It was a weekend to remember for Brother Leader Tread KTMs William Slater as he flew the orange flag high, taking the overall win, and was crowned IMPI King! The racing took riders deep into the mountains of Bergville where enduro riders were treated to a weekend of thrilling racing pushing them to their limits.
Placing himself on the top step for the weekend, Will Slater, put on a spectacular show in the Drakensberg mountains. Having a fast time trial and putting the hammer down and giving it his all to claim first place. He commented, “I had a really good time in the mountains this past weekend. From time trial the pace was fast.”
He went on to say, “I just paced myself and looked after the bike till the gold section each day then emptied my tank completely, leaving nothing on the table. Thankfully it paid off and super happy to come home with some good points and the overall win.”
Giving a solid performance throughout the weekend was Dylan Jones coming home with a commendable P5 overall after three days of intense racing. Geared up with his KTM 250 XCW and feeling strong, Jones had a great start to the event coming in P4 in time trial setting him up for a good start for the two days ahead. Jones said, “The 2023 Impi Hard Enduro was an incredible event like always. Three days of serious riding in the Drakensberg was outstanding riding with amazing trails.
Struggling to find his groove and making a couple of mistakes the rest of the time Jones was still feeling good and went full throttle to come back and snatching up fifth overall. Jones closed off saying, “I’m very happy with my ride over the 3 days. I just want to say a big thank you to Kevin for all his help over the 3 days and making the job easier and to the whole KTM South Africa team for all their help over the event, I couldn’t have done it without them,”
Young gun, Matthew Stevens had a creditable weekend behind his name as well riding his KTM 150 XCW well inside the top 15 gold classification.
A confident Stevens had the following to say about the event and his bike, “I am very happy with 2 strong Gold Finishes and am closing the gap to the older guys race by race. IMPI and National Hard Enduro was an awesome event, super tough! My XCW 150 and set-up worked well even at altitude and the WP Suspension and Metzeler combination was perfect for the terrain. Looking forward the rest of the season.”
Grant Frerichs, group manager commented, “William Slater showcased some exceptional riding this weekend and we look forward to what he has in him for the rest of the year as we build up to the Roof of Africa. I am proud of the team and look forward to getting the riders onto the all new 2024 enduro bikes in the near future to showcase what they can do.”
Published by: Grant Frerichs
Photography by: Megan Jonker – ZCMC Media
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