AUST DRAFTED INTO PEPSON PLASTICS HUSQVARNA RACING TO REPLACE INJURED GREEN
The wait is over and South Africa’s top enduro talent are making their way to the Windy City. The second round of the National Enduro Championship takes place in Port Elizabeth on Saturday, 14 March, with one of the most competitive line-ups the series has seen in years.
Leading the charge for PEPSON PLASTICS HUSQVARNA RACING is Brett Swanepoel. Having made a return of epic proportions to racing in 2019 after an injury, Swanepoel is clearly back to his competitive racing form and has been deemed a favourite for the E2 Championship title. After a solid third place in his class overall in the first race of the season, Swanepoel now has a taste for the podium and will be hungry to chase down his competitors.
With only two weeks to the start of the highly anticipated Port Elizabeth event, the Husqvarna team received the disappointing news that star rider Matt Green had been injured. The E1 rider broke his foot in a crash at a regional race recently and will be sidelined for the second round of the series.
The young and upcoming Heinrich Aust has been drafted into the team as a replacement for Green this weekend – a rider from support team Holeshot Husqvarna.
At just 16-years old, Aust steps into the E1 Class with more than enough pace after an impressive 2019 season. Not only was he crowned the 2019 High School Class Champion, but was the 14th rider to finish the iconic Gold route at the 2019 Motul Roof of Africa.
“Based on his previous performances, Heinrich has a bright future ahead of him and is clearly being monitored. While it’s never easy to deal with the disappointment of an injured rider, this weekend presents a good opportunity for Heinrich to experience what’s it’s like to race for a factory team,” said Husqvarna South Africa’s Brand Manager Fred Fensham.
The final day of the Motul Roof of Africa – a day that brought great celebration for riders who conquered and endured the ultimate test of man and machine. Captured by Carli Smith for http://www.zcmc.co.za
Brother Leader Tread KTM prepare for second round of National Enduro Riders are rallying up for the second round of the National Enduro Championship, which takes place in Port Elizabeth on Saturday, 14 March.
The hunt for the prestigious E2 title will be spearheaded by KwaZulu-Natal’s Scott Bouverie. It will be a race of redemption for the Brother Leader Tread KTM star who by his own high standard, was off to a slow start to the 2020 season.
In one of the most competitive fields the E2 class has seen in years, Bouverie will look to claw his way back up the ranks from his current fifth place overall.
His E2 and Brother Leader Tread KTM teammate Jarryd Coetzee will look to keep the momentum going after his impressive start to the season. As the reigning National OR2 Cross Country champion, Coetzee left fans in awe when he placed fourth in his debut race in not only the E2 Class, but the sport of enduro as a whole.
Also adding a particular sense of excitement to the second round of the series is Bradley Cox – another rider who until now, has been more widely known for his Cross Country skills. Cox made it clear at the start of the 2020 season that he’s shaken off his rookie status as an enduro rider when he stormed to his maiden victory in the E1 Class.
He will certainly line up in Port Elizabeth with a target on his back as he continues his pursuit of his first National Enduro Championship title. Rounding out the team is the queen of hard enduro, Kirsten Landman. Having ticked off her goal of finishing the Dakar Rally, it’s full speed ahead for Landman as she attempts to take her technical talent to new heights.
What South African Motorsport Wrap Where International When 7-8 March 2020 Community International
Binder, Angel, Pott, Green & Clark star
Topping the South African motorsport news this past weekend, SA rider Darryn Binder put in an heroic ride as he fought for the lead of the Qatari Moto3 Grand Prix season opener until crashing his KTM out of the race on the final lap after contact with rival Tony Arbolino.
Closer to home there was regional circuit racing at both Killarney in Cape Town and at Red Star in Delmas. In the Cape, Marcel Angel got his 2020 V8 Masters season off to a flying start with a clean sweep of pole position, the fastest lap of the day and two race wins ahead of Sean Moore and rookie Barry Ingle, Fabio Tafani, Mark Ridgway and Silver winner Jason Ibbotson at Killarney, while Ryan McCarthy beat Hilton Pieters to Supercar honour and Stuart Spooner took Silver Class honours.
