Uis Enduro tested riders’ mettle as many miss checkpoints
Marcel Henle has a comfortable 3-point lead on the Open Class log after last weekend’s third round of the national Enduro championship held at the old tin mine near Uis. He beat runner-up Henner Rusch by almost eight minutes on a difficult track through riverbeds, rocky stretches and a boulder field.
Leaning on his experience, Rusch had to pull out all stops as he raced with three cracked ribs, a legacy of his serious crash a month ago. Third in the open class was Pascal Henle, a mere minute behind Rusch.
Fourth and fifth were Ruan Gous and Rainer Sentefol but the log position can still fall any direction. A mere three points separate the younger Henle, Gous and Sentefol.
Ingo Waldschmidt is back in form after his injury beating Joern Greiter by almost four minutes. Martin Kruger came third after missing a checkpoint. Ronald Geiger and Frank Ahlreib took fourth and fifth positions. Log leader Werner Wiese was sixth, also after missing a checkpoint.
The experienced rider, Jurgen Gladis won the Support Bikes class with a measured approach and consistent racing. Oliver Rohrmuller was second and Riaan Kritzinger third.
Newcomer Quinton van Rooyen and Jaco Husselman were both disqualified after missing several checkpoints. Among the rookies, JL Opperman continued his winning streak with another first place with Eugene Koen second and André Marais third. Rhys Cragg and Axel Foerster took fourth and fifth.
The Class 11 winner was Dylan Hilfiker with Jossie Maritz Jnr and Zoe Waldschmidt second and third.
The Maritz Transport/CRP Uis Enduro attracted a record 96 entries.
The next race will take place on Farm Abbabis in the Karibib district. According to Günther Gladis of the Namibian Enduro Club, this will also be a huge technical challenge for the top classes as the riders will race on arguably the toughest track of the season.
Open Class Podium, from the left, Pascal Henle, third, Marcel Henle, winner, and Henner Rusch, second.
