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CASTROL WINTERBERG ENDURO
13 August 2011 (Loerie, Eastern Cape)

CHRIS BIRCH WINS MAIDEN CASTROL WINTERBERG ENDURO

A new name was added to the long list of Castrol Winterberg Enduro winners when the Kiwi, Chris Birch (Comsol Alfie Cox Racing KTM) won the 36th running of this event this past weekend in the Loerie area in the Eastern Cape. The race formed the fifth round of the 2011 Liquorland SA National Enduro Motorcycle Championship and it was Birch's first Winterberg experience.

Organised by the Rover Motorcycle Club with Castrol as the main sponsor for the 33rd year, compliments for this year's event streamed in with riders competing on a route that included many new sections while spectators could get close to the action with one of the special timed sections walking distance from the Start/Finish and central service point at the Loerie Ruskamp.

Class E1 (Open) and E2 (200cc) competitors had to complete the longer 13km timed stage three times and the shorter motocross-type track twice and Birch, who has now won four of this season's five events, posted the fastest times after four of the five timed stages. He lost time during the first short stage when he got lost on the mx-track. Marc Torlage (Mr Price Yamaha) won that stage (he hit a tree with his head on the final short stage and was dizzy for a while) and finished second overall, only 21 points behind Birch to claim his best national result for the season and at this traditional event. It was his fourth E2 victory of the season.

Three times Castrol Winterberg Enduro winner, Jade Gutzeit (Proudly Bidvest Yamaha) finished third, 45 points behind Torlage and 66 points ahead of another former winner, Altus de Wet (Brother Broadlink KTM) who finished fourth overall and second in E2 to continue the tight battle for the championship with Torlage. Small amounts of points (seconds) separated the riders and Brian Capper (Full Throttle Red Bull KTM) finished a mere six points behind De Wet in fifth place after a trouble-free run.

Louwrens Mahoney (Proudly Bidvest Yamaha) finished sixth overall and was 66 points behind Capper who was again just ahead of Riaan van Niekerk (Brother Broadlink KTM) and his team-mate, Darryl Curtis. There was no "sighting lap" and Curtis, who posted only top five results so far this season, lost time on the first long special stage and had to settle for eighth place. Local Port Elizabeth youngster, Timothy Young (Mitas Racing Honda) claimed his best result in the 2011 national enduro championship with a ninth position overall and third in the E2 Class.
Only three points separated Scott Bouverie (Mr Price Yamaha) and Scott Scheepers (Brother Broadlink KTM) in the E2 championship before the event where they were third and fourth respectively and this battle will also go down to the wire after the two KwaZulu-Natal youngsters scored exactly the same amount of points to finish 10th overall in the Eastern Cape. Bradley van Aswegen (Kargo Racing Yamaha) was 12th just ahead of Gray Dick (Brother Broadlink KTM) who had an enjoyable race with Nicholas Pienaar (Kargo Racing Beta) 14th and Dominic Mantle (Comsol Alfie Cox Racing KTM) 15th. The 2006 winner, Juan "Bollie" van Rooyen (Off Road Racing Concepts Kawasaki) was 16th after his first national enduro race of the season.

The rest of the top 20 consisted of another former Castrol Winterberg Enduro winner, Brett Lewis (Rock Garden Gas Gas) who finished 17th; Mark Garland (Kargo Racing Husaberg) who was 18th after he drowned his bike early in the race; Mark Fox (Wild Coast KTM/Umso Construction/Rib-co) in 19th place and Charan Moore (Leo Racing Yamaha) 20th.

In the Senior Class defending champion, William Gillitt (Comsol Alfie Cox Racing KTM) bagged his fourth victory of the season when he beat Stephen Landman (Team Liquorland Gas Gas) with Mike Morris (cc Gallery KTM), who is second in the class championship, keeping his position even though he had to settle for fourth place. Bruce Gargan (Fever Criterion Yamaha) was third and Peter Jung (Wild Cost KTM/Umso Construction/Rib-co) fifth.

Defending Master Class champion, Denzil Torlage (Mr Price Yamaha) remained unbeatable this season claiming his fifth consectuve victory ahead of runner-up, Mark du Plessis (Habitat KTM Cape Town). Local Eastern Cape rider, Stephen Stofberg (KTM) finished third with Barries Barnard (Honda) fourth and Graydon Ilderton (Nomadik Tents KTM) rounding off the top five.

The 2010 Junior National off-road champion, Tyron Miller (Brother Broadlink KTM), who is competing in his first national enduro season, won the Silver Challenge Class ahead of Simon Warne (KTM) and national off-road competitor, Christopher Webster (Micks Motorcycles Yamaha). Class leader, Dricky Morkel (Leo Racing Yamaha) experienced some problems and finished 11th, but kept his overall lead.

The final round of the season, the Liquorland Champagne National WFO Enduro, takes place on 10 September at the 4 Rivers Rafting & Adventures in Champagne Valley, KZN. Visit www.wforacing.co.za for more information.