Matatiele, Eastern Cape - Teen hotshot Wade Young capped his 2014 SA Enduro season with a fifth outright win and a clean sweep of six Class E1 (200cc) wins in the Matatiele WFO Enduro at the weekend to retain both titles for a second consecutive year.
The final round of the series was described by competitors as "tough, but really enjoyable", with four Special Stages on the 48km loop, meaning that and E1 and E2 (Open Class) competitors had to post their fastest times for 15 stages in all.
The stagers consisted of a really enjoyable sandy stage (apparently the riders' favourite), a longer, 8km Enduro Special (which was only ridden three times), an rocky, very steep Extreme Special and a motocross stage near the pits where spectators could get close to the racing action.
Young's KTM team-mate Travis Teasdale took the early lead after winning the first Extreme Stage, setting up a tight battle at the front between the two schoolboys and defending E2 champion Altus de Wet on the factory Husqvarna Factory Racing.
The pressure was on with only seconds separating the riders - but many had to temper pace with caution, as they would be competing in the upcoming International Six Days Enduro in Argentina as well as the Roof of Africa in December in Lesotho.
OPEN CLASS
After crashing in the first stage and breaking the rear brake pedal off his Katoom later in the race, Young went on to win 13 of the 15 special stages with De Wet also taking a stage to take his fifth E2 win, his fourth overall second and the E2 Class title for the second consecutive year.
Teasdale finished third overall and second in E1 to finish his first full season in the big leagues third overall.
Behind them only seconds separated Yamaha team-mates Brett Swanepoel (E1) and Kenny Gilbert (E2) at most stages. Like De Wet, Swanepoel would also leave for the ISDE the day after the Matatiele enduro and a tumble over the handlebars (De Wet also had one of those!) that cost him considerable time and bruises, was not in the plan.
Swanepoel finished third in E1 at Matatiele (he also finished third in the E1 standings after changing bikes and teams halfway through the season), just 29 points ahead of Gilbert, who finished second behind De Wet in E2.
Louwrens Mahoney, Young's team-mate and the only other overall and E2 Class winner this year, rounded off the E2 podium and finished seventh overall with Paddock scholar, Kyle Flanagan (KTM) fourth in E2 (11th overall) and Nick Wade (Yamaha) fifth, and 12th overall.
SENIOR CLASS
A season-long battle reached boiling point at Matatiele with multiple defending champion, William 'Wild Bill' Gillitt leading fellow Yamaha ride, suspension guru Hilton Hayward bt just two points going into the final round. Gillitt came out with guns blazing to claim his fourth win of the season and nail down his sixth consecutive Senior Class title.
Hayward, who had not ridden in anger for several years prior to this season, posted his fifth runner-up result of the year to ensure his second place in the standings for. Bruce May (Yamaha) finished just behind Hayward at Matatiele, with Gillitt's team-mate, Steven Landman fourth and Laurence Truter (KTM) fifth.
Veteran enduro and off-road competitor and multiple former champion Alfie Cox (KTM), who had not ridden in the national enduro series for many years added the Master Class Championship title to his long list of achievements at his first attempt by winning the class at all six rounds.
Defending champion Denzil Torlage (Yamaha) finished second to him every time and, after winning the Master Class title for a record five consecutive years, had to bow to the maestro.
Richard Cunniffe (Yamaha) claimed his first Master Class podium of this season, with Shaun Kirk (Beta) fourth - for the sixth time this year.
The battle for third in the 2014 Master Class standings, however, was fought out between Kirk and Husqvarna rider Garth Prost, with Kirk taking the honours, largely due to a 10th place finish for Prost (who finished fifth in class at Matatiele) at the season opener. Not even four podium finished during the season could close the gap to the more consistent Kirk.