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LESOTHO ENDURO - 18-19 March 2011

Three times Roof of Africa winner, Chris Birch, who has moved temporarily to South Africa to compete in local racing, has won the Lesotho Enduro, the opening round of the 2011 Liquorland SA National Enduro Motorcycle Championship this weekend in Lesotho. The Kiwi competes under the Team Comsol Alfie Cox KTM Racing banner.

Birch started the enduro from the 14th row as he has not competed in the championship before and eventually beat the defending champion, Jade Gutzeit (Proudly Bidvest Yamaha) by a marginal 67 points. Birch won the last of the three Special Racing Stages with Gutzeit and third-placed Marc Torlage (below: Mr Price Yamaha), who also had to tackle the race from the middle of the field, each winning a timed stage. Birch and Gutzeit, who is still recovering from a broken foot, scored the first two places in the E1 (Open) Class while Torlage (the 2010 E2 champion) won this class again.

Former enduro champion, Louwrens Mahoney (Proudly Bidvest Yamaha) finished fourth overall (third in E1), a mere five points (seconds) behind Torlage. Three members of the Brother Broadlink KTM team followed - Darryl Curtis was fifth overall; Altus de Wet claimed the second place in the E2 (200cc) Class after losing time on the final racing stage when a bent disk caused him to race without rear brakes while the Swiss rider, Lionel Seydoux, finished seventh. Riaan van Niekerk lost time during the second Special Stage when he had to remove a broken chain guard and had to settle for 15th place.

The rest of the top ten consisted of Brian Capper (Full Throttle Red Bull KTM) who was 15 points behind Seydoux; Bradley van Aswegen (Kargo Racing Yamaha) and 17-year old, Scott Bouverie (Mr Price Yamaha) who became one of the youngest finishers of the Roof of Africa race in Lesotho last year and is competing in his first national enduro season.

The route consisted of sections used in the 2010 Baboons Lesotho Sun Roof of Africa race and included various steep and rocky climbs and descents while recent rains ensured lots of traction for the 150 enduro entrants, a healthy number of entries for the first race of the season. Mark Fox (KTM) finished just outside the top ten and was 11th overall. He was followed by another youngster, Birch's team-mate, Dominic Mantle (KTM) with Gray Dick 13th after the moose in his Brother Broadlink KTM collapsed on the last lap incurring him a few penalty points when he did not complete the section within the time allowed.

Wynand Badenhorst (Leo Racing Yamaha) finished 14th; Comsol Alfie Cox Racing KTM's Paul Carrick was 16th and Stefan Oosthuysen (Nomadik Tents Husaberg) finished 17th overall. Dick's team-mate, Scott Scheepers had to settle for 18th place after knocking the gearlever off on the final lap and losing time having only first gear to his disposal; CJ Blackman (ORD cc Gallery KTM) was 19th and veteran racer, Alex Vowles (FDBR Racing Yamaha) rounded off the top 20.

The names of Charan Moore (Leo Racing Yamaha); Mark Garland (Husaberg) and the Pienaar brothers, Nicholas and Darren (FeverX Criterion Yamaha) were between those who could not complete the race while the 2010 Junior National Off-road Champion, Tyron Miller (Brother Broadlink KTM) completed his first ever national enduro albeit as the 35th (last) finisher.

The battle in the Senior Class was won by a newcomer to the class, Mike Morris (cc Gallery KTM Gateway) when he beat the defending champion, William "Wild Will" Gillit (Comsol Alfie Cox KTM Racing) by 815 points. Morris' team-mate and regular podium finisher, Gary Bostock, claimed the third spot with another newcomer to the class, Stephen Landman (Team Liquorland Gas Gas) fourth while Peter Jung (KTM) rounded off the top five. Competitors in the Senior Class had to complete two of the timed racing sections and 17 of the 28 entrants could manage to do so.

The technical route and hot weather conditions proved to be quite a test for the Master Class competitors ideal for riders older than 46 years of age. Like the 2010 season, the battle was again on between the 2010 champion, Denzil Torlage (Mr Price Yamaha) and runner-up, Mark du Plessis (Habitat KTM Cape Town) who again finished first and second in the class. Graydon Ilderton (Nomadik Tents KTM) was third; Barries Barnard (Honda) finished fourth with Dave Estment (Pro Action KTM) fifth for the day.

Like the Senior Class competitors, the 31 entrants in the Silver Challenge Class had to try and post their fastest times in two of the timed stages. Here the junior rider, Blake Gutzeit (Yamaha) beat Dricky Morkel (Leo Racing Yamaha) comfortably while Simon Warne (KTM) finished third.

Yamaha won the coveted Manufacturers Award.
Hosted by the Lesotho Off-road Association (LORA) and organised by Adventure Lesotho, the race was described by most riders as "a real enduro race" with an enjoyable yet technical route and the racing action set the scene for an exciting season to follow.

Report ETdotkomm Photographer: Elza Thiart