Windhoek
The Bank Windhoek Namibia Enduro Championship tackled the Kalahari last over the past weekend and with the perfectly organised Aranos Endurance Club event, riders had to cope with “1 000 bumps and 1 000 bends”, as one participant said, with diverse terrain on their way to the finish line.
A large crowd cheered the riders along and provided an excellent atmosphere to the race as riders grilled each other in the various race categories.
In the opening race, Class 2 (motorbikes over 250cc) championship leader Pascal Henle (KTM) left the starting line as first rider, but it proved a difficult day for him due to injuries sustained recently. Nonetheless Henie managed to finish 5th, holding onto the overall championship lead.
Many would have expected the motocross specialists to have an advantage on the fast and sandy track, but Enduro specialist Henner Rusch (KTM) clocked the fastest lap of the day to claim victory ahead of Bjoern Bierbrauer (Yamaha).
With his 2nd win in a row, Rusch is finally back in contention for the championship after his unlucky early exit in the first race of the championship at Omakwara. Kai Hennes (KTM) finished in a disappointing 3rd place.
In the motorbikes up to 200 cc (Class 1), man of the day was doubtlessly Marcel Henle (KTM), who clocked the fastest overall time, which gifted him first place after an immaculate ride, ultimately wrestling the championship lead from Tommy Gous (Yamaha).
Veteran rider Ingo Waldschmidt (KTM) finished 2nd, 1 min 29 seconds behind Henle and ahead of Tommy Gous, who was adrift in 3rd place.
In the senior motorbike class Sven Schneidenberger (KTM), had it three wins in a row, leaving Frank Ahlreip (KTM) to pick up the pieces for 2nd spot, ahead of 3rd placed Werner Wiese (KTM).
All senior riders completed the full distance, with the exception of Martin Quinger (Husaberg), who suffered technical difficulties.
Jens Rubow (Yamaha) kept up his winning streak in the Quads class, winning the 3rd race in a row. J.L. Opperman (Honda) finished 2nd, edging ahead of Claire Bendel (Yamaha).
Last year’s outstanding ladies rider Maike Bochert (Honda), is experiencing difficulties in this year’s championship. Bockert was forced to surrender early in lap two,l as a result of technical hiccups with her quad, while Gary Rowland (Honda) ended 4th.
In the Clubman’s Class, Ben Visser clinched victory, ahead of Juergen Gladis and Gerald Heiser in that order after a closely contested race, which was decided only in lap three where Gladis edged out Heiser.
In the off-road bikes class, Karl-Henz Erni (Yamaha) clinched his first victory of the season ahead of Kurt Hartung (KTM). Junior Lenny Bagwitz (KTM) clinched a podium finish again, holding on to 2nd overall position.
Adam Johnston (Yamaha) rode a determined race to claim victory in the development class, despite riding with a flat tyre at the end of his lap.
WHAT NEXT?
The next championship event takes place on June 11 on Farm Neu Heusis.
The Namibian Enduro Club Annual General Meeting takes place today to elect a new executive committee. The gathering will also decide on strategic issues for the future. More information can be found on the web site www.namibianenduro.com.