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SA Enduro penalties drama

Former champion Altus de Wet (KTM) won Round 2 of the National Enduro at Humansdorp, Eastern Cape but final results are under review and provisional for now.

According to starting procedures, De Wet started the race from the back of the field because he didn't finish the first race of the season. The race consisted of one loop that included two racing sections but all competitors were penalised after the first sighting lap as they did not complete it within the allowed time.

De Wet received the fewest penalty points as he finished closer to the set time. He also won the first special timed stage and provisionally claimed the E2 (200cc) Class victory.

RACE BOTTLENECK

Scott Bouverie (KTM) scored his first podium with second overall. He won the last of the six special stages and was second in E2. He was followed by De Wet’s team mate Louwrens Mahoney who also won a timed stage and claimed his second overall podium position of 2012. He won E1 (Open) after a race where many riders found themselves in bottlenecks behind stuck riders on the route.

The organisers were also forced to cut out a section of the route in a river that was unusually deep after heavy rain.

Schoolboy Wade Young (Yamaha) finished fourth (third in E2) after a race he described as "demanding" and was followed by Yamaha team mates Marc Torlage and Jade Gutzeit. Torlage, who won E2 and finished second during the opening race, posted the fastest time after the second stage while Gutzeit, who won the opening race, was fastest after the fourth and fifth stages. He finished second in E1.

KTM team mates Riaan van Niekerk (E2) and Darryl Curtis were seventh and eighth respectively with Curtis rounding off the E1 podium. He finished just five points ahead of Gutzeit’s younger brother Blake (Yamaha) who suffered from arm pump but posted his best result. Kenny Gilbert (Yamaha) rounded off the top 10.

Brian Capper (KTM) was only three points behind Gilbert, but just outside the top 10 in 11th. Nicolas Pienaar (KTM) was 12th, Yamaha’s Bradley van Aswegen 13th and his team mate Timothy Young 15th. Gray Dick (KTM) was 14th.

FLU, DROWNING AND INJURIES

Chris Birch (KTM) withdrew from the race due to a knee injury after a crash in the first race. Michael Creevy (KTM) withdrew after coming down with flu, James Hodson (Yamaha) crashed and could not finish and Stefan Oosthuysen (KTM) drowned his bike.

Defending Senior Class champion William Gillit (Yamaha) claimed his first National class victory of the season and won two of the four timed racing sections. Gillit beat Ryan Struckman (Yamaha) who posted the fastest time after section three, but ultimately crashed.

Winner of the opening race, Jody Engelbrecht (Yamaha), claimed third and won the first racing stage. Engelbrecht’s team mate Bruce Gargan was fourth with Steve Landman (GasGas) fifth after losing time due to flat tyres.

Like all competitors, defending Master Class champion Denzil Torlage (Yamaha) received a penalty but still managed to win the class again. He was followed by KTM’s Graydon Ilderton with Mark du Plessis (KTM) third after he ran out of fuel. Kevin Bremner (KTM) was fourth and Spot Martin (KTM) fifth.

Results of the Enduro round 2 could change after the appeal hearing - we'll let you know.

The third round of the 2012 National Enduro championship, the Kei National Enduro, will be run near East London in the Eastern Cape on May 12.
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