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Final race to decide enduro titles

National enduro title contenders will on Saturday October 20, 2012 contest the Liquorland Creighton WFO, the final round of the 2012 Liquorland National Enduro Motorcycle Championship, at the Myddleton Dam outside Creighton in KwaZulu-Natal.

The Liquorland Creighton WFO National Enduro will form the sixth round of the season where the Senior and Master Class championships have been finalised, but anything can still happen with regards to the overall standings as well as the E1 (Open Class) and E2 (200cc) championships.

SOME TITLES UNDECIDED


William ‘Wild Will’ Gillit (Yamaha) has clinched the Senior Class championship (for competitors older than 38 years) for the fourth consecutive year while Denzil Torlage (Yamaha) has bagged the Master Class championship title for the third year in a row. The Master Class, for competitors older than 46 years of age, only received championship status in 2010 with Torlage winning the class after each national event he has entered since February 2009.

While the battles for the remaining podium positions as well as the final standings will resume behind Gillit and Torlage, the fight at the front of the E1 and E2 championships as well as for the overall winner will continue at Creighton. Jade Gutzeit (Yamaha) has already won twice this season and leads Louwrens Mahoney (KTM) by 17 points on the overall standings while he is 11 points ahead of him in the E1 championship.

Gutzeit, who has won the Open Class Championship in 2001, 2002, 2008 and 2010 as well as the 2003 overall championship will need to make sure he stays ahead of Mahoney who has recently clinched the 2012 overall off-road title as well as the OR1 (Open Class) championship title. Mahoney has won the national enduro title in 2004 and 2005 while he was the Open Class champion in 2006 and would like to add another title to his tally.

Gutzeit’s team mate, Marc Torlage, leads the E2 championship. He trails Mahoney by a mere four points on the overall standings while he is only five points ahead of youngster Wade Young (Yamaha) This is too close for comfort for Torlage, who is aiming for his third consecutive E2 title.

Young will also not be allowed to rest as only two points separate him from former champion, Altus de Wet (KTM), who has worked his way up on the leader board after not finishing the season opener.

DON'T RULE OUT ANYONE


A lot of moving and shaking can happen in the top ten where KTM teammates, Scott Bouverie and defending title holder and E1 champ, Chris Birch, share the same number of points. They are a mere four points ahead of Kenny Gilbert (Yamaha) who leads KTM team mates, Darryl Curtis and Riaan van Niekerk in ninth and 10th place respectively. Curtis and Van Niekerk are currently competing in the OiLibya Rally of Morocco and will not be competing in this event.

That will leave the door open for Bradley Van Aswegen (Yamaha) to jump into the top ten while Brian Capper (Red Bull KTM), who experienced a see-saw season, might just work his way into the top ten as well.

In the Senior Class championship, second-placed Jodi Engelbrecht and his Yamaha teammate, Bruce Garland, who is only four points behind him, will both have their eye on the second place with the other probably having to settle for the final podium position. Only nine points separate Peter Jung (KTM) in fourth place from Wayne Bouchier (KTM) in seventh with Bruce May (Yamaha) fifth and Matthew Barker (Yamaha) sixth and these positions can also change at Creighton.

Torlage is home safe in the Master Class, but Graydon Ilderton (KTM) will aim for KTM's Carl Rohrbeck’s second place as he is only six points behind him.

Riaan van der Walt (KTM) is the 2012 Silver Class Challenge winner, but there are only eight points between second-placed Devon Owen (KTM); Terence Shacklady (Yamaha) who is third and Anton Bekker (KTM) in fourth place and the battle for podium positions will continue.

All the racing action takes place at the Myddleton Dam area outside Creighton. The race starts on October 20, 2012 at 8am and spectators are welcome.
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