Round one of the Liquorland National Enduro Championship took place this past weekend in the scenic valleys of Utrecht, 40 km’s East of Newcastle in Northern KwaZulu-Natal. The area was blessed with some long awaited rain weeks before the National and heavy rains the night before the race ensured a dust free event with a couple of mud sections along the way.
The approx. 45km long course consisted of a very technical and rocky 8km long Special 1, a very fast Special 2 with some hidden rocks along the way and a fast and flowing grass Special 3 at the end for spectators to watch. Competitors were given 2h 10min to finish their first lap, 1h 50min to finish their second lap and 1h 40min for their third and final lap.
All eyes were on 2015 E1 champion Travis Teasdale who had moved up to the E2 class racing a KTM 250 XC-W 2-stroke machine. Feeling so comfortable on his new weapon of choice Teasdale did not disappoint and secured the Overall and E2 class win for the day.
“I am very happy with my move to the E2 class and I’m enjoying my KTM 250 XC-W. I really enjoyed the grass test, my suspension was perfect and I made no mistakes on my specials and kept it smooth. We did some very technical climbing on top of the mountain, but fortunately the specials started opening up from the second lap. I am extremely happy with my result at this first round and I am looking forward to the next race.”, said Travis Teasdale.
In the highly contended E1 class Brother Leader Tread KTM had their riders Dwayne Kleynhans, Scott Bouverie and Jarryd Coetzee on the start line. Dwayne Kleynhans finished the E1 class in third place in 2015 despite a few health issues throughout the season. For 2016 Kleynhans ensured that his health and fitness were on form heading into the first round of the championship and the hard work and dedication was paying off when the talented rider took his first ever class win in the E1 class.
“My day started off a bit rough but by the time the second lap came I felt comfortable and went really well. When I came in for the third lap I was told I was leading my class and I kept on pushing from there. I had a little electrical problem on the last lap, but fortunately that happened on the regularity and I could fix it without losing too much time. My KTM 250 XC-F was absolutely unbelievable and I am over the moon with my first ever E1 class win, hopefully one of many to come.”, said Kleynhans.
Scott Bouverie being the runner up in E2 in 2015 decided to move to the E1 class for 2016 and the Utrecht Enduro was his first race in five months after the talented rider had to undergo knee surgery after the final round in 2015. He rounded off the podium in third place, less than a second behind second placed Swanepoel. A great start into the season for Bouverie and 2016 will see the talented rider from Harding showcase his abilities even more.
“It’s so good to be back racing again. My KTM 250 XC-F was amazing and especially the last special being a grass special with a few man made obstacles was very enjoyable.”, said Bouverie.
With the E1 class being the most competitive class this year Jarryd Coetzee was facing tough competition. The OR3 runner up of 2015 however is getting more and more into the technical riding that the National Enduro championship brings and finished in 9th place in the E1 class.
Kirsten Landman, Brother Leader Tread KTM’s lady rider, tackled the Silver class again. The heat and intensity of the course however got the Landman and she was battling with nausea and dehydration.
“We expected a technical first National which is exactly what was presented to us. My first lap was good, I felt confident and my KTM 200 XC-W was set up perfectly. I crashed on the second lap and went over the bars, but I got up quickly and pushed really hard to the finish. After that my body didn’t feel too good and I got sick, resulting in dehydration later on. Despite that I felt good and went well on my specials and I am happy with my third place in the Silver class.”, said Landman.
Round two of the Liquorland National Enduro championship will take place on 30 April in Heidelberg, Gauteng.
Results were not final at the time of publishing this article and are subject to change.
