BROTHER KTM DOMINATES NATIONAL OFFROADS AND SECURES THE FOUR PREMIER CHAMPIONSHIP TITLES
The final round of the South African National Offroad Championship took place this past weekend in Rysmierbult, 30 km’s from Ventersdorp. A dusty, windy and hot day greeted competitors and spectators alike and with most of the championships still up for grabs the Rysmierbult 200 would go down as one of the most exciting Offroad races in 2014.
Competitors had to complete the approx. 60 km long loop three times and with a distance of only 180 km’s to determine championships the race was on from the word ‘go’. Brother KTM’s Louwrens Mahoney didn’t disappoint once: after hole shotting the race the Nelspruit based rider pulled a comfortable gap on board his KTM 500 XC-W machine and led from start to finish, bringing home the sixth consecutive race win for his Brother KTM team and securing the well deserved 2014 OR1 championship title.
“It’s been an exciting year and firstly all honour and glory goes to my Lord Jesus Christ for keeping me safe and blessing me with this championship. A big congratulation is in order to my teammates Louw Schmidt, Tyron Miller and Bollie van Rooyen on their championships. Without my family and the support of my incredible Brother KTM team and all my sponsors I would not have been able to deliver the results I have. I am truly grateful and privileged to represent all these wonderful brands.”, said Mahoney.
Mahoney was chased by his own teammate Ross Branch on board his KTM 450 XC-F. The talented rider from Botswana rounded off the podium on the day in third place behind Yamaha’s Kenny Gilbert, leaving Branch as the runner up in the OR1 championship for the season. Branch is looking back at an impressive first season in Offroad racing with a number of race wins and is looking forward to the 2015 season.
Louw Schmidt, who secured his 2014 OR3 championship title at the previous round already, opted for the big KTM 500 XC-W for the last race. Schmidt did not disappoint when he finished the race in fifth place overall and is content with his second consecutive National Offroad title after securing the OR4 championship title in 2013.
Brother KTM’s Tyron Miller didn’t have a great start to the Rysmierbult 200 and a big crash on the first lap threw Miller way back in the ranking. Fortunately the talented rider from Kyalami could collect himself again, but had to take it easy. Miller finished the race but was disappointed with his result on the day, only seeing him in 9th place in the OR2 class. A 9th place however was enough for Miller to secure the 2014 OR2 championship title and add to his list of championships. Miller’s teammate Jono van Wyk from Swaziland finished the 2014 season in 6th place in the OR2 class.
The Seniors class was dominated by Brother KTM’s Juan ‘Bollie’ van Rooyen who delivered consistent results throughout the season with four class wins, one second place and now a third place in class at the Rysmierbult 200. The Port Elizabeth rider racing a KTM 300 XC-W 2-stroke machine is happy to take home the 2014 Seniors championship title after a long racing season.
Other classes saw more KTM mounted champions finishing off the season on the top step: Adrian Storm (Automation Products Racing KTM) dominated the Masters class this season and is taking home the Masters class title, Taye Perry (Bert Smith Racing KTM) won the 2014 Ladies motorcycle class and Shaun Mostert won the 2014 Silver Challenge.
KTM is also taking home the manufacturers’ title with six out of six race wins this season.