Baja 2016 - Team Verve and the White Rhino's story

The Richtersveld

Baja 2016 – Team Verve - White Rhino

Team Verve: Sean, Hugh (Crew) and Gary (Grolls), Chris (Rubiblue) and me Rainer (White Rhino)


My interest and inspiration in rally, like many, perked up from following the Dakar and other events like the Amageza and sharing in individual’s experiences and adventures of the likes of Neil Ringdahl (BlueBull).

Finding biking mates that share the same enthusiasm in rally is a different matter altogether. I’ve been riding adventure bikes and dirt bikes but with very different groups of riders. Of the dirt bike clan, some get spun up about rocks, I’m not a rock the rabbit, maybe something to do with the fact that I have poor reach making it tougher than necessary in technical sections.

Gary and Chris are two adventure as well as dirt bike riders that didn’t need much enticing into the possibility of someday doing a rally. Chris had taken close up look into the rally scene initially by volunteering as a spanner boy for Team 525 in the 2015 Amageza. He returned with an absolute view that he wants to be a part of this but as a competitor.

We had tossed the idea of the Amageza around many times and when the Baja popped up, we knew we had to do it! What a better way to see if your talent and bike measures up to the demands of rally riding and if dreams bear any resemblance to reality.

So with limited time to get a bike ready and to get endurance riding fit we started the process late 2015. We proudly called ourselves Team Verve, meaning energy, vigour, get up and go and enthusiasm, which pretty much described our state of mind. Our mascot was one of the minions, Captain Verve. Having two Yammies and one KTM, blue and orange was chosen the colour scheme. We concocted some branding and had shirts and banners made to showcase our entry.
Building a bike up makes it very real and gets the little boy genes going. You need to throw big ammo at it, as most of the parts are imported. It has only recently become apparent to me that there is a local producer (Rockfox) manufacturing local components that look like they could get you there without breaking the bank.

Chris, thanks to his undercover espionage tactics, struck luck and picked up a bargain bike. He scored a rally-ready bike! What a fantastic example of a professionally sculptured rally bike. It was built by MaxThePand) that can best be described as an engineering masterpiece!

Meanwhile, Gary and I were figuring out stuff the hard way, but hey what fun. Unfortunately I’m not as mechanically savvy as required, so I garnered the help of a mechanical mastermind Mike Puzey from Biker’s warehouse. I’m very grateful that he gave up a huge chunk of his time to help convert my bike into a fully-fledged rally bike.

Watching the Dakar and the Amageza it becomes glaringly obvious how vital navigation is. Some will recall how Barbara (Minxy) spent the night in the wilderness due to navigation error. We were clueless. We had 3 separate attempts at the mastering the road book. We were using the road book created by MarkDiver which spans about 360kms in the Gauteng area. The strange thing is, we learned more from getting lost than doing things right. We were continuously plagued with technical / mechanical issues, ranging from tower collapses to rear brake lockup to radiator leaks to engine failures and a gearbox replacement. My WR450 was pretty solid in the early testing days but 2 weeks before the Baja I sucked sand into the motor and had to replace rings, valves etc! Pretty crappy timing for big ticket items! Sourcing parts in a hurry and resizing the valves due to a gas flowed head added to the last minute pressure. Finally, on the last day, the bike’s parts were reassembled. And then, carb issues, damn! We battled right up deep into the night before leaving for Port Nolloth. I eventually load my bike on the trailer after 10pm with only one test spin around the block! Not having tested the bike properly messed with my head.

We were all ready to handle our own support at the event. But understanding a man’s basic weaknesses helps; beer, women and bikes (not necessarily in that order). Recruiting friends near a beer dispenser while discussing bikes, what a perfect way to lure unsuspecting crew. Gunther and Hugh each own their own manufacturing businesses. This meant they had some technical know-how. They also avid dirt bikes riders which hopefully meant they knew which side was up. More important, they had very good social and entertaining skills. Adding that to our team was awesome. But just to be sure that the alcohol wasn’t the only catalyst, we challenged their commitment when they were sober! They never flinched, they were 100% in. The little boy gene couldn’t resist! Gary pushed for extra shirts, game was on! Sean, Gunther’s son in law volunteers to take Gunther’s place when something forces a change in plans. Sean also an avid dirt bike rider and business owner is an equal substitute with a lot less mileage joins the team.