Marco Busi won in GTi Challenge with a two seconds over race 2 winner Nian du Toit after race 1 winner Umpie Swart exited race 2, Eden Thompson won Class B and Calvin Wiltshire Class C from brother Kyle, who won race 2 after race 1 Jason Coetzee took race 1. Brennon Green (Golf) won Clubmans, Franco Donadio (Escort) Classics and Clifford Bacon (BMW) Fine Cars; Steve Humble (Mallock) took Sports & GT, Byron Mitchell Formula Libre and Kawasaki duo Kewyn Snyman took Superbikes and Trevor Westman Powersport Motorcycles.
Meanwhile at Red Star, Richard Pott (Porsche 911 RSR) won the HRSA Sports & GT race and Alan Green’s Class C Meissner Escort took Universal Health Pre-81 Saloons from Class E men Andre ten Napel (Scirocco) and Ian Kilburn (Datsun GX). Eugene Brits (Datsun SSS) won Class F and Jan Jacobs (Alfa Junior) Class G. Fine Car winner Rob Clark (Citroen) took Charlies SuperSpar Pursuit honours from Henk de Klerk and Frans Venter, while Werner Hartzenberg took Trophy Class honours.
In other Red Star action, Mackie Adlem (Jaguar) beat Terry Wilford (Falcon) in V8 Supercars, Dean Wolson and Gerald Wright took the 1 Hour endurance race in their VSP S2000, Pieter Zeelie (Spreads) won Sports & GT, Jeffrey Kruger took Lotus Challenge and Deon van Vuuren won the Clubmans and Classic race.
There were also two Rotax Max Challenge Karting regionals this weekend — at iDube in KZN, Robert Whiting won DD2, Jonathan Pieterse DD2 Masters, Brent Walden Senior Max and Richard Van Heerde Max Masters. Troy Snyman dominated both under-15 Junior Max and under-13 Mini Max, Travis Mingay, under-11 Micro Max and Harry Rowe baby Bambino. In East London Geoff Stephen won DD2 and Clubmans Masters, Lincoln Randall Micro Max and Caleb Moss Bambino, Kayden Croucamp Junior Clubmans and Brady Choudree Senior Clubmans.
Brad and Darryn Binder, South Africa’s world championship motorcycle racing brothers, will join their father, Trevor in the 50th running of the commemorative Durban-Johannesburg time trial for classic motorcycles. The event starts from the Heidelberg Museum at 09:00 on Friday, March 13 and finishes at the Shongweni Equestrian Estate, Hillcrest, on the /Saturday afternoon (March 14).
Usually this event is run from Durban to Johannesburg, hence the name DJ Run, but this year the 50th anniversary commemorative rally is running in the other direction, as was the case with the initial event in 1936, which went from Johannesburg to Durban.
Brad (25) and Darryn (23) will be taking part in the DJ Run less than a week after the opening round of contesting the MotoGP and Moto3 races in the season-opener in Qatar and a week before they will be racing in Thailand. Brad, a former world Moto3 champion is making his debut in MotoGP on a KTM this season, while Darryn is riding a KTM for the CIP-Green Power team in Moto 3.
Brad will be riding a 1935 Sunbeam M9 carrying his new MotoGP number 33, while Darry will start one minute before his brother on a 1928 BMW R52. Father Trevor will once again be on his favourite 1925 Indian Scout, riding his 20th DJ Run.
The Binders will be running just in front of another pairing of two brothers, David, and Ralph Pitchford, with Ralph a former off-road racer, having won this prestigious event in 2016.
Another DJ rider with links to MotoGP racing is Derek Crutchlow, a regular entrant who is the father of Honda racer Cal. He will ride a 1936 Ariel Red Hunter.
The entry for this year’s event is outstanding with 107 riders having submitted the necessary forms and having access to a motorcycle made before 1937. The reason is that this event was originally race between Johannesburg and Durban on public roads between 1913 and 1936 when it was stopped by the authorities on the grounds of safety. For this reason, the only motorcycles that may participate must be at least 84 years old!
