South African motorsport sensation Brett Swanepoel has been crowned the 2020 National Enduro Champion. The rider put on an eye-catching performance at the season finale in Creighton, KwaZulu-Natal, this weekend where he stormed to his second national title of the season. 

The multi-disciplined Swanepoel has now snatched up both the National Cross Country and Enduro Championship, reigning supreme in not only in the OR2 and E2 Class, but on the leaderboard overall. The last time a South African rider pulled off such a feat was in 2006. 

“We did it - what a weekend! It’s hard to describe the feeling of taking the number one plate in both championships. Thank you to my team, sponsors and everyone else that stood by me leading up to this,” said an elated Swanepoel.

Adding to an already unforgettable event for the team was a win from Matthew Green. The E1 rider has gone from strength to strength this season and stormed to his second consecutive event win on Saturday. After a challenging start to the year, Green has reinstated himself as a force to be reckoned with in his class and will certainly be a favourite in the race for the 2021 title. “Super stoked to end the racing season with a win in the E1 Class. A huge thank you to everyone that has stuck by me this season through some tough times! It’s been a crazy year and I’m happy to have put it all together in the last few races. Unfortunately, a broken foot kept me out of the championship hunt - but a huge congratulations to my teammate Brett for bringing home a title for the team,” said Green.

After a tumultuous season of racing, the year couldn’t have come to a better close for PEPSON PLASTICS HUSQVARNA RACING. The team was proud to support the talented Heinrich Aust, who finished off the season on a high as he secured the second spot in the E1 Class on Saturday.

Husqvarna South Africa’s Brand Manager Fred Fensham commented, “What an incredible way to finish off a topsy turvy year of racing - after not knowing if we would even race again. Brett brings home an incredible double championship and is crowned overall Enduro and Cross Country King! On the same day Matt and Heinrich give the team a one and two in E1. I’m so proud of all involved and need to mention Anthony, our race chief, who prepped perfect Husqvarna machines for all our athletes. In closing for the year, we need to thank Pepson Plastics and the Pepper family for the support we have had from them over the last 4 years - really glad to give them another championship in appreciation. From Husqvarna SA, we look forward to an exciting 2021 with lots of exciting news up our sleeve!”

After another title winning FIM Supersport World Championship season, Evan Bros Yamaha WorldSSP Supported Team have signed promising South African rider Steven Odendaal for their 2021 championship charge.

Odendaal joins the Evan Bros Yamaha outfit after a strong maiden WorldSSP campaign, where his speed and consistency saw him finish an impressive fifth in the final riders’ standings, having scored top 10 results in 13 of the 15 races entered on the Yamaha R6. With a years’ experience of the championship and bike under his belt, Odendaal is aiming to be in the title battle next season.

Prior to 2020, Odendaal contested two full Moto2 seasons, as well as making various sporadic appearances in the series between 2011 and 2019. The 27-year-old also competed in the FIM CEV Moto2 European Championship and was crowned champion in the highly competitive 2016 season.

The team he’s joining, Evan Bros Yamaha, took the last two riders’ championships and have quickly become the team to beat in WorldSSP, while they also played a key part in Yamaha’s four consecutive manufacturers’ titles.

Steven Odendaal

Evan Bros Yamaha WorldSSP Supported Team

“I’m very excited to have this opportunity with such a fantastic team in Evan Bros Yamaha. I visited their workshop for the first time on Monday and it gave me a lot of happiness and joy because they’re such a professional team and understand what it takes to win races and championships. I really can’t wait for 2021 to start. Thank you also to my manager Jorge Lis for all his hard work and effort to help me get to where I am today.”

2020 National Motocross Champions Crowned in Bloemfontein

The country’s 2020 National Motocross champions were crowned in Bloemfontein this weekend. The series came to a close with an exciting double-header round where Red Bull KTM’s Tristan Purdon took top honours in the premier MX1 Class. Effectively dubbing Purdon as the best Motocross rider in the country.

The victory came especially sweet for Purdon after last year’s season finale where he finished as runner-up. In a bid to set the record straight this time around, Purdon lined-up in Bloemfontein leading the MX1 Class by a single point. In excruciatingly hot conditions with temperatures above 38 degrees Celsius, the rider launched his attack. With consecutive victories in the first three heats and a third place in the final moto, Purdon took the victory overall in both rounds to secure the 2020 title.“I can finally say it – I'm the 2020 MX1 Champion! That is a wrap for the season – thank you is not enough to everyone in my corner,” said an elated Purdon.

Adding to the celebrations in the orange camp was yet another championship title courtesy of young gun Jonathan Mlimi, who stormed to victory in the High School Class. Having fought his way back from an injury that ruled him out of the 2019 season, Mlimi was determined to reinstate himself as the frontrunner in his class.

“We did it! This time I managed to take three hole shots and another four wins – which makes it 8/8 victories since the season restarted. The hard work and training really payed off – thank you to everyone who supported me,” said Mlimi.Rounding out the orange squad this weekend was Kerim Fitz-Gerald. While the rider was unable to make up the 20-point deficit keeping him from the top of the MX2 leaderboard, he finished off the season with an outstanding performance.

KTM South Africa’s Marketing Manager Louwrens Mahoney gave a parting shot as the season came to a close: “What a tough and demanding weekend it was with the track getting so rough, the unbearable heat and two solid days of racing! I am so proud of the team and their achievements, not just at this event but over the entire year. We’re going into 2021 with the MX1 and High School Championship, which is a massive confidence boost for the riders and the team. We will work hard in the off season to maintain this form and to come back even stronger!”