at the front will continue at Rysmierbult.
Ever-consistent Rorke Millar (Can-Am) and Freddie Taljaard (Suzuki) - fourth and fifth respectively - have been just two points apart for the past two rounds and will take up their private fight where they left off.
Behind them André du Plessis (Yamaha) has moved up the leaderboard from no points after the first two races events to sixth overall; he'll be aiming top-five place while Paul Chomse (Banshee) and Jacques Struwig (Suzuki) - seventh and eighth overall respectively - battle it out for Senior Class honours. Chomse is leading the class after three wins while Struwig has dropped to third after two non-finishes.
The Rysmierbult National Off-Road will start at 8am on Saturday 10 August when the quads tackle the loop; the top-seeded motorcycles will get away at noon.
Spectators are welcome at the farm Rysmierbult (S26° 18' 09.12" / E27° 08' 40.79").