that would help them to clear some of the really gnarly obstacles come race time. Unfortunately for some of the lesser experienced riders, the track was not as easy as the pros had made it look and they soon paid the price for their over zealous attempts to conquer this unforgiving track. This all made for great spectator entertainment, which I know is sick, but it truly is good fun to watch! For the main event, the riders were divided into smaller groups, varying levels of experience. Each heat consisted of three laps and the rider’s objective was to get to the finish line as quickly as possible, to ensure they made the cut and progressed to the next heat. With such skilled riders taking part, it was no surprise that the heats were primarily dominated by Jade Gutzeit, Brain Capper and Marc Torlage. They were all business and in top form, fuelling an already electric atmosphere for a final that was destined to be epic. The final heat did not disappoint, and it was Jade who powered ahead to create a gap between himself and his rivals, which he managed to hang onto until the finish. A very determined Brian came in second, with Marc in third. Fever X-extreme is truly a fantastic event and the DO IT NOW team is eagerly looking forward to being at the next one. I would highly recommend this event to all motorsport enthusiasts, and hopefully in the near future we will see more sponsors getting involved, more tracks being built and the start of an endurocross series in South Africa. DO IT NOW spoke to local motorbike legend Brian Capper to find out what his thoughts are on endurocross and why he is considering racing this format permanently in the future. This is what Brian had to say …
EnduroX: The new indoor SuperX of the off-road world By Brian Capper
In the late ‘90s, the Camel International SuperX was the biggest series to hit South Africa and US. I remember going to the Sun City Superbowl, in what was then Bophuthatswana, as a nine-year-old kid to watch the great Greg Albertyn compete against American hotshots Fred Andrews and Tommy Clowers. I’ll never forget the goose bumps all over my body when the sound track ‘Thunder Struck’ played, as all the top riders made their way out of the tunnel and into the arena. And then again at the end when ‘We are the Champions’ played while Fred Andrews stood on top of the podium spraying bubbly.
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Those were good times and memories that I still think about frequently. To be honest, they motivate me every time I get on the start line; and it’s these same feelings that I experience today when I think of EnduroX. I honestly believe that EnduroX is going to be like SuperX and Speedway was back in the late ‘90s. Friday night racing in Johannesburg or Kings Park Stadium in Durban, with flood lit tracks, brilliant fireworks, lots of incredibly hard racing action and a place where families and friends can go to instead of a restaurant or night club. People love entertainment and for some crazy reason they love to see riders falling. EnduroX has got it all and there’s nothing better than a ‘bar to bar’ battle on the race track. South Africans are starved for real, homegrown, exciting motor racing action and with this format, run properly, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be the next big thing. Remember when SuperMoto hit the streets in Pinetown? There were 20,000 screaming spectators lining the town’s perimeter, most of which were probably not even motorsport enthusiasts. But entertainment is what we all seek and this is what EnduroX is all about. I really can see EnduroX being the next worldwide trend. There are so many other advantages to this sport. As an EnduroX course is closed, the entire track can be viewed from one point so that the spectators don’t miss a thing. The course set-up is super challenging and a combination of Xtreme Enduro, Trials and SX, with logs, rocks, jumps and berms. As bikes and riders traverse these seemingly impossible obstacles, heart rates (the riders and spectators) shoot through the roof and there is definitely no lack of thrills and spills. Then there’s the unpredictability factor that makes for great entertainment and even better TV coverage. It’s one thing riding over obstacles, but it’s another thing doing it fast, so the minute you throw in the unpredictability factor CHAOS is imminent. You can be out front with a five second lead and just a small error could see you come in stone last. That’s the nature of this beast. When all is said and done, spectators get the opportunity to meet their heroes and see them up close and personal, check out their metal steeds, poise for a photo or get an autograph between motos. I’m putting my name behind this and see this as my next venture to succeed in. Who’s coming with? •