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ANOTHER TOP 10 ‘ROOF OF AFRICA’ RESULT FOR ALTUS DE WET ALTUS DE WET, racing for team Cargo-Tac Husqvarna Factory Racing, can tick off a few things on his ‘Roof of Africa’ list after he finished this race in the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho this past weekend in the fourth place overall. “Well done to Wade Young for winning the Roof of Africa. He rode extremely well and so did Brett Swanepoel who finished second as well as my team-mate, Graham Jarvis, who was third,” De Wet said after finishing the three-day ‘Roof’ in 19 hours, 48 minutes and 52 seconds. “It was probably not the most technical Roof we’ve had in recent years, but it was tough and exhausting. I spent nine hours in the saddle on both days and no matter how fit you are, it is still tough, but we still enjoy it,” he commented. The 29-year old factory rider from Montagu in the Western Cape, who claimed his sixth South African national championship title earlier this year by clinching the E2 championship for the second consecutive year, had a good event despite crashing during Thursday’s Around the Houses street race in Maseru (he had to settle for the second place…) and then injuring his little toe during the time-trial on the same day. He still posted the third fastest time after time-trial and started Friday’s racing section from the third position on the grid. Friday was a long day with the route taking competitors up and down various new mountain passes. It was a day of non-stop, in-your-face racing with the front runners pushing the limits. It was also very hot – De Wet cooled himself down in the rivers and streams – and although he kept pushing, he had to reserve energy and his Husqvarna TE300 for yet another day’s racing on Saturday.
This is his second consecutive top 10 ‘Roof’ result as part of the SA Husqvarna Factory team. Husqvarna SA claimed two of the top four places while Blake Gutzeit, who lots three hours on Friday when he ended up on the wrong route, finished the race eventually in the 14th place overall. “It was a tough Roof this year. Thank you to the organisers, the sponsors and everyone who made it possible,” he said “It is not possible to compete successfully in a race like this without the support and assistance of our sponsors and the team and I would like to thank the whole team who made it possible for me to bring home these results,” De Wet said. “We will be back again next year and I will again aim for the Number One step, like I did this year,” he promised.
“THE E2 CHAMPIONSHIP IS OURS”- ALTUS DE WET CLAIMS ANOTHER NATIONAL TITLE ALTUS DE WET has claimed the National Enduro E2 Championship for the second consecutive year for Team Cargo-Tac Husqvarna Factory Racing. This is his fifth national enduro championship title and his sixth national title since he started competing on national level in 2006. It is also Husqvarna SA’s second consecutive E2 (Open Class) championship title. DE WET (29) clinched the title after winning the E2 Class five times during the 2014 Liquorland National Enduro Championship season’s six events. He drummed the final nail in the coffin at the final event, the Liquorland Matatiele WFO National Enduro that took place at Matatiele in the Eastern Cape and his fifth runner-up result this year was enough for him to secure the second place on the overall standings for 2014.
ALTUS DE WET: “After the Winterberg event at Patensie, I again put in a lot of hard work with my riding and training. I was fit and ready for „Matat.. Friday was a long day as we walked 20 kilometres of special stages. We had a tough extreme special; a fast flowing enduro special; a very fun sand/MX special and at the end a fun, but challenging MX/enduro Cross Special. The team was there in full force except Blake (Gutzeit) who was out with an
injury, but he was there to help. I made my lost time back on the extreme and enduro specials where I felt
strong with a win in each of them. The Cargo-Tac Husqvarna Factory Racing team was fantastic all year and I am
really proud to be a part of the team! I had the best equipment and support all
year. Big thanks to Fred Fensham from Husqvarna SA and Kevin Wessels from Cargo-Tac. I am currently in Argentina for the International Six Days Enduro and aim for
a gold medal. We will keep you posted...”
