After a seven race, season long, battle, Proudly Bidvest Yamaha’s Kenny Gilbert has been crowned the 2013 South African National Off Road Champion!
The last round of the South African National Off Road Championship took place the past weekend in
Whilst Kenny spent the weeks building up to the race preparing his physical and mental condition for the battle ahead, the Team made sure that all the logistics were in order, as well as prepared his Proudly Bidvest Yamaha WR 450 F race bike to be the ultimate race winning weapon.
Race day came, and Kenny kept his focus on the task at hand, blotting out all the hype and hysteria that was behind what was to prove to be an epic race for the championship.
Roberts took the lead from the start, with Kenny hot on his heels. With 400km’s to race over the next six hours, race tactics would have to play a huge part in the outcome. For the next 250km’s the status quo remained the same, with neither rider giving an inch, and the gap between the two remained constant at around 10 seconds. With around 150km’s to go, Kenny’s superior physical, mental and nutritional conditioning started to give him the edge over his rival, and with Roberts succumbing to dehydration in the 35° degree plus temperatures, Kenny pounced and took the lead. He immediately opened the gap on Roberts to around 50 seconds, and then focused on riding as smoothly and consistently as possible, without making any unforced errors, to the finish line. Showing true professionalism dint of being a part of the premier race team in South Africa, Kenny maintained a consistently fast race pace to eventually cross the finish line some six and a half minutes ahead of Roberts, and be crowned the 2013 South African National Off Road OR1 Class Champion as well as the 2013 South African National Off Road Overall Champion!
With the glory of the laurels around his neck and borne high on the shoulders of his fellow team members, King Kenny and the Team will now proudly adorn the Number 1 plate on their bikes for 2014.
Kenny Gilbert: 2013 South African National Off Road Overall and OR1 class Champion:
“This is an amazing feeling!! I am so thrilled to finally be awarded this championship. All the hard work and sacrifices I have made to ensure that my physical and mental conditioning were correct was SO worth it. But this is without doubt a massive team effort. Without the commitment and support of the entire team this would not have been possible, so I am incredibly proud to be able to share this glory with them as well. This is as much Proudly Bidvest Yamaha’s championship as it is mine. I wish to extend my gratitude to each and every member of the Team, as well as to my wife and family, who have sacrificed a lot in order to assist me to achieve this goal. Most importantly, I wish to extend my deep gratitude to all of our sponsors. I am proud to be able to bring home this championship for all of them. I race the best bikes and wear the best products and am proud to do so, so to:
1. Our title sponsor, Proudly Bidvest and Yamaha, for the most amazing bikes and the most professional team.
2. Hayward Suspension for the very best in suspension setup and support
3. Pro Grip goggles for perfect fit, vision and eye protection
4. Gearne boots – there are no better for protection, support and comfort
5. Cycra for the strongest and sexiest hand guards around.
6. Leatt – I refuse to ride without my Leatt neck brace on, period.
7. Shoei – I know my head is safe and comfortable with my Shoei helmet on
8. Metzeler tyres and mousses provide me with all the grip I need to win
9. Yamalube lubricants keep my race bike reliable and running smoothly
10. Fly Racing for the most comfortable and during race pants and gloves
11. Powasol for keeping my race bikes clean and looking like new all the time.
12. RK for tough, reliable chains that don’t break
13. PSP for protecting the delicate parts of my bike against damage
14. GYTR for their performance and bling parts for my bike
15. Hydrapak for keeping me hydrated during the race, and
16. my personal sponsor USN and SPYKE Energy Drink for keeping energised and hydrated through the season.
I would also like to congratulate Ruan Roberts on an incredible racing season, and I look forward to continue the battle in 2014, this time carrying our Number 1 plate proudly!”.