Racing on mud, tar and everything in between is what drives Ballito’s Les Coetzee

From PW kids bikes to supermoto and beyond, Les Coetzee’s life has been one lived on 2 wheels.

Born and raised in Durban, Ballito resident Les (41) found an instant affinity with the motor racing community, racing motor bikes and later cars throughout his life.

“I guess it is in my blood. My dad unfortunately passed away when I was young, but I am told that he regularly raced cars as well,” said Les.

Starting on a low-powered bike, Les slowly moved up the ranks, before racing seriously in national supermoto competitions.

He competed in the national series for 4 years, coming 6th in 2009 in what would be his final competitive year.

He has since owned a car dealership and a virtual reality company where people can ‘ride’ a bike, jetski, surfboard or car on a stationary platform wearing goggles for a 3D experience.

At the advent of lockdown however, Les decided to open up a bike workshop in Laguna Seca, which is still waiting to be christened.

“We do everything you can think of here, repairs, cleaning, readying a bike for a race. We hope to be the one-stop-shop for bike users on the North Coast – we even do delivery bikes and scooters, its not just for racing.”

But racing is certainly part of it and Les says there is a growing community of motor-heads on the North Coast, particularly given the natural advantages of large swathes of farmland.

At any one time, there might be 300 local riders who travel around well-known spots on the weekends, he said.

“There is really good land for the experienced and people just starting out riding around here. It’s perfect if you want to get your kids going on a bike.”

His 2 children are evidence of that and at 11 and 8 years old, they both have riding experience.

Aside from the tracks available, Les has also recently opened his own with a more formal circuit.

The Ballito Endurocross Track is just minutes out of town, at the Ballito Ski Park.

Endurocross is a particularly difficult riding skill as it pairs outdoor riding’s most difficult obstacles with a circuit.

It is raced inside big stadiums in Europe, but is not big in South Africa. For an idea of what you will get, expect hopping over logs and rock pits, as well as tires and a riding wall – all on a bike.

Les’ track is open daily with an entry fee of R100 for the whole day.

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