Press Release - MOTUL gearing up for 2014 Roof of Africa

Aubervilliers, 28 November 2014.  Endurance and extreme performance in the toughest conditions are hallmarks of Motul’s quality products.  The Mother of Hard Enduro, the Roof of Africa, takes man and machine through some of the toughest mountain passes of The Kingdom of Lesotho, many of which have never been ridden before.  Several of the world’s top enduro riders are tested to their limits and beyond.  No doubt this is why Motul is the official lubricant partner of the Roof of Africa.

The first Roof of Africa bike race took place in 1969, making it one of the oldest bike races in the world.  Few other bike races are as old, but the Isle of Man TT, which dates back to 1907, is one of them and another legendary race that counts on Motul as their official lubricant partner.

The 2015 edition of the Roof of Africa will see 400 competitors begin with the familiar and highly exciting ‘Round the Houses’ stage in Maseru on 4 December 2014.  During the three-day event, riders will cover over 425 km in the harshest terrain; sometimes riding donkey paths along passes so steep that they will be banging their handlebars on the mountain next to them. They will rise from 1400m above to sea level to almost 3000m and drop back again, and again.

These tough conditions call for very high quality, specialist lubricants and as official lubricant partner, Motul’s range has exactly what the competitors need.  Motul’s 300V Off Road Racing range includes 100% Synthetic lubricants using  technology. This guarantees maximum performance, above and beyond existing standards, in extreme conditions such as those that will be experienced at the Roof of Africa. 

Also available from Motul is the full range of Motul MC Care.  Motul MC Care is a line up of 26 products developed to fully maintain and take care of the motorcycle, the rider and his or her equipment.  Maintenance of mechanical parts, the chain, the air filter, bike wash and a range of products to clean and protect gear and helmets is all available. 

Motul MC Care will be providing a free Bike Wash to all competitors at the Start / Finish area, using Motul’s legendary Moto Wash .

When asked about Motul’s invovlement with the event, here’s what Steven Lurie, Motul’s BDM for Southern Africa had to say, “The roof is such a fantastic event that there are numerous reasons we got involved!  The main reasons are that we like to be involved in extreme motorsports, that's why we're partners with events like the Isle of Man TT, the FIM Ice Speedway Gladiators World Championship (motorcycle ice racing), the Le Mans 24 Hours and so on, it shows off the high performance and quality credentials of our products.  Secondly, as we are rapidly expanding our footprint in Africa​, we also think it’s relevant to be part of the most extreme enduro event in Africa​.”

Motul is supporting a number of teams in this year’s event and have their eyes firmly set on the podium.  The Kargo Racing Yamaha team has confirmed that top New Zealand Enduro Rider, Mitchell Nield, will be part of their team this year.  Along with regular team riders Charan Moore, Tim Young, Ross Blackwell and Brandon Youell, the team is expecting a good result.  Ruan Smith and Taki Bogiages will be aiming for a competitive finish on their KTM’s powered by RAD Moto and Motul. 

The Proudly Bidvest Yamaha team, with support from Motul, is fielding a fiercly competitve team this year.  2014 SA National Champion, Kenny Gilbert, will want to lead their charge towards the podium chased by team mate Brett Swanepoel.  Proudly Bidvest Yamaha is also fielding three Japanese riders in their team, including Kohsure Mori, Yuichi Nishimori and Yutaro Uchiyama.

Fans can also look forward to great international TV coverage as Motul has been able to secure two major European TV deals for the event, taking the 2014 Roof of Africa to over 43 million households in over 40 countries, on Motors TV.

Photo credits: Dirt & Trial magazine