Windhoek
The 2016 Bank Windhoek Namibia National Enduro Championship Series got underway at Farm Omakwara east of Windhoek last weekend.
The gathering proved to be an action-packed affair with 76 riders on the track, ending with the Henle brothers throwing their hats in the ring for the national championships this year. The siblings clinched first places in the class of motorbikes up to 200 cc, as well as in the class of 250 cc and more.
Last year’s unbeaten champion in the motorbikes class over 250 cc, Henner Rusch (KTM), flew right from the start and clocked the second fastest lap of the day on his first lap. It seemed business as usual for Rusch, until he experienced technical problems and had to park his motorbike in lap 2.
In the meantime, motocross ace Björn Bierbrauer (Yamaha) clocked the fastest lap of the day in 1:01:50, on his 450 cc motorbike, and took the lead.
After two laps, Kai Hennes (KTM), Pascal Henle (KTM) and Björn Bierbrauer were in close contention. However, it was Pascal Henle who in the end proved to be the most enduring rider of the day, as he outclassed his opponents in the final lap to win the race ahead of Hennes. In the motorbikes up to 200 cc class, a similar drama evolved. Veteran and 2015 champion Ingo Waldschmidt (KTM) had a good first lap, entering into the pits only marginally behind Marcel Henle, who secured the fastest lap of this race on a 200 cc motorbike. On his second lap, however, Waldschmidt ran out of fuel and bravely pushed his bike into the pits losing approximately 30 minutes to finish sixth. In the meantime, Marcel Henle rode a seemingly errorless race to finish first, ahead of Tommy Gous (Yamaha) and Jorn Greiter (KTM).
In the senior motorbike rider’s national class, 2015 champion Sven Schneidenberger (KTM) enjoyed the perfect start to the new season by finishing first. David Brown (KTM), entering for the first time in this class, finished second and will be a hot contender this season. Frank Ahlreip (KTM) finished third.
Thirteen riders had entered this class and 10 made it to the finish line. In the national quad category without restrictions, a mix of ladies and men raced for victory. Newcomer Jens Robow (Yamaha) finished first, ahead of J Oppermann (Honda) and last year’s ladies champion Maike Bochert (Honda).
The Clubman’s motorbike class had the largest number of competitors with 17 riders starting. However only 10 made it to the finish line. It was Gerald Heiser (KTM) who in the end secured victory, ahead of Ronnie Adams and Robert Liebchen.
In the off-road bike class, Kurt Hartung (KTM) finished first ahead of Andrea van Zyl (Yamaha) and Marnus Byleveld (KTM) in third.
The youngsters in the Development Class performed excellent with Liam Gilchrist (Husqvarna) from the coast winning the race. Noam Babluki (Kawasaki) finished second while Adam Johnston (Yamaha) came in third.
The Omakwara event also provided a perfect start to the national championship, as the young Henle brothers challenged the established riders Rusch and Waldschmidt. Numerous new riders, young and old alike, joined the championship, thus illustrating the growing popularity of the sport.
The Namibian Enduro Club offers quad and off road motorbike enthusiasts the possibility to enjoy the endure sport and encourages newcomers to join. For more information, visit their website at www.namibianenduro.com.
The next event will take place on March 12 on Farm Lichtenstein near Windhoek.