RALLY: Ladies Quad and Bike Champions team up for Namaqua African Rally

MOTORBIKING

Words: Michelle Smith ǀ Photos: Various

Toni leading the pack.

Photo credit: Toni Jardine PR

LADIES QUAD AND BIKE CHAMPIONS TEAM UP FOR

NAMAQUA AFRICAN RALLY

TAKING A PAGE OUT OF THE EVER-POPULAR DAKAR RALLY EVENT, THE NAMAQUA AFRICAN RALLY IS A FIRST FOR SOUTHERN AFRICA. Offering both bikes and quads the opportunity to compete in a multistage rally, which is taking place from 25 April to 3 May 2014, it is fast becoming one of the biggest events of the year.

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Liezel in action.

Photo credit: Elza Thiart-Botes

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THE RALLY KICKS OFF IN CAPE TOWN AND

RIDERS WILL MAKE THEIR WAY TO VREDENDAL, TO START RACING ON THE AFTERNOON OF 27 APRIL. They will cover all types of terrain as they race through the picturesque Namaqua West Coast region of southern Africa, testing both skill and endurance, before completing the race on 2 May and then heading back to Cape Town.

Riders will cover approximately 3,500 km over seven days, so there is no surprise that it has attracted some of the best in the business. Many other riders will be participating purely to experience the thrill of competing over so many days and to put their limits to the test.

As part of this exciting event, Liezel Barnard, the current Ladies Quad Champion, and Toni Jardine, the current Ladies Bike Champion, will be racing as part of the same team under Barnard Vervoer, the company that Liezel owns with her husband Banie. Whilst the ladies will be racing in different classes at the Namaqua African Rally, it is great to see the top two ladies in South Africa join forces and take on this incredible event.

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Photo credit: Elza Thiart-Botes

LIEZEL BARNARD 2013 LADIES QUAD CHAMPION

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At first glance, no one would guess that Carletonville-resident Liezel, who is a wife, business woman and mother to three very busy kids, is the current Ladies Quad Class Champion. Her ability to balance such an incredible life is a clear sign of why, in only five years, she went from getting on a 200 cc Blaster for the first time to winning not one but multiple quad championships in various series and classes in 2013.

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Liezel has achieved so much already and has decided to race the Namaqua African Rally for the experience, with a goal to finish and have an incredible amount of fun doing it. She will be racing on her Barnard Vervoer sponsored Can-Am 1,000 cc Renegade. Liezel is unsure how many more years she will be racing, but says she is nervous and excited and can’t wait to start the race.

Photo credit: Toni Jardine PR

TONI JARDINE

2013 LADIES BIKE CHAMPION

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Toni is South Africa’s two-wheeled rising star and has already made history in several ways. She was the first lady to enter and complete the ever-challenging Roof of Africa in the Bronze class in 2011, at only 19 years of age. She then repeated her success in 2012 by completing it in the more challenging Silver class. Toni’s list of achievements since then has grown each year and is testament to the fact that she is actively competing in the FIM Women’s World Enduro Championships in 2014, at just 21. The future for this young woman is extremely bright.

Not only are events like this rare but having such talented women competing in them is even more so, with only a handful willing to accept the challenge. Over the last few years, there has been an explosion of development in the female off-road riding sectors and we hope to see the number of female competitors grow drastically in the coming years. Women like Liezel and Toni are paving the way for these future riders and will always be ladies to look up to.

Toni comes from a very close and supportive family environment and has worked hard to earn the support of some great companies that also see a bright future for this young woman. The Namaqua African Rally is a dream come true for Toni, who is striving towards her goal of one day racing in the Dakar Rally. Toni will be racing on her Roost/Mr. Move sponsored KTM 250 XCW-F.

SO IF YOU ARE MAKING YOUR WAY OUT TO THE RALLY, LOOK OUT FOR THE BARNARD VERVOER PITS AND COME SAY HI TO THE LADIES. •

Thanks to Motorsport South Africa (MSA), Women in Motorsport (WIM) and Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) for their continued support.

For more information about the Namaqua African Rally, go to www.namaquaafricanrally.com

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