Last Imperial Nelspruit Toyota Hazyview Enduro shows moxie

Though it is by no means a walk in the park. Like they say, dynamite comes in small packages – and did it pack a punch!

All enduros require extensive planning and hard work. The route has to be cleared and cut open. This thankless and seriously labour-intensive job was done by Jurie Human.

Jurie is an experienced rider who supports two teams. After two months of work, chief marshal Mark Tilburn took over for the final design and layout.

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Mark had to ensure that the route satisfied all different types of riders and skill levels. Most of the track was a common route though.

The more experienced riders were directed to more challenging parts of the route and were kept on their toes. The route presented two river crossings, which meant that bridges needed to be constructed.

The track crossed both the Marite and Sabie rivers twice. A low-water concrete bridge was used to cross over the Marite River, and the bridge that links Hippo Hollow Hotel and Elephant Whispers helped with the second Sabie River crossing.

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The pits for this year’s event were moved to Perry Citrus Estate and they were like no other you have ever experienced.

The pits offered a view of the Sabie River with large indigenous trees. Spectators enjoyed this and the variety of food and entertainment on offer. Registration was held at Hippo Hollow Hotel’s conference room.

Imperial Nelspruit Toyota Hazyview Enduro was much smaller than the previous event in the series, with only 141 entries.

Not that this was such a bad thing. With it being so dry, dust was sure to be a challenge. Local enduro ace, Barend Erasmus finished first, with Luke Walker in second after running out of fuel.

He was towed back to the pits by a marshal where he refueled, but of course, lost a whole lot of time.

Bryce van Heerden finished third – this despite him struggling with a bout of flu. Robert Garvie even though he took – some wrong turns and had one or two falls – still finished fourth overall.

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The other event on the day which also drew a lot of attention, was that of the 50cc and 65cc boys.

These guys were on track throughout the day, keeping moms and dads immensely busy. This is very serious racing and everyone gave it their best shot.

After all, the possibility of receiving a trophy at the end of the day and from the hands of local legend Louwrens Mahoney would be an unforgettable highlight for the winner.

The prize-giving took place at Hippo Hollow. Mahoney handed out the riders’ just desserts. There was also a lucky draw and great prizes up for grabs.

A big thank you to Kymberly, the club’s hands-on organiser, for arranging all the prizes. No enduro can take place without the land owners and sponsors.

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And considering that this was the last race for the year, we would like to give a massive shout-out to Jack Brotherton for the use of his farm.

Thanks to Imperial Toyota Nelspruit, Brother, KTM Nelspruit, Rudamans, Gecko tents, Ambassador foods, Fox, F61, Nus Africa, Remax Nelspruit, Deutrans, Seasons in Africa, Sahara Africa, Doug’s Hiring, Maxxis Tyres South Africa and Scott Pix’s. Ed: A huge shout-out for Kevin (Autodealer Lowveld’s roaming enduro reporter) for covering this event on my behalf.

I so love and appreciate it when readers, and a passionate photographer like Kevin, becomes part of the Autodealer family