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LESOTHO ENDURO TO KICK-START THE 2011 LIQUORLAND NATIONAL ENDURO CHAMPIONSHIP

Competitors in the 2011 Liquorland SA National Enduro Motorcycle Championship will return to the Mountain Kingdom for the Lesotho Enduro, the opening round of the season that will take place on 19 March in South Africa's neighbouring country. Headquarters for the event will be the ever popular Maseru Sun, long standing sponsors of this prestigious event.

After a successful year as the series sponsor, Liquorland will be on board again for the 2011 season and will look forward to support and promote enduro racing in Southern Africa.

The Lesotho Enduro is the only round of the national enduro championship that takes competitors outside the borders of South Africa with the mountainous area and a little taste of the Roof of Africa terrain that contribute to the popularity of this event.

Organised by the Roof of Africa organisers, Adventure Lesotho, the Lesotho Enduro attracted even more entries in 2010 than the previous year and the organisers are hoping to better this figure for the 2011 event as the interest in enduro racing for dirt-bikes is growing steadily in South Africa. Local enduro racing has even attracted international riders to live and race in South Africa with triple Roof of Africa winner, New Zealander Chris Birch, making himself at home in KwaZulu-Natal and competing for Team Comsol Alfie Cox KTM Racing.

It will be the second year that Swiss racer, Lionel Seydoux, now racing in the colours of Team Brother Broadlink KTM, live in South Africa from where he competes in both the national off-road and enduro championships.

Like the South African competitors, both these riders can look forward to the 2011 Lesotho Enduro that will take place in the Thaba Khupa area south-east of Maseru. This year the organisers will present riders with a 45km loop which competitors in the national E1 (Open) Class and E2 (200cc) Class will have to complete four times; Senior Class and Silver Challenge riders will do it three times while Master Class and Novice competitors will have to complete it twice. There is also a class for Fun Riders who will complete it once.

The loop will begin with an open section of 10 kilometres that is not too technical - this will avoid bottlenecks - that will take riders in the direction of St Michaels from where they will ascend the old mountain road and head up to Ha Rajeloe after which they will descend along a stream and head across the plateau to Ha Ratau. A series of climbs and descents will follow while they head back towards the Start/Finish.

A new forest section and a few passes that will include the Bronze Section of the 2010 Roof of Africa will be included in the route on their way back to the Start/Finish point. A titillating "drop" down Thaba Khupa quarry will be a favourite for competitors and spectators alike.
The weather will play a big role as rain can cause for deeper river crossings and slippery off-camber rock faces, but riders will appreciate the lower temperatures, especially while riding in the lowlands where the mercury can rise to extremely high levels that can influence the outcome of the results as competitors will have to prevent dehydration.

Competitors can enter online (only) at www.lora.co.ls  where more information is also available.