Old dogs bite hard at second round of Namibian Moto X Enduro
Despite the spate of late rains in April, the old man of Moto X, Henner Rusch again showed why he is such an accomplished rider, beating a much younger field with apparent ease although his ride suffered mechanical problems.
In the recent Lichtenstein Enduro race, Rusch trailed Marcel Henle during the first lap but soon overtook the younger rider. By the end of the second lap, Rusch had a comfortable 3-minute lead.
In the third lap, Rusch’s bike developed brake problems allowing Henle to edge closer but the experienced Rusch managed to hang on, eventually winning the race by only 15 seconds.
The second round of the Namibian Enduro championship at Farm Lichtenstein drew 81 riders in five categories for motorcycles and one for quadbikes.
Third in the Open Class was Günther Gladis, crossing the finishing line 45 minutes after Rusch and Henle. Fourth and fifth places went to Heiko Stranghoehner and Sigi Pack.
The Master Class was won by Werner Wiese with Joern Greiter finishing 12 seconds behind in second place. Third was Ronald Geiger with Martin Kruger and Frank Ahlreib, fourth and fifth. Wiese leads the Enduro log with five points ahead of Greiter.
In the Support Class, Jaco Husselman came first beating Quinton van Rooyen by more than two minutes but this was only the young Van Rooyen’s second competitive Moto X race so much is expected from this newcomer. Third was Oliver Rohrmuller with Kai Kessler fourth and Jean Venter fifth.
Among the rookies, JL Oppermann showed that his move from quads to bikes was not in vain when he won the class by more than three minutes. Jakkie van Zyl was second, Rhus Cragg third, Chris Snyman fourth and Axel Foerster fifth.
In the Development Class only three youngsters managed to finish the race but all three showed great promise for their Moto X future. Zoe Waldschmidt was first, Levin Quinger second and Dylan Hilfiker third.
The Quad race was won by Shannan Rowland with Gary Rowland and Darren Barnard in second and third place.
Round 3 of the Namibian Enduro Championship is scheduled for 16 June at the old tin mine outside Uis. After the races, there will be a voluntary Dune Climbing competition open to all riders.
More information is available at www.namibianenduro.com
Caption: Henner Rusch again won the Open Class at Round Two of the Namibian Enduro championship. (Photograph by iCandy Photography)
