Ballito biker Swanepoel scores another top 10 finish at Roof of Africa
His time of 9:17.08 was almost exactly an hour behind Wade Young in first, leaving Swanepoel to wonder what might have been without the difficulties he experienced.
Ballito’s Brett Swanepoel overcame tough conditions and technical difficulties to grab 7th place in the brutal Roof of Africa motorbike race.
The Roof – known as ‘The Mother of Hard Enduro’ – is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious and treacherous enduro motorbike races on the planet.
Each year, Lesotho’s Mountain Kingdom draws top international riders to race along its peaks and troughs, through muddy trails and over technical natural obstacles.
For Swanepoel, a seven-time veteran of the race, it was an opportunity to push for another podium spot at this year’s event, held from November 10-12.
Photo: Roof of Africa 2022.
“It was a really a wet Roof again, with solid rain from the Tuesday until the Thursday time trial. The trial was shortened to one lap of an extreme section which changed the dynamic,” said the Husqvarna-sponsored rider.
Luckily, the downpour held off for the weekend but many sections remained soaked, adding another layer of difficulty.
Swanepoel started well on Friday, holding podium positions throughout the morning, before a river crossing proved to be his undoing.
“On the first river section I drowned my bike, so had to drain it before I could get going again. I was able to get back into third place but my battery later went flat,” he said.
Photo: Roof of Africa 2022.
With modern competition bikes forgoing a kick-starter, he had to wait until a lower-placed rider would stop to share some battery charge.
The battery would trouble him throughout the day and Swanepoel was repeatedly forced to push-start heading downhill on a few occasions.
He finished Friday in eighth place, about 30 minutes behind eventual champion Wade Young, who won his seventh title.
“Saturday went a bit better. I knew it would be difficult to make up so much time, so I tried to just enjoy it.”
He made up one place to take seventh overall in the gold category, the highest level of competition.
His total time of 9:17.08 was almost exactly an hour behind Young in first, leaving Swanepoel to wonder what might have been without the difficulties.
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