The PEPSON PLASTICS HUSQVARNA RACING team is rallying up for the start of the 2018 season. The six man squad has been announced and is preparing to blaze a path of glory in the National Enduro and Cross Country series.
With the action set to kick off in just under a month, devastating news hit the Husqvarna camp last weekend when leading rider Brett Swanepoel suffered from a serious crash at a Gauteng Xross Country Club race in Bronkhorstspruit.
Swanepoel had planned to use the local cross country event as preparation for the national season ahead, but had a fall in the first lap that resulted in severe injuries to his arm.
Matt Green is determined to stand tall for his team as the only other PEPSON PLASTICS HUSQVARNA RACING rider in the National Enduro series.
If his name was not already on the cards, the youngster certainly made a grand entrance to the local enduro scene in 2017 with his debut attempt at the Roof of Africa, the ‘Mother of Hard Enduro.’
At just 16-years old, not only did Green jump straight into the daunting gold class, but managed to finish in the top 20. With a fearless approach to some of the most technical terrain in the world, international riders at the event went as far as to describe Green as a “mini version” of enduro legend Graham Jarvis.
After winning the High School Championship in the National Enduro series, the rider will make a step up to the E1 class this season on a Husqvarna TE150.
“I’m racing a big class this year, and I’m obviously hoping to achieve as many podiums as I can. My main focus is just to allow this year to grow me as a rider. I also plan to get some exposure overseas at Red Bull Romaniacs and Red Bull Sea to Sky,” said Green.
The rest of the PEPSON PLASTICS HUSQVARNA RACING team will take on the National Cross Country series.
The hunt for championship titles will be spearheaded by offroad legend, Kenny Gilbert.
Unusual for riders of his calibre, Gilbert did not grow up riding motorcycles. The first time he learned to ride a bike was at the age of 14, and he rapidly became a household name in the South African world of cross country.
By twenty-years old Gilbert had two national championships in the bag, and left to race in the Grand National Cross Country series in the USA for a few years.
He returned to South Africa to sweep up three consecutive Overall National Cross Country Championships.
Gilbert has finished second overall for the last two years, and is itching for the familiar glory of a cross country win: “I feel comfortable this year. What I’ve realised is that the championship isn’t won in the first few races, it’s how you finish the entire season. Last year I crashed out in the beginning, so this year I want to try build into it,” said Gilbert.
A podium hopeful in the OR2 class is Travis Gehlig.
The rider was first exposed to the world of cross country when his father put him on a motorcycle at the age of four. His relentless pursuit of this sport inevitably opened the door to the PEPSON PLASTICS HUSQVARNA RACING team in 2017.
Things seemed shaky for Gehlig at first when he crashed at the start of the national season last year, cracking two vertebrae in his lower back in the process. 
Iain Pepper, owner of PEPSON PLASTICS, was a pillar of encouragement for Gehlig during his recovery and helped him pave a path to the PEPSON PLASTICS HUSQVARNA RACING team.
The opportunity ignited a new level of motivation for Gehlig, who upon his mid-season return to racing in 2017 managed to snatch up an OR2 podium position.
“Coming into 2018 I’ve really changed my approach to training, and have spent a lot of time riding with Iain and Kenny. I’m excited to battle it out for the OR2 championship with my Husqvarna FX350!” said Gehlig.
Iain Pepper will represent the PEPSON PLASTICS HUSQVARNA team as a Master rider this season with a Husqvarna FX350 as his weapon of choice.
Pepper has years of experience in this sport, and first started racing MX in the mid 70’s. He made the move to an offroad bike in 2016, initially just for the fun.
As the title sponsor for Husqvarna last year, he would enter the occasional cross country race when time permitted.
For the first time in 10 years, Pepper has decided to compete competitively again: “It feels so good to be training like this again! I would really like to step onto that podium a few times this season,” said Pepper.
