South Africa will field numerous entries at prestigious off-road motorcycling events next weekend when local teams enter both the International Six Day Enduro in Germany, and the Motocross of Nations in Belgium.
The ISDE, arguably the most prestigious enduro motorcycle event in the world, will run from 24 to 29 September. Entries include an SA Junior Trophy Team consisting of Marc Torlage, the defending SA E2 Enduro champion and OR3 Off-Road champion with experience in world enduro events, Bradley van Aswegen, one of the top young competitors who has shown consistency as a well-matured rider, 2011 Junior SA champion, Wade Young, who has clearly shown his speed and ability, and Scott Bouverie, who has just finished the gruelling Romaniacs as the youngest competitor yet to have finished this extreme enduro event.
CLUB TEAM
The Club Team will comprise Stuart Gregory, a consistent contender in the national enduro championship; enduro rider Albert Pos, standing in for Blake Gutzeit who broke his leg two weeks ago, and Ruan Merry, who is currently competing in the Junior National Championship.
Merry has recently signed up for Roberts Racing's rider training and management programme, where the focus will be specifically on his enduro career with the view to compete in World Enduro championship races within three years.
The ISDE, also known as the World Cup of Enduro, was held for the first time in 1913 in Carlisle, England and is one of the longest-running events on the calendar of the Federation Internationale de Motorcyclisme.
According to the rules of the ISDE, riders have to follow a set route at a set pace over six days. This year the route will be 1300km and will stretch over very harsh technical terrain which will take a rider approximately 7-8 hours per day to complete each day's stage. South Africa will be competing against 45 other countries and more than 750 riders from all over the world.\
MOTOCROSS DES NATIONS
Three South African riders will also race at the Motocross des Nations on 30 September in Lommel, Belgium next Sunday. Two of the SA riders have been competing overseas for some time, namely Neville Bradshaw and Shannon Terreblanche.
The third member of the team, Richard van der Westhuizen, is the current reigning and multiple SA MX1 National Champion.
Bradshaw is a consistent charger and has proved this year with his victory in the British Pro Nationals that he can race for championships. He is currently lying third in the British Motocross Championship. He will race for South Africa in the MX3-class.
SHANTER
Shannon Terreblanche, better known as Shanter in international racing circles, finished second with a tie on points, in the Dutch Supercross Series at the end of 2011 in the Open Inter Class. Incidentally his career highlight was at Lommel in 2009 when he scored his first top 10 overall World Motocross Grand Prix result. He will compete in the MX2-class.
Richard van der Westhuizen, a Johannesburg-based rider, won the SA MX1 National Motocross Championship title in 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2011. He has received his South African National Protea Colours from MSA through SASCOC in 2009. He was also a Gold finisher in the 2011 Roof of Africa Enduro. Richard will represent the team in the MX1-class.
The Motocross des Nations is an annual team motocross race, where riders representing their country meet at what is billed as the “Olympics of Motocross”. - Star Motoring