BMW Motorrad is celebrating a great result at the 2009 Roof of Africa. Riding a BMW G 450 X, South African Jade Gutzeit excelled in some of the toughest enduro conditions on the planet to finish the three-day encounter in third place. Elsewhere, the inimitable Andreas 'Letti' Lettenbichler was among the leading group of riders before an unlucky encounter with the challenging terrain ended his race - and hopes of a debut victory.

Held in the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho in southern Africa, the 'Roof' is recognised as one of the most arduous enduro events in the world. The 42nd annual challenge took place between November 26 - 28 and once again attracted some of the world's most talented off-road specialists. In the pre-event build up, the 2009 edition was hyped as being the toughest ever and, as the dust finally settled on the race, few could argue any against this belief!

The 'Roof' began with the traditional curtain-raiser - the Time Trial. Maseru was awoken by the thunderous roar of motorcycles speeding down one of its main dual carriageways as competitors began the three-lap stage. The Open class was an awesome spectacle - BMW Motorrad's 'Letti' stamping his authority by taking advantage of the four-stroke power of his G 450 X. However, a navigation error meant that he finished the first day in 81st position. It was Jade, his BMW team-mate, who took first blood, being declared the top finisher of the day on corrected times, 30 seconds ahead of his closest challenger Chris Birch.

If day one belonged to the BMW G 450 X of Gutzeit, day two was Lettenbichler's. Against a sea of lighter two-stroke machines, 'Letti' carved his way through the field - an impressive performance in his first ever appearance at the Roof. At the end of the stage, which included some treacherous mountain sections, 'Letti' had incredibly fought his way up to second place overall, just half a minute behind Chris Birch, who had taken the lead early on day two. Meanwhile, Jade remained in contention and ended the day in fourth place.

After ten hours of increasingly difficult riding, the field had been reduced dramatically and only a handful of the riders who took their place on the start line remained to complete day three. One of the riders forced to retire on day two was another BMW rider, Rudi Pöschl, who broke his toe following a collision with one of the course's many rocky sections.

'Letti' continued his fine form into the third and final day. As soon as the action got underway, the German was on the prowl for his maiden victory. But with around 10km remaining and having just about mastered the toughest course in the event's history, 'Letti's' race was over. A stroke of bad luck resulted in a rock penetrating his bike's engine casing and the subsequent oil leak forced his retirement.

This left Jade to fly the flag for BMW Motorrad. The South African had won the event in 2003 and finished as runner-up in 2008 so was all-too aware of what it takes to succeed in Lesotho. He used his vast experience to ride with distinction on the final day and finish in third place, just 12 seconds behind second-placed Rory Mead, who in turn was over two hours behind Birch, who won the event for the second successive year. A broken chain cost Jade valuable time and the second place his performance deserved, but competing at the Roof on a G 450 X for the first time, a podium finish is a fantastic return for Jade and the legendary German manufacturer.

"I'm really pleased with my performance this year," comments Jade. "I knew that I'd be strong in the time trial as the G 450 X is really well suited to the fast, flowing nature of the course. I also knew that I had to take advantage of this because when the event became more technical on the second and third days, the guys on the lighter two-strokes would come into play.

"I'm a bit disappointed that I didn't manage to finish second as I was chasing Rory really hard and had managed to pull about seven minutes back on him," he adds. "But I lost that time with the broken chain and spent the closing stages trying to chase him down again. The margin was very close in the end, but I'm happy to be the highest-placed South African and to have ridden the G 450 X to the best ever finish for a four-stroke at the Roof."

'Letti' adds: "It was a hard race, that's for sure! I had a GPS issue on the first day and the one-hour penalty set me back, but the second day was perfect. I passed everybody except Chris Birch and felt really strong."

Having been in such a strong position at the midway point, 'Letti' is understandably disappointed not to have finished the race. "On the last day I was pushing really hard and knew I could have a strong finish, but a stroke of bad luck meant that my race was over," he continues. "It's disappointing as I wanted to do well in my first time at the Roof, but now I've shown that I am able to ride at the front so I'll definitely be coming back next year."

 

Roof of Africa 2009 results

1. Chris Birch (NZ), KTM, 19:07:07.911

2. Rory Mead (NZ), Yamaha, 21:20:53.058

3. Jade Gutzeit (RSA), BMW, 21:21:05.087

4. Darryl Curtis (RSA), KTM, 21:40:52.992

5. Calvin Wright (RSA), KTM, 23:17:53.906

For further information on the Roof of Africa 2009, visit www.roof-of-africa.com

 

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