Ventersdorp, North-West Province - It's crunch time as competitors in the SA Off-Road Motorcycle and Quad championships take on the sixth and final round of the series, the Rysmierbult 200, in the Ventersdorp area this weekend.
The overall motorcycle championship, as well as the most of the class titles, are still wide open, with only defending OR3 (200cc) champion Louw Schmidt (KTM) having sewn up his class title already.
Defending SA and OR1 (Open Class) champion Kenny Gilbert (Yamaha) took over the overall and class lead when Ross Branch crashed out at the previous round, but he'll have Branch and his works KTM team-mate, former champion Louwrens Mahoney, breathing down his neck for the Number One plate - there are only eight points in it between the three of them.
With his title in the bag, Schmidt will now aim to keep his fourth place overall, but his team-mate, Tyron Miller, is fifth and will challenge him for it.
OR2
Miller leads the OR2 (250cc) Class standings but will have to play it safe as Jaycee Nienaber (Yamaha) is close behind, with Hein Junior van Niekerk (KTM) and Nienaber's team-mate, Roan Lindsay, third and fourth respectively in class - expect a serious argument over the final podium position.
Taki Bogiages (KTM) is second to Schmidt in OR3, 10 points ahead of Bernard McGee (Yamaha), who could move up if Bogiages gets into trouble in the North-West, but will instead have to focus on his own game as Caledon rider, Wilhelm Schonfeldt (Yamaha) trials him by a single point.
One point apart in eighth and ninth overall are Yamaha team-mates, Tim Young - who finished on the overall podium at the previous round, event - and the consistent Charan Moore, with Kawasaki rider Dillon Inggs 10th, ready to take advantage if the Yamaha rivalry ends in tears for either rider.
Senior Class leader Juan 'Bollie' van Rooyen (KTM) has only lost once this season and holds a comfortable, albeit not safe, lead ahead of defending champion, Pieter Holl (KTM), followed by two former champions, Guy Henley (KTM) and Wayne Farmer (KTM) and Ian Venter (KTM) who will dispute the final podium position.
Adrian Storm (KTM) leads the Master Class and will take the title if he finishes ahead of second-placed Jan Berning (KTM) at Rysmierbult.
QUADS
Yamaha star Brian Baragwanath is already secure as the 2014 overall and Q1 champion, as is David Hollis (Yamaha) as the runner-up in those categories - but behind them anything could happen and probably will, with 13 points covering third to ninth overall.
Hannes Saaijman (Yamaha) is third and leads Q2, just one point ahead of Russell Ferreira (Honda). Ferreira leads the Senior Class standings by 16 points from team-mate Stuart Freeman (Yamaha) - which means that if he doesn't finish in Ventersdorp, Freeman will take the title.
Defending Q2 title holder, Justin Robert (Suzuki) is only three points behind Freeman in the overall standings but can still catch Saaijman in Q2 as only eight points separate them. Yamaha riders André du Plessis, Jaco Moller and André Park are seventh, eighth and ninth overall, one point apart in each case; Moller and Du Plessis are tied in the Q1 standings with Park only one point behind them.
Ted Barbier (Yamaha) is fairly safe in third in the Senior Class standings, but must finish the Rysmierbult 200 to stay ahead of fourth-placed Paul dos Santos (Suzuki).
The Meyer father-and-son team had to call it a year halfway through the season due to Jurie Junior (the defending title holder and Q1 champion) requiring knee surgery and defending Master Class champion, Jurie Senior's business commitments - but that doesn't mean the Master Class battle is done and dusted.
George Twigge (Yamaha) leads after winning three out of five races so far but he'll have to ride for a finish because if Peter Schenk (Honda) wins and Twigge doesn't finish, Schenk will take the title.
LADIES
Can Am rider Liezel Barnard is the Ladies Quad Class champion for the year, and has a healthy advantage over Ladies Motorcycle class leader Taye Perry (KTM) in the Combined Ladies championship - but all three categories are wide open with Yamaha star Toni Jardine third overall and chasing Perry on two wheels and international quad champion Chardri Monk (Yamaha) fourth overall and second in the Ladies Quad class.
WHEN AND WHERE
The Rysmierbult 200 will be run on Saturday 27 September; the race venue will be next to the N14 about 30km from Ventersdorp. The quad riders will tackle the 180km course at 8am, with the motorcycle competitors under way at noon. Spectators are welcome.