A fifth consecutive victory in the 2012 South African National Off-road Motorcycle Championship resulted in the Brother Broadlink KTM factory rider, Louwrens Mahoney, claiming the overall title as well as the OR1 (Open Class) championship. Mahoney won the recent Off-road SA 400 held in dry and dusty conditions in the Sun City area.
Mahoney has now won all five rounds of the 2012 season and claimed the titles with one more round to go. It is the second time he has won the overall title (he did so in 2006 and has moved to the USA to compete on international level).
The Off-road SA (ORSA) 400 consisted of the traditional time-trial on Friday and Mahoney claimed his fourth pole position after the 30km section on a route that was laid out for the national off-road car race the weekend before which means it was extremely fast with the route markings more suited for drivers and navigators in vehicles. He raced cautiously and had a clean run to start the 318km race (two loops of 159km each) in the lead – a position he was never once challenged for or relinquished during the race.
His KTM 300XC 2-stroke did not miss a beat and Mahoney did not put a wheel wrong to claim his fifth consecutive victory after so many national races this season.
“It was not an easy race as anything could go wrong at any time,” the new champion said afterwards. “There were many rocks and obstacles that could have ended my race and I was fortunate that I had a clean run. My KTM 300XC 2-stroke worked perfect and so did all the quality products that work hand in hand for me to be able to do well,” the humble 29-year old said.
The pressure will be a little less on Mahoney for the last national event, but if he can win this race, it will be a new ‘record’ as no motorcycle rider has won the overall title during the last decade with a clean sweep of victories during the season.
He is now preparing for the Castrol Winterberg Enduro, the fifth round of the Liquorland National Enduro Championship that takes place on 18 August in the Eastern Cape. He has won this event in 2004 (with a 125cc KTM) and will aim for another victory – he is (provisionally) second on the overall standings.
“I would like to thank all my sponsors and supporters for your support during this season. Without each and every one of you, these results would not have been possible.”
