East London - The SA Enduro Motorcycle series will reach its halfway point this weekend with the Kei Enduro in East London - but the top riders will have to ride with one eye to the future, scoring maximum points while conserving both body and machine for Round 4, only two weeks later on 2 May at Ashton in the Western Cape.
Two consecutive victories each for KTM team-mates, Wade Young (E2 / Open Class) and Travis Teasdale (E1 / 200cc Class) have put them on course for their title chase, but a tough battle is brewing in the Senior Class where Jody Engelbrecht and Bruce May (each on a Yamaha) are tied at the top of the standings after taking a win and a second apiece.
Young, who is also competing in international races this year, was injured during a crash earlier in April, but cannot afford to sit out the Kei - his team-mate Scott Bouverie and Sherco rider Altus de Wet have each scored two podium results and are second and third in E2 with only 10 points separating Young from De Wet in third.
Kenny Gilbert (Yamaha) finished fourth in both the first and second rounds at Creighton and will also be aiming to put the brakes on Young's march to a second consecutive title.
The rest of the top 10 are covered by another 10 points with Bronson Louw (Husqvarna) fifth, two points ahead of Nicholas Pienaar (Husqvarna) with Nick Wade (Husqvarna) seventh, just one point ahead of Dalan Hall (KTM), and local hero Sage McGregor (KTM) ninth, one point ahead of Roan Lindsay (Yamaha).
BUT ALL THAT COULD BE ABOUT TO CHANGE
International star Blake Gutzeit (Husqvarna) is on the SA championship entry list for the first time this season, after posting some good results overseas.
Teasdale will be under threat in E1 from Brett Swanepoel (Yamaha), who is also leading the OR3 (200cc Class) in the SA Off-road series after two solid wins. Swanepoel posted two seconds at Creighton and trails Teasdale by six points with Kyle Flanagan (KTM) a further six points in arrears.
Meanwhile, nine-times champion William 'Wild Will' Gillitt (Yamaha), seven points behind the joint Senior class leaders, will be on a mission to make it a three-way fight while holding off Graham Hedgcock (KTM) who is only four points behind him.
The question in the Master Class is whether either multiple champion Denzil Torlage or Husqvarna rider Garth Prost stop Torlage's Yamaha team-mate Hilton Hayward, from claiming his first Master Class title. Hayward is enjoying a run of form, having recently taken Master Class honours in the Swaziland round of the SA Off-Road championship as well as the first two rounds of the Enduro series.
After documentation on Friday 17 April at Buffalo Toyota in East London, the racing action will start at Spring Valley, about 27km from East London at 8.30am on Saturday 18 April.