Is it too late to stop the Brother KTM team from ensuring the titles in four of the six motorcycle class championships? The chasing pack behind the Brother KTM class leaders will aim to stop the ‘brothers’ at the final two rounds of the 2014 SA National Off-road Championship and they will have their first chance to do so at the GOC National Off-road, the penultimate round that takes place this Sunday (24 August) in the Frankfort/Reitz area in the Free State area.
.To add to the challenge, the GOC National Off-road that was moved from Saturday to Sunday due to the overwelming interest by the racing community to attend the Red Bull X-Fighters Finale that coincided with the national event, will be the first of the final two 180 kilometre Sprint Events that will round off the 2014 season. This means that riders only have three 60 kilometre laps this weekend to put any strategy into place and fitness, concentration and a level head as well as a reliable motorcycle or quad will play a huge role in the outcome of the results.
The Botswana Brother KTM rider, Ross Branch, currently leads the OR1 (Open Class) championship as well as the overall standings and will aim for a hat trick of victories, but he will be chased by his team-mate and the winner of the first two events, Louwrens Mahoney who has dropped to the third place in OR1 and overall after a disappointing outing at the BELL 400. The defending OR1 champion and overall title holder, Kenny Gilbert (Proudly Bidvest Yamaha) is sandwiched between Branch and Mahoney and will no doubt be pushing to try and retain his Number One plate.
Three more Brother KTM riders are lined up behind Mahoney – Louw Schmidt, Tyron Miller and Juan ‘Bollie’ van Rooyen – are currently filling the next three places on the overall standings. They are also leading their respective classes – OR3 (200cc), OR2 (250cc) and the Senior Class championship. Charan Moore (Kargo Yamaha) fills the seventh place overall while Dillon Inggs (Kawasaki) rounds off the top ten.
There is no margin for errors and the small amount of points separating the riders means that the current standings can change quickly. In the OR1 Championship, Mahoney and Gilbert will be going after Branch while Moore (fourth in OR1) as well as Wade Blaauw (Yamaha) and Darren Macleod (Manhand Ridgeway Yamaha), who are sharing the same amount of points behind Moore, will all try to make up lost ground.
In the quad category, the Q1 and overall leader, Brian Baragwanath (Team Rhide SA Yamaha) has been unstoppable and he has opened up a gap after winning each of the previous four events. The Bethlehem rider, David Hollis (Yamaha) is clinging to his second place in Q1 and overall after an up and down season and would hope to produce good results at his ‘home’ event. The scholar, André Park (Yamaha) has moved into the third place in Q1 and overall even though he did not compete in the season opener. There are only seven points between Senior Class leader, Russell Ferreira (Team PS Diamond Trailers Honda), who is fourth overall (three points behind Park) and Jaco Moller (PS Extreme ATV Tzaneen Yamaha) in ninth place and a few exciting battles can be expected.
Hannes Saaijman (Team Rhide SA Yamaha), who will be attempting the 2015 Dakar Rally together with Baragwanath, has reclaimed the Q2 lead and is fifth overall (only one point behind Ferreira) while the defending Q1 champion, Jurie ‘Botter’ Meyer (Team Yamaha Support) trails him by two points after a disappointing season where he could not complete two events. Ferreira’s team mate, Stuart Freeman (Yamaha) is still aiming for the Senior Class title even though he is five points behind Ferreira (he is two points behind Meyer in sixth place).
Defending Q2 title holder, Justin Robert (Sign Wonder Racing Suzuki) is probably the ‘biggest loser’ after dropping from the overall top three earlier this season to the eighth place after he could not complete the recent Stella event due to mechanical problems. He is two points behind Freeman and has the same amount of points than Moller. Two DNF’s pushed André du Plessis (Yamaha) to the tenth place overall. Senior Class riders Ted Barbier (Team Rhide SA Yamaha) and Paul dos Santos (Factory Racing Suzuki) are sharing the same amount of points than Du Plessis.
On two wheels, Macleod’s team-mate, Jaycee Nienaber, has tasted victory in OR2 this year and will chase Miller while he will have to keep a close eye on Hein Jnr van Niekerk (RAD Moto KTM) who is too close for comfort. His team mate, Roan Lindsay, can move up from his fifth place in the OR2 Championship as Estiaan Steenkamp, who is currently ahead of him, is injured and will not be completing the season. Schmidt has a comfortable lead in OR3, but second-placed scholar, Taki Bogiages (Team Bert Smith All Stars Racing Powered by RAD KTM*) and third-placed Wilhelm Schonfeldt (Helderberg Yamaha) will both go for a first victory while they will aim not to let him get away. Bernard McGee (McGee Yamaha Lydenburg) has recovered from a broken leg and will try to better his fourth place Only five points separate Schonfeldt from Jarryd Coetzee (www.Printafford.com Honda) in fifth place and a mistake can mean a change in the standings after the GOC National Off-road.
The defending Senior Class champion, Pieter Holl (Bert Smith Racing KTM) has beaten Van Rooyen at the last event and the battle is on between the three front runners with another former champ, Guy Henley (Race Worx KTM) still within reach in third place. Wayne Farmer (KTM) will hope for better luck and some good points (he is fourth) as will Ian Venter (RAD Moto KTM) who is still fifth even though he could not finish the Stella race in June.
In the Master Class, motorcycle rider Adrian Storm (Automation Products KTM) has quite a comfortable lead ahead of Jan Berning (RAD Moto KTM), but both can expect a run for their money from Leon Gerber (Bert Smith Racing KTM*) who has not competed regularly this season.
On four wheels the season long battle between the leader, George Twigge Yamaha) and the defending champion, Jurie Meyer Snr (Yamaha Race Support) will continue. Twigge leads Meyer by a mere six points after he has claimed three victories to Meyer’s one. Peter Schenk (Team Thesens Generators Honda) is third after consistent results with Tony dos Santos (Factory Racing Suzuki) fourth after he could not complete the BELL 400.
In the new High School Class Championship for youngsters between the ages of 14 and 16, the two Pretoria bikers will again battle it out. FAST Powersports Kawasaki biker, Brendon Fourie, will not only aim for a third consecutive win, but would like to strengthen his lead ahead of Eduan Bester (NUTS Racing / Century Civils Yamaha) who is second while Cilliers Fourie (KTM) will fight to keep (or better) his third place.
Ramon Lopez (Sign Wonder Racing Honda) leads the High School Class Championship on four wheels.
The quad rider, Liezel Barnard (Barnard Vervoer Can-Am) might still lead the Combined Ladies Championship for female motorcycle and quad competitors, but motorcycle rider, Taye Perry (Bert Smith Racing KTM) has caught up and is now only four points behind. There is quite a gap to quad rider, Chardri Monk (Team Thesens Generators Yamaha), but she will have to keep an eye on biker Toni Jardine (Yamaha) who trails her by a mere two points after having to miss an event due to her international racing commitments. This has turned into an interesting championship and anything can still happen.
In the Silver Class Challenge, all the pressure will be on the motorcycle class leader, Craig Wishart (PS Diamond Trailers Husqvarna) as he is only two points ahead of newcomer Shaun Mostert (KTM). On four wheels a fourth victory might confirm the title for Karl Rost (Honda).
The GOC National Off-road will start on Sunday (24 August) at 8h00 at the race venue when the quad competitors will tackle the 180km race. Motorcycle riders will tackle the race at 12h00. All the action will take place in the Roadside area about 16km off the N3.