MITAS: NEW PROUD SPONSOR OF THE COMSOL ALFIE COX ELITE RACE TEAM - CHRIS BIRCH, WILLIAM GILLITT, DOMINIC MANTEL

MITAS is proud to team up with The Comsol Alfie Cox Elite Race Team, which after extensive testing has decided to partner with MITAS as their new sponsor.

Mitas is the largest motorcycle tyre manufacturer in Europe and is quickly establishing itself as a leading brand in South Africa. MITAS has also recently joined the CGS group with Continental, establishing a strong presence on the international off road scene.

Founded in the early 1930's as a subsidiary of Michelin, MITAS established itself as a major manufacturer of quality tyres producing many of the world's best tyres from its three large Czech plants.

Today the Mitas product range is unparalleled and includes tyres for a wide variety of applications. It is famous for its superb off-road tyres to suit Motocross, Enduro, Dual Sport, Junior MX, Speedway and Trials motorcycle applications.

Using cutting-edge formulation and design, it produces millions of tyres every year, under the Mitas name as well as under contract for other major tyre brands. Mitas tyres are used around the world in competitive and recreational applications and occupy the premium end of the off-road and adventure bike markets.

By sponsoring The Comsol Alfie Cox Elite Race Team, MITAS is looking forward to growing the brand in South Africa and promoting their tyre range in the local off road market, by offering factory teams as well as ‘weekend warriors’ the top of the crop!

The team has already had some excellent results following from the Lesotho National Enduro, WFO series and Enduro Wold Cross Country series, with the latest result being a 1^st overall for Chris Birch and 1^st senior for William Gillitt at the Montagu National Enduro.

For further details, please contact Darren Bishop, Head of WFO Bikes & Racing (MITAS SA Distributor) on 0418223344 or 0823236170 or darren@wfobikes.co.za

Chris Birch Wins Montagu Enduro

The Kiwi, Chris Birch (Comsol Alfie Cox Racing KTM) claimed his second victory in the Liquorland National Enduro Championship this weekend at Montagu when the beat the defending title holder, Jade Gutzeit (Proudly Bidvest Yamaha) by a mere two points (seconds) after an especially rocky route in the Keisie Valley in the Western Cape.

It was Birch’s first visit to this area and the rocky route was not kind to a niggling wrist injury. They had to complete four timed racing sections and both riders won two of these special stages each even though they got stuck behind riders on the route.

Gutzeit’s team-mate, Louwrens Mahoney, rounded off the overall and Class E1 (Open) podium after losing time while fixing the brakes after the third Special Stage. Brian Capper (Full Throttle Racing Red Bull KTM) finished only 32 points behind Mahoney after a clean run and was followed by the Brother Broadlink KTM team-mates, Darryl Curtis (he struggled with handling problems after the moose in the front wheel of his KTM collapsed) with Riaan van Niekerk a mere four points behind him. Local Montagu rider, Altus de Wet, was seventh and won the E2 (200cc) Class after losing time during a timed racing section when he took a tumble down a slope.

Five Brother Broadlink KTM riders finished in the top ten – Lionel Seydoux was ninth and Scott Scheepers, who claimed second place in the E2 Class, finished tenth with only 11 points separating him from the Swiss enduro rider. The privateer racer, Mark Fox (WildCoast KTM Umso Construction Ribco KTM) was eighth.

Scott Bouverie (Mr Price Yamaha) was just outside the top ten in 11^th place (third in the E2 Class) while his team-mate and the defending E2 champion, Marc Torlage, had to settle for 29^th place overall (ninth in the E2 Class) after a long day in the saddle. His chain guide broke off early in the race and the chain came off twice in the timed sections. The damage caused an oil leak and he was forced to carry oil to top it up during the race.

Gray Dick (Brother Broadlink KTM) was 12^th with Bradley van Aswegen (Kargo Racing Yamaha), who also lost time while recovering after a crash, 13^th; Rory Gower (Rockgarden Gas Gas Designer Gold) was 14^th and Mark Garland (Kargo Racing Husaberg) finished his first national enduro of the season in 15^th.

Also in the top 20 was Dominic Mantle (Comsol Alfie Cox KTM Racing) who finished 16^th after he struggled with wire in his rear wheel; James Hodson (Team Liquorland Alfie Cox Racing) who was 17^th; local Cape rider, Brett Lewis (Rockgarden Gas Gas) who finished 18^th; Wynand Badenhorst (Leo Internet Yamaha) in 19^th place and Stefan Oosthuizen (Nomadik Tents Husaberg) who rounded off the top 20.

The battle lines have been drawn in the Senior Class where defending champion, William Gillitt (Comsol Alfie Cox Racing KTM) took revenge on Lesotho winner, Mike Morris (cc Gallery KTM) who picked up penalty points in the first regularity section. Like Morris, Stephan Landman (Team Liquorland Gas Gas) is also a newcomer to the class and he rounded off the podium, 29 points behind Morris. Bruce Gargam (FeverX Criterion Yamaha) was fourth and Peter Jung (WildCoast KTM Umso Construction Ribco) finished fifth.

In the Master Class, defending champ, Denzil Torlage (Mr Price Yamaha) followed his victory in Lesotho earlier this season up when he won the class for the second consecutive year. He beat two local Cape riders – Mark du Plessis (Habitat KTM Cape Town) was a mere 35 points behind in second place while Gary Sox Smith (Comsol Alfie Cox Racing KTM), who won the Senior Class at this event last year, had to settle for third place after wire in his KTM’s wheels also bogged him down. Barries Barnard (Honda) and Graydon Ilderton (Nomadik Tents KTM) rounded off the top five.

The Silver Challenge Class was also closely contested where Reghardt Kruger (ML Tech Racing Gas Gas) took his first victory of the season. He was followed by Cape rider, Pieter van der Merwe (KTM) and Riaan van der Walt (KTM).

Two rounds of the 2011 National Enduro Championship are now something of the past and competitors can prepare themselves for four more rounds to earn valuable points. The third round of the season, the Liquorland Rover Enduro, will take place on 14 May in the Humansdorp area in the Eastern Cape.