He’s a veteran motorcycle racer, an IT specialist and he has a very educated right wrist - Reg Gurnell has won the national motorcycle economy run for the seventh time.
This year marked the 30th running of the Econorun, organised by the Pretoria Motor Club, over two days and 1070km from Pretoria to Hazyview in Mpumalanga.
Gurnell’s KTM 690 Duke R, which also won Class F for single-cylinder bikes of any capacity, averaged a remarkable 3.3 litres per 100km - and remember, riders were penalised for riding too slowly!
Second overall and first in class A for road bikes with two or more cylinders, up to 800 cc, was previous winner Peter de la Rey on a BMW F800ST (3.46 litres per 100 km) with another former winner, Denver Biggs on a BMW G650 GS (3.61 litres per 100 km) third overall and first in class D (dual-purpose adventure bikes up to 1000cc).
Making up the top 10 were Maans Grobler on a class A BMW F800S (fourth overall), Andre Schoeman (fifth overall on a class F BMW G650GS), Mike Peel (sixth overall on a class A BMW F800ST), former Formula Ford and stock car racer Bobby Scott (seventh overall on a class F BMW X-Moto), Andre du Preez (eighth overall on a class D BMW GS 650), Arnold Olivier on a Triumph Spirit GT (ninth overall and winner of Class C for road bikes over 1000 cc) and first lady rider Glynese de Villiers, a Kyalami motorcycle riding instructor, on a Ducati ST4S (10th overall and winner of Class B for road bikes 801-1000 cc).
Other class winners were:
Class E (dual-purpose adventure bikes over 1000cc) Darryl Berman, BMW R1150 GS, 21st overall, 4.87 litres per 100km.
Class H (cruisers over 1000 cc): Gerhard Schutte, Triumph Thunderbird, 30th overall, 5.23 litres per 100km.
Class J (touring bikes with panniers, over 1000cc): Johan Nelson, BMW R1200RT, 17th overall, 4.52 litres per 1000km.
Class K (pillion 700-1200cc): Jerry Paice and Bonita Blankenberg, Gilera GP800, 35th overall, 5.37 litres per 100km.
Class L (pillion over 1200cc): Hennie and Rita ter Stege, BMW K1600 GT, 24th overall, 5.00 litres/100km.
Class M (open class): Jan Glaser, BMW K1200 GT, 32nd overall, 5.31 litres per 100km.
Hennie ter Stege is a leading navigator in the SA Off-Road Car championship, team mate of former champion Hannes Grobler in a BMW X3.
Jerry Paice is a regular driver in the Blind Navigators rally championship and pillion passenger Bonita Blankenberg is his blind navigator.
Clerk of the course Francois Jordaan said: “The weather was good on Friday but deteriorated on Saturday, with mist and rain in mountain passes along the route, making the run very challenging - it’s a tribute to the riding skills of the competitors that there were no accidents or injuries.”
Only three riders failed to complete the run - all due to wheel rims damaged by potholes, which says more about the state of the Mpumalanga roads than about the riders.
A raffle at the prize-giving in Hazyview raised more than R10 000 for charity.