We packed like we were going on Noah’s ark, never expecting to see civilisation for months! Generators, fridge freezers, an ice box that would fit a polar bear, five tents, tables, 9 fuel containers, bike lifts, gazebos and the list goes on. Gary’s trailer was a winner, it was specially designed to holiday 7 grandchildren! We also had a big ass yank tank. A 5.7l Dodge Ram with a Hemi engine, pulling another trailer. Gary had made some magnetic Team Verve signs that stuck on the cars. We weren’t messing around, we meant business!.


Our Crew’s tank!

The distance from Jhb to Port Nolloth was pretty far and mind-numbingly boring, so overnighting two thirds of the way outside Upington was a good way to escape the trundle. We stayed in an old school that was converted into a 4 star hotel deep in the winelands of the Orange river. It was a classy spot that served old fashioned lamb knuckle stew for dinner – especially yummy when chased down with Orange River Cab Sav! We were accompanied by a flash storm of incredible magnitude. It was the kind of storm that could easily lift Noah’s ark if it persisted.


That calm before the storm ….

We debated taking a dirt road towards Kakemas in the morning. I could take my question mark bike for a test ride for 40kms and hopefully chase any demons and spooks from my head. The decision was easy we would all ride!


My good luck charm from my youngest daughter


After breakfast, we kitted up and charged down the R359 gravel road – a must travel for the nature enthusiast. It’s one of my favourite roads in SA, taking you through a reserve on twisty roads rising and falling, like a roller coaster, showcasing my favourite tree, the Quiver tree (Kokerboom). I was over the moon to find that my bike ran well, I moved to much a happier place.



With our spirits upbeat, plus some extra time on our hands, a detour to the spectacular Augrabie falls was on – especially since none of the other guys had been. Once positioned over the falls, there was a lot of oohing and aahing at the magnificent surrounds.


The Falls

Back on the road we lunch in the quaint town of Springbok – surrounded completely by mountains. We start to encounter fellow competitors towing all kinds of mechanical delights. I buy a cap, in case I should get stranded somewhere in desert! We head on for the final leg to Port Nolloth,

One thing for sure, our Dodge Ram is very plush with all kinds of extras and plenty of muscle, but it sucks juice on par with a jet. I guess if you can afford a car like that petrol shouldn’t be a problem. Gary was only filling up his Mazda at alternate stops. We could easily have flown down first class with the money we spent on gas!


Our arrival in Port Nolloth


We finally arrive in a bleek, cold and misty fishy smelling village! Not at all what we expected. We booked into a holiday cottage near the beach where we could hear the sea but couldn’t see it. No time to worry about the surrounds, we had work to do, we needed to get everything ready for a very early scrutineering. We sort out last minute things and park our bikes inside the cottage right next to our beds! Nobody likes a wet bike!


Always a good laugh




Home for our bikes



We head into town and join in the lively banter with many of the other riders and support crew from all over the country – the furthest bunch coming from Durban. We greet the familiar and happy faces and indulge in warrior refreshments acting a lot like deprived school kids. We make up time because we know that the restrictions will be in place until the end of the race!

Gary and I are poor sleepers at the best of times – we often post at three in the morning! Having this event weighed heavily on our minds meant that it was impossible to get a proper night’s sleep. But hey, the important thing was we’re part of a amazing event – you can sleep when it’s over right!


We fitted our goggles with lenses to read the road books!

Day 1 was a mixed bag.

It started positively with an early start heading to the stadium for scrutineering. We’re politely informed that we need to be fully kitted “ready to race”, even although the prologue was pretty late in the afternoon. John, the race steward, gave accounts of people sharing kit and even of one person who didn’t know how to put on a neck brace! Anyway, the thoroughness was an indicator that they were being professional, which we appreciate.
We also had to be sporting our camel backs with water in it. That meant stripping down and kitting up with no shelter around, I do it right there. That made me a prize victim of a zesty photographer which would amuse the crowds and the folk back at home in the days that followed.