ALTUS DE WET CONQUERED THE TOUGHEST ONE-DAY EXTREME ENDURO IN AUSTRIA “HAPPY TO HAVE BEATEN THE IRON GIANT !!” ALTUS DE WET has tried three times before to beat the ‘Iron Giant’ and the fourth time he conquered Erzberg Rodeo, known as the toughest one-day extreme enduro race in the world! Yes, ALTUS finished the 2014 Red Bull Harescramble – the four-hour main race of the Erzberg Rodeo where 1500 entrants started the Prologue; only 500 riders can qualify for the Harescramble and only 31 competitors completed the 2014 event. It was tough... “I just had to finish ‘Erzberg’ and after trying three times, the monkey is at last off my back,” DE WET, who competed in Austria with the support of Husqvarna SA and his personal sponsor, Cargo-Tac, who is also the team sponsor, said after the race. “Erzberg is just such a huge challenge as you have to complete the race in four hours and if you do not have supporters on the route, there is almost no chance that you will see the end,” he said. “We now had the knowledge and put in a lot of effort to be 100% prepared for the race and I am glad to have finished it,” a relieved DE WET stated afterwards. The Erzberg Rodeo will never be an easy event and the organisers are almost disappointed to have a ‘big’ amount of finishers, like this year’s 31 finishers. Last year only 11 competitors made it to the finish of a race where snow and rain preceded the event. The weather was a little better this year, but cold, rainy conditions added to the challenge. The 1500 competitors had two chances to post their best time during the Prologue and they all had their eye on the front row for the Red Bull Harescramble – and there was only 50 spots available. DE WET experienced two flat tyres on his first attempt and posted the 58th fastest time. He knew he ad to better his time if he wanted to start the race from the front row, but he also knew that it is almost impossible to post a better time the next day as the short Prologue route (about 13 kilometres this year) would have deteriorated badly due to so many motorcycles and quads having ridden it. A different approach saw him then posting the 22nd fastest time and securing his position between 49 other riders – including his team-mate, Blake Gutzeit, and two more South African competitors, Wade Young and Scott Bouverie – on the front row. THE RACE: “The first 10 kilometres after the start was probably the most difficult as it was a mad dash to get up the first steep uphill and then you have to fight your way open all the time. You almost forget how to race properly. Only when it opened up and you can apply your own riding style, did it get somewhat better,” he explains. “Water leaked from the gasket and I had to stop quite a few times to fill it up with water and each time many riders would pass me again. This was quite frustrating,” he remembers. He eventually stopped and fixed it properly and did not experience any more issues after an extremely rocky section called Carl’s Diner. “The sections in the plantations at the beginning and end of the race, were extremely difficult as it was slippery with lots of logs and tree roots. I was thankful for each pair of hands that helped me along the way,” DE WET said and those who know, will admit that no rider can complete this event without help along the way... (This video explains it all!) ALTUS finished the race in 24th place. `“A special thank you to everyone who supported me especially Alex and Doris Schmidt from Eisenerz who became our friends and supporters over the past years. This result would not have been possible without the support and assistance of everyone including my friend and mechanic, Shaun Duckham, who spent time away from the family to assist me at Erzberg. Congratulations also to my team-mate, Blake Gutzeit, for finishing 16th overall!” ALTUS and Gutzeit competed with factory-prepared Husqvarnas as arranged by Husqvarna SA’s Fred Fensham. “The bike was strong and performed faultlessly. It really stood the test of time at this extreme enduro,” he stated afterwards. NEXT: RED BULL ROMANIACS (15 – 19 July), Romania – ALTUS will tackle this event, that also features on the list as one of the world’s toughest enduro races and is being run over five days in Romania, for the third time and aims for a good finish. Photo by Andreea Aleandru
ALTUS DE WET STARTS NATIONAL ENDURO SEASON WITH A VICTORY The 2014 Liquorland National Enduro Championship started very well for the defending National Open Class Enduro Champion, ALTUS DE WET, who won his class (E2 Open Class) at the Liquorland Champagne Valley Enduro this past weekend in the Winterton area in KwaZulu-Natal. He scored another podium position by finishing second overall at this tough event. It was however not easy and had De Wet, who competes this year under the Cargo-Tac Husqvarna Factory Racing banner, not used some innovation and his mechanical knowledge in the bush, the result might probably have looked somewhat different. Like the bikes of many riders, the fork seals on his Husqvarna also started leaking due to the type of mud they had to go through. ALTUS DE WET looks back at an action packed event that consisted of 11 Special Stages! “Lots of hard work and preparation went into this race from both the team and myself. We got new sponsors on board with Cargo-Tac who is now our title sponsor. It is a new year and we are ready to show that the results of the previous season were not only a once-off... “We arrived early on Friday morning at Four Rivers Adventures in the Champagne Valley to walk the four special stages that were set out for us. For the first race of the season I was very keen to just bring the bike home safe and get a good result and good points on the board. It was also my first national enduro event on the new Huqvarna FE 350. “Not much rain fell during the previous night, but the grass was tall and still slippery. On the first lap we started with the MX grass special. I was very comfortable on this stage and won it twice after three laps. “On the first extreme special I unfortunately made a mistake and lost 20 seconds, but I posted a good time on the first cross test as well. The regularity stages were tough and challenging with mud holes and steep rocky up and down hills. “On the second lap I won the MX Special Stage and posted good times in both the extreme and cross tests. But then it happened... “Going up a climb called Bambi's, I tried a new line to get around a slower rider and fell off a big rock damaging one of the radiator pipes badly. I lost 30 minutes fixing it in the bush and from there it was a race to the finish to give Shaun Duckham and the crew in the pits enough time to fix what needed to be fixed. That was however not my only problem as we discovered that both my forks were leaking oil onto the brakes due to the very fine mud we went through. “The team fixed everything in time and I got going for my third and final lap. It went well and I won the MX special again while I was satisfied with my times for the extreme and cross test. My last enduro test was also good as I was second fastest! My Husqvarna FE350 ran extremely well even with the problems I was responsible for. I just have to thank my team for being so sharp all day and big THANK YOU to all the sponsors giving us the right equipment for the tasks at hand! I could not have asked for a better way to start the season.” After this good result, ALTUS DE WET and his crew will travel to Wolmaransstad in the North-West Province for the opening round of the 2014 SA National Off-road Championship where he will compete in the OR2 (250cc) Class this year. He finished this event in 2012 in third place and will aim for a podium position again.
