BSG Multisport

The final event of the 2011 BSG Energade Triseries takes place at Emerald Casino in Vanderbijlpark this Sunday, the 4th of December.  Race organisers are expecting a packed field as entries for the Main Series reached maximum capacity on Tuesday – an outstanding testimony to the growth of interest in the sport.

The BSG Energade Triseries offers opportunities for both professional and amateur athletes to shine in their categories. Competitors at this weekend’s race will not only be racing for podium positions, it is also their last chance to secure valuable points towards their overall finishing positions and a chance to win the Series Title in their categories.

In the Elite Ladies’ race, defending champion Andrea Steyn (Team BSG) will be looking to make history and make it seven-for-seven to claim the overall Series Title at this year’s BSG Energade Triseries. A lady to watch is Carla van Huyssteen (Team Inov-8) who has proven to be a serious competitor, coming second at the sixth event of the BSG Energade Triseries held at Brandvlei Dam in Worcester on the 20^th of November. Carla was followed by Vicky van der Merwe (Team BSG), who has gone from strength-to-strength throughout the Series. Other challengers for podium positions include Rosalyn Laurens (Team Future Life), Riana de Lange (Ocean Basket), Carlyn Fischer (Team Inov-8) and Tayla Glover (Team Mr Price).

In the Elite Men’s race, Richard Murray (Team BSG) looks to be the most likely winner of the overall Elite Men’s Title, but to win Sunday’s race, Richard will need to work exceptionally hard to stave off defending champion Erhard Wolfaardt (Team Mr Price) who did not compete at the Brandvlei Dam event. Another top competitor to watch is nineteen-year-old Abrahm Louw (Team BSG), who has had an excellent Triseries this year as he is currently sitting in third position on the overall leaderboard. Also competing for podium finishes and valuable points are Theo Blignaut and Claude Eksteen (both from Team Inov-8), Chris Felgate (Team BSG), Henri Schoeman (Team Future Life) and Jeff Norton (Team Mr Price).

With just a few points separating several of the top contenders, the winners of the overall titles in the age group categories are still unclear and it will all depend on the results of Sunday’s race. In the Men’s Junior (age 15-19) category, top competitors include Michael Pienaar with 2340 points on the leaderboard, Gareth Jooste just behind him with 2099 points and Russell Gaynor following in third place with 1986 points.  The top 3 Junior (15-19) Ladies are also very close on the leaderboard. Most likely to take the overall Junior Ladies’ category title is Mnandi Weber with 3200 points. Not far behind her is Charne Prinsloo with 3080 points, followed by Marlette Smit with a total of 2691 points. A win for any of these ladies could have a dramatic impact on their overall scores.

In the 20-29 age group category, Handre van Niekerk is the top contender in the Men’s race, with his current score of 2798 on the leaderboard. Ruan Naude is in second place overall with 2400 points, followed by Daniel Retief with 1806 points. In the Ladies’ 20-29 age group category, first place is currently held by Esmari Goosen, however she will not be competing at the final event, which means that she will not be eligible to win the overall age group title. This leaves the field wide open for Rentia Coetzee (currently in second place) and Karlien van Heerden (currently in third position) to secure the title. The competition between these two ladies is sure to be intense as they pull out all the stops to be the first across the finish line.

Wilhelm Steyn, husband to defending Elite Ladies’ champion Andrea Steyn, is currently topping the leaderboard in the 30-39 Men’s age category. Wilhelm will have to fend off the likes of Tiaan Rossouw and Ross Radford who are both tough competitors, but with 4 wins at the 2011 BSG Energade Triseries to date, he looks set for another victory at Sunday’s event and to take the overall title in this category.  The men in this category have given spectacular performances at all of this year’s events – the fastest man to cross the finish line has come from this category in 4 of the 6 races, and it remains to be seen if the trend will be repeated in the final!

All eyes will be on Minette Bell who has had a fantastic Series this year, coming first in the 30-39 Ladies’ age category in all of the races where she competed.  Minette is currently in top position on the leaderboard with 3200 points. In second place is Keri Swift with 2542 points, and Carna Kriel is behind her with 1757 points.

In the Veteran (40 – 49) Ladies’ category, Sue Peterkin has been in top form racking up 3140 points to put her at the top of the leaderboard. In second position is Alison Lailvaux with 2165 points, followed by Angela Taylor with a total of 1956 points. Robert Davidson is first on the leaderboard in the Veteran (40 – 49) Men’s category with 2400 points. Hot-on-his-heels is Francois Kotze, who is currently 179 points behind, with Dawie de Villiers just 201 points behind them. It will all come down to the final race on Sunday to win the overall Series Title!

In the Masters 50+ Men’s category, Charles Naude is the top contenders for the overall title as he has built up a substantial lead over his nearest competitors MC Wessels and Endre Sparkes. Lynette Fischer and Carolyn Williamson will be battling it out for the overall title in the Masters 50+ Ladies’ category. Also competing for a podium finish is Stephanie Claassen who is currently in third position.

In almost every category, the points for the top 3 positions on the leaderboard are extremely close, which will result in some exciting racing at this weekend’s event, as all the athletes prepare themselves to give stellar performances in a final bid to secure the overall Series Titles.