The last time the DJ Run attracted a field of 100 competitors was in 2013 when the centenary of the first DJ race was celebrated and the route also went from Johannesburg to Durban.
What is also pleasing is that there are 20 newcomers in the field. There are also six riders from beyond the borders of South Africa, being Brandon, Gavin and Les Youngman from the United Kingdom, Anthony Weber from Zambia, Andy Kaindl from the Germany, Dorian Radue from Australia, and 80-year-old Paul Button, from the UK, who is scheduled to ride one of Peter Gillespie’s famed ABC motorcycles, a 1920 model. Gillespie has also loaned a 1930 500cc Ariel Model F Twinport to George Portman, of Bike SA magazine.
Samantha Anderson will again ride the oldest motorcycle on the rally. This time it is a 1918 Harley Davidson 1000V Twin. Previously she rode a 1909 500cc Triumph with pedal assist for steep hills. It virtually burned out on one DJ but was subsequently rebuilt. This year Samantha’s son, Jayson, will be riding a 1929 AJS M6 one minute ahead of his mother. The results are calculated on arrival times at various checkpoints on the route as the riders try to stick as closely as possible to their chosen average speed, which can be 60 or 70km/h. The arrival times are nowadays logged electronically by an instrument carried by the rider and downloaded at the end of each day. The rider with the lowest time penalty is the winner.
The various refuels and lunch stops between Heidelberg and Hillcrest are:
Day 1 (March 13): Start – Heidelberg Museum in Victoria Street from 09h00. First stop – Standerton (Engen garage) at about 12h00. Second stop – Vryheid (Sasol garage) at about 15h00. Overnight: Newcastle at Majuba Lodge, from about 16h30.
Day 2 (March 14): Restart – Majuba Lodge in Newcastle from 05h30. First stop – Ladysmith (Engen garage) at about 07h30. Second Stop – Estcourt (BP garage) at about 08h45. Third stop – Mooi River (Engen garage) at about 10h15 (Engen). Fourth stop – Pietermaritzburg (Shell garage) at about 12h30. Finish – Shongweni Equestrian Estate Hillcrest at about 15h30.
The annual, international DJ Run is run under the auspices of the Vintage and Veteran Club of South Africa (VVC), and organised by a committee with members from several local classic motorcycle clubs under the leadership of Clerk of the Course Larina MacGregor, who is doing this arduous task for the third consecutive year.
For more information go to: www.djrun.co.za or phone Larina MacGregor at 084-949-0937
Binders with a classic car
Brad Binder with his father Trevor at a prizegiving ceremony
After two seasons in the Moto2 World Championship, the former European Moto2 Champion joined forces with the legendary team Ten Kate Racing, Yamaha, for the 2020 World Supersport campaign.
Following a successful test in Spain and Portugal, which saw Odendaal place amongst the fastest from the beginning, the 27-year old South African had a clear objective to kick off the season with a podium at Phillip Island, Australia, during the opening round of the 2020 Championship.
Steven Odendaal: “We were pretty fast in testing and I was really confident going into the race weekend. Unfortunately, it did not start the best for us on Friday. I crashed on oil going into the first corner which ended the day for us. Luckily, I did not suffer any serious injury but the team had to work really late to repair the bike. After such a difficult opening day, my objective was to qualify on one of the first two rows. We qualified 7th and we knew we could fight for the podium in the race. Our struggle continued on Sunday, however, and I had another crash in the warm-up. I tried to stay calm in the race and make sure we finish the first race taking home some valuable points, which we did with a 7th position at the end. I would like to say big thanks to my team for all their hard work this weekend. After the tests, I did expect to come home with a podium here, however, I do realise that this was only my debut race, we are leaving with valuable information ready to come back stronger in Qatar in two-weeks’ time. I am really happy for the opportunity to work with such a great and professional team this year, I believe that we make a really strong package together and we will aim to prove that in Qatar!”
