Ventersdorp, North-West Province - National titles were settled the hard way in hot, dry and windy conditions on Saturday 27 September at a tough and testing Rysmierbult 200.
Louwrens Mahoney (KTM) took his fourth overall and OR1 (Open Class) win of the season at the final round of the 2014 SA Off-road Motorcycle and Quad Championships to clinch the OR1 title, sharing the podium with his Botswana team-mate Ross Branch (who finished third overall and in OR1) and Yamaha star Kenny Gilbert, who was sandwiched between the two KTM riders in second.
It was his Gilbert’s overall and OR1 podium finish of the year, putting him at the top of the overall standings and ensuring that he woud keep his No.1 plate for a second consecutive year, although he was second to Mahoney in OR1 due to a slightly different scoring system.
Tim Young (Yamaha) was fourth overall and in OR1 with newly crowned OR3 (200cc) Class champion Louw Schmidt (KTM) rounding off the top five overall.
MAJOR DRAMA
There was major drama in the OR2 (250cc) Class where log leader Tyrone Miller (KTM) and Yamaha rider Jaycee Nienaber fought it out for the title.
Nienaber got badly dehydrated in the severe conditions but brought the Yamaha home sixth overall and first in class; Miller crashed early in the race, but got going again - concussed and injured - to battle home ninth in class.
That, incredibly, left them tied on points for the OR2 title; the honours went to Miller as he'd taken more class wins.
Rounding out the 10 were Jarryd Coetzee (Honda), the first OR3 rider home, Nienaber's team-mate Roan Lindsay, eighth overall and second in OR2, Hein van Niekerk Junior (KTM), ninth overall and third in OR2, and another Botswana rider, Dartagnan Lobjoit (Yamaha) 10th overall and fourth in OR2.
SENIOR CLASS
Juan 'Bollie' van Rooyen (KTM) had to settle for the third in class due to mechanical problems, but it was enough to secure his first Senior Class Championship. Pieter Holl (KTM) took his second class win (he finished 11th overall), followed by Wayne Farmer (KTM) with Justin Broughton (Kawasaki) fourth and Ian Venter (KTM) fifth.
Adrian Storm (KTM) was the only entrant in the Master Class; he deservedly won the class title as well.
QUADS
Brian Baragwanath (Yamaha) claimed his sixth consecutive overall and Q1 Class win to lock up both titles for 2014. He was followed home by team-mate Hannes Saaijman, who finished the season as Q2 Class champion and third overall.
Jaco Moller (Yamaha) finished on the podium for the third time this season (he was second behind Baragwanath in Q1), followed by André du Plessis (Yamaha), Enrico da Silva (Suzuki), André Park (Yamaha), Boesman Suzuki rider Franco Annandale (who was also second behind Saaijman in Q2) Berné Bester (Yamaha) and Annandale's brother and team-mate, Hannes, who rounded off the Q2 podium.
SENIOR CLASS
Russell Ferreira (Honda) took the Senior Class championship title after winning the class for the second consecutive race despite having problems with suspension set-up and losing time with a flat tyre.
Ted Barbier (Yamaha) was second in class but Ferreira's team-mate Stuart Freeman (Yamaha) was stopped in his tracks by a mielie cob that got wedged between the sprocket and the chain, forcing the chain off the sprocket.
He lost a lot of time, but eventually got going again with the help of Ferreira's wife Kim-Leigh, a competitor in the Combined Ladies Class (we don't think he will ever live that down!) and came home third in class, with Bryan Gallop (Yamaha) fourth.
George Twigge (Yamaha) had only to finish to nail down his first Master Class title; he played it safe, coming in second in class behind Suzuki's Roxy dos Santos at Rysmierbult to clinch the championship.
Peter Schenk (Honda) again lost time and positions with a flat tyre, but finished third in class for the day, followed by his team-mates Milton Thesen (Yamaha) and Roger Barnes (Polaris).
LADIES
A record entry of 25 in the Combined Ladies Class put a few new faces on the podium.
Toni Jardine (Yamaha) took the Ladies Motorcycle Class win, ahead of veteran motocross and supermoto rider Cindy Porobich (KTM) with 'Tiny Taye' Perry (KTM) rounding off the podium. Edwina Lutch (Yamaha) finished fourth with newcomer Tanya Koyikas (KTM) fifth and Elaine de Sa (KTM) was sixth. Another rookie, Dayna Nienaber (Yamaha), crashed early on but battled home seventh despite having bruises in places she didn't know she had.
Liezel Barnard brought her big Can-Am home first in the Ladies Quads class, ahead of international champion Chardri Monk (Yamaha) and Wilmarie Moller (Honda).
Three more ladies completed the tough 180km race - Kim-Leigh Ferreira was fourth despite stopping to help Freeman (it was the first time she had finished the full national race distance) with first-timers Annelien Jansen van Vuuren (Polaris) fifth and Ruchell Kriel (Yamaha) sixth.
Jardine was the first lady home - irrespective of the number of wheels under her - with Barnard second and Monk third in the Combined Ladies Class. Consistent results throughout the season, however, made Barnard the first ever Combined Ladies Champion.