Enduro rider Kayde Mante overcomes obstacles and setbacks

Kayde Mante (18) of Shelly Beach was introduced to the sport of enduro racing by his father Deon at the age of five and he hasn’t been able to think of much else since.

For the current ‘on hold’ season he is riding a Yamaha YZ250FX. He’s sponsored by RBS Yamaha, Yamalube and Leatt.

Kayde’s first ever race was in Pietermaritzburg where he obtained a fifth place in the clubman’s section.

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He’s come a long way since then.Some career highlights include winning his first MSA South African National offroad 85cc title in 2013.

In 2018, he won the Powasol Extreme silver championship in the high school class.Later that year, he won the silver class of the Roof of Africa, in his first attempt.

Last year Kayde won the Regional WFO Hard Enduro Series KZN E1 Class and was awarded KwaZulu-Natal senior colours.

Part of his success has been his ability to thrive in wet, slippery and muddy terrain.

It’s almost as though the worse the weather and terrain, the more he enjoys it.Looking ahead, the former Izotsha Primary and Creston College pupil would love nothing better than to win the Roof of Africa one day.

To do that though, he’d have to beat a number of extremely talented riders, including multiple champion Wade Young, who also attended Creston College in his day.

Along the way, Kayde has been inspired by various riders, including Ryan Villipoto, an American former professional motocross and supercross racer, who competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 2005 to 2014.

“Yamaha South Africa arranged a coaching clinic and we got to ride alongside,” he said.

He’s had some good luck along the way.

“Halfway through the New Hanover KZN Regional WFO enduro it started pouring with rain which made the track slippery and I managed to open up a one lap lead,” he said.

He’s also had some bad luck.

“In the 2018 South African MSA National Enduro championship 125cc class, I managed to drown my bike in one of the rounds, which ended up costing me the SA title at the end of the season.”

Still, he hasn’t let this deter him.In fact, he’s overcome a whole lot of adversity so far.

In 2013 he fractured his spine.

“Some fence wire locked my front wheel at speed, sending me over the bars head-first into the ground. This injury kept me out of racing for three years,” he explained.

He’s also had to take breaks due to wrist injuries in 2018 and 2019, the latter forcing him to withdraw from the Roof a week before the event.

However, despite all this Kayde has always been able to maintain his sense of humour.

“It’s always funny to watch guys battling to start their bikes when the exhaust plugs are still in,” he laughed.

He’s always eager to learn from more experienced riders.

“Spend more time training on the terrain you hate most. And you should always take a sighting lap,” he said.

For those getting into the sport, he had some of his own advice.

“Make sure your helmets and boots are the right size, and maintain your equipment because it’s not fun having to push your bike!”

When the lockdown finally ends and racing resumes, he will be aiming on getting a podium finish in MSA National Enduro Championship E1 Class.

Another goal is a top five finish at this year’s Roof Of Africa.

“Hopefully these events won’t be cancelled due to Covid-19. I’m seriously looking forward to getting back out on the bike after lockdown.”

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