National Enduro Championship | Iron Horse
The second round of the National Traditional Enduro Championship took riders to the hot and dusty trails of Nyala pans in Richmond, where no stone was left unturned by the Brother Leader Tread KTM team. The team put on an exhilarating display of skill and determination and came back with great results.
In the fiercely contested E2 class, Will Slater exhibited his exceptional riding capabilities and steered his KTM 300 XC-W to an impressive second-place finish, even after having a crash and helping out a fellow rider who also had a very serious crash. Slater commented, “I had a bit of a crash today that caused me to lose a bit of time, luckily the guys in the pits were quick to help me fix up my bike and get back on track.”
He went on to say, “It was a very cool and high-speed track. Quite dusty but nothing we can do about that. The organizer put on a really good event and all in all, I just had a good day.”
The E1 class bore witness to a sensational class victory by Dylan Jones, whose relentless pursuit of victory led him to the top step of the E1 class. Jones’ outstanding riding skills and strategic approach solidified his position as a formidable competitor in the National Enduro Championship.
Jones commented on the day saying, “I had a great day out on the bike, it was very dusty conditions, and the track wasn’t too technical but was nice and flowy. The river was just a bit rough, and the rocks were extremely slippery, it was difficult staying on track but that’s all part of it and I enjoyed every minute of it.”
He continued, “I had a bit of a dice with William throughout the day and on the last lap we finished together which was really fun. It was cool to ride with my team-mate and see what the level is. Now we’re off to round 3 first in the E1 class and I’m super excited.”
Rounding off the team is young gun, Matthew Stevens in the high school class, securing a commendable fourth-place finish. “Overall, a tough, but good day for me. The conditions were very fast and by the end of the day there were a few breaking bumps by the river. I was struggling a bit through the river, it was really tough especially with harder compound tires it was quite slick and getting through there with shorter legs but I managed”. He finished off with saying, “I really enjoyed the day, and I am definitely going to come back stronger.”
Grant Frerichs, group marketing manager and team manager commented, “I am proud of the team’s efforts and dedication to the sport. Both Dylan and William sacrificed some of their race to help a fellow rider who crashed which shows great sportsmanship. All of our riders are comfortable in the championship fight and we are already looking ahead to the next round to see what small changes we can make to take that next step towards championship glory.”
Published by: Grant Frerichs
Photography by: Megan Jonker – ZCMC Media
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