WELL-DESERVED SEVENTH PLACE FOR ALTUS DE WET AT EXTREME
'ROOF' ALTUS DE WET (Husqvarna Racing) spent about 300 kilometres and a total of 16 tough hours and 44 minutes on the seat of his 2-stroke Husqvarna TE300 to finish the 2013 Roof of Africa in a deservedly seventh place overall in the Gold Class. This is his eighth 'Roof' - and seventh top 10 result - and a 'Roof' that will appear on his list of the most tricky ones held in the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho. A second day of incessant rain and thick mist welcomed the riders on Saturday (16 November) on the start line for the third and final day (Saturday, 16 November) of this 46th running of the 'Roof of Africa'. DE WET started the race in sixth place behind Chris Birch and his Husqvarna Racing team mate, Graham Jarvis, who were fighting it out at the front. The remaining 74 riders in the Gold Class all started within 15 seconds of each and tackled a wet, soggy and muddy route after the organisers were forced to make some changes and cut out some sections including 'Snakebite' due to the rain. It was a tough 8hours 41min 50s for the Montagu rider who did not make use of 'trials' tyres like many other riders. This resulted in him struggling in the slippery conditions, but he fought a tough battle to the end to be one of only 23 riders who managed to complete the full race distance in the Gold Class. Of the 366 competitors who started the 'Roof of Africa', a total of only 62 in the Gold (full distance), Silver (75%) and Bronze (50%) classes reached the finish at the top of Bushman's Pass. "I hoped for a better result, but am happy with this position under the circumstances," the Husqvarna Racing factory rider said after the race. "The weather played a huge role in this event and we did not use trials tyres, but even though I did not get a lot of saddle time with the 300TE 2-stroke before the race, it was still a good choice. I am very impressed with its performance," he said.
Husqvarna Racing in South Africa has made their own history when ALTUS won the 'Around the Houses' street race in Maseru as well as the 45 kilometre prologue on Thursday (14 November) while Jarvis posted the fastest time on Day Three and took the overall victory. Birch finished second behind Jarvis at the 2013 Roof of Africa with the South African, Scott Bouverie, rounding off the podium. With his eighth 'Roof' now done, ALTUS will begin with the planning and
preparation for the 2014 racing season. Some exciting announcements will be made
soon. |
2014 ROOF OF
AFRICA 
After racing for
more than nine hours on Friday, Altus finished the day in the fifth place in the
Gold Class behind Young (the leader); Swanepoel; Jarvis (third) and James Hodson.
Another long, hot day awaited the riders who tackled the race again at 6h in the
morning. According to Altus, the route was not that strenuous, but it still kept
him busy for another nine hours. After three days and a total of more than 19
hours in the saddle, De Wet finished the 2014 Roof of Africa, rated as one of
the toughest ‘Hard Enduro’ events in the world, in the fourth place overall.
SECOND
CONSECUTIVE NATIONAL ENDURO TITLE FOR ALTUS DE WET AND HUSQVARNA SA (LIQUORLAND
NATIONAL ENDURO CHAMPIONSHIP)
The Matatiele event consisted of four Special Stages with a total of 15
stages counted towards the total results. The route took competitors though
rocky hills and sandy tracks with a motocross section thrown in for good
measure.
ROOF
OF AFRICA 2013 (14 - 16 November, Lesotho)
'Congratulations
to Graham Jarvis who deserves the victory and thank you to the crews who
supplied us with the best tools and support to do our job in the mountains. I am
proud to be part of this team who has made history as far as I know by putting
Husqvarna on the top step of the podium again after doing so previously in the
1970's," he stated proudly.