WESTERN CAPE, 19 JULY 2016 – The 55^th annual Berg River Canoe Marathon took place from Wednesday 13^th July to Saturday 16^th July 2016 and saw paddlers from all over the world competing in the 4-day stage race covering 240 km from Paarl to Velddrif in the Western Cape.

It was a warm winter’s day in the Swartland for the first stage of the Berg River Canoe Marathon, matched with some heated racing on tough, low-water river conditions that eventually saw defending champions, Hank McGregor, set up an overnight lead after the 62km first stage.

With an eleventh Berg title in his sights, McGregor also claimed the first-to-bridge prize at the Hermon Bridge, going into the second stage of the race with a significant advantage in that he takes with him his time trial winning margin, which took his overall lead over Simon van Gysen to just 20 seconds, with Adrian Boros in third place overall, despite his second place finish on the Wednesday.

On Day Two, McGregor, with a lead of 20 seconds over Van Gysen, cut his head open on a branch – an accident, which opened a one minute gap for Van Gysen to get ahead. McGregor caught Van Gysen as they made their way from Zonquasdrift to Bridgetown, but the last two kilometres made all the difference. McGregor powered through to the finish as a tired Van Gysen was unable to keep up. The Hungarian, Adrian Boros, battled with the stage, allowing McGregor to gain a solid lead.

McGregor said: “I knew in the last few kilometres that I had to put the hammer down and I got a bit of a gap and I am happy with the result and another stage win”.

The infamous 72km third stage of the 2016 Berg River Canoe Marathon saw plenty of drama as the international duo of Adrian Boros and Petr Mojžíšek matched McGregor right up to the final end sprint.

The 72km stage from Bridgetown to Zoutkloof threatened to produce the goods following an exciting bunch start in the morning, which set off at a blistering pace, and the front group of four, McGregor, Boros, Mojžíšek, and local, Edgar Boehm Jnr, opened a significant gap at the first portage at the Misverstand Dam wall.

Said McGregor “A 72km stage is never going to be easy and it hurts, it doesn’t matter who you are. I was just really chuffed to be on the front bunch and I appreciated the great sportsmen that I was racing with.” 

Despite the running repairs overnight, Jeep Team /Euro Steel/Kayak Centre star, Hank McGregor, won a well-contested end sprint on Friday’s stage 3, and with it, cemented his place at the front of the race for stage 4’s final 60 kilometre into Velddrif, the final hurdle between him and an eleventh Berg title.

Reaching the final day of the Berg River Marathon, McGregor started with a seven minute advantage, and this was enough to cement his eleventh Berg title win.  The world champion paddler was seldom seen alone in the stages of the race, but he managed to take the lead from the time trial to the end keeping a consistent speed throughout the marathon, leading to his eleventh Berg River Canoe Marathon title victory.

Concluded McGregor, “It’s not every day that you race against guys that you raced against in separate World Championships where they both came second behind me, but this year’s race was definitely a prestigious one with a couple world champions and a couple world champ medallists on the start line.”

RESULTS MEN

DAY ONE

1. HANK MCGREGOR 4:28:59.88
2. SIMON VAN GYSEN 4:29:22.80
3. ADRIAN BOROS 4:29:41.19

DAY TWO

1. HANK MCGREGOR 3:26:16.40
2. SIMON VAN GYSEN 3:27:11.00
3. ADRIAN BOROS 3:42:21.05

DAY THREE

1. HANK MCGREGOR 5:24:50.77
2. SIMON VAN GYSEN 5:31:10.71
3. ADRIAN BOROS 5:24:55.20

DAY FOUR

1. HANK MCGREGOR 4:17:32.49
2. SIMON VAN GYSEN 4:17:34.03
3. ADRIAN BOROS 4:20:25.98

FINAL RESULT

1. HANK MCGREGOR 17:37:39.55
2. SIMON VAN GYSEN 17:45:18.55
3. ADRIAN BOROS 17:57:23.43

Have a look at the following platforms to keep up to date with Jeep Team SA:

Website:       www.jeepteam.co.za
Facebook:     www.facebook.com/jeepteamsa
Twitter:         @jeepteamsa
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For more information, please contact:
Bronwen Blunden - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Viv Quann - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

DURBAN, 28 JUNE 2016 – The King of surfski, Hank McGregor (Jeep Team), continues his reign of back-to-back victories, this time winning the FNB Durban Downwind Surfski title in Durban on Sunday, 26 June 2016. This is the first time McGregor has won this title since race inception in 2014. 

The third edition of the annual race, which doubled as a World Surfski Series title event, took place in flat ocean conditions, testing paddlers’ endurance and stamina as they raced 26km from La Mercy Beach to Addington Beach. 

McGregor set the pace from the start claiming the FNB Durban Downwind title in 1h44m50. 

Last year’s winner, Matthew Bouman, placed 2nd in 1h45m54, followed by Mark Anderson in 3rd (1h48m54), Gene Prato 4th (1h49m27) and Jeep Team’s Barry Lewin in 5th (1h50m40).

Said McGregor, “I’m stoked to take the win this time around. I narrowly lost it two years ago so it’s nice to win the Durban Downwind for the first time. I was in hospital on Friday so it was a hit and miss whether I was going to race but I’m glad I was able to get out there. Conditions were pretty tough. There was hardly any assistance really so it was a hard slog for 26kms. I managed to get out in front early and then kept the guys behind me for the rest of the race. There weren’t too many tactics involved really.”

It’s been a busy month for paddling legend, McGregor, with back-to-back victories across surfski and canoe marathon paddling disciplines. On 29 May 2016, he claimed his third Maui Jim Molokai Surfski Challenge title in Hawaii. This 53km surfski ultra marathon is considered the world’s toughest surfski event. 

Just days after this victory, and still recovering from jet lag, McGregor won the world’s oldest surfski event, the Illovo Pirates Umhlanga Pirates Surfski Race, which took place in Durban on 5 June. 

He then swapped his surfski for a canoe to claim the K1 2016 South African Canoe Marathon Championship, which took place in Cape Town on 11 June. This result means he has qualified for the 2016 ICF Canoe Marathon World Championships, happening in Brandenburg, Germany, in September.

Now he’s on his way to Mauritius for the 2016 Mauritius Ocean Classic World Surfski Series race, taking place on 2 July 2016. Jeep Team team mate, Barry Lewin will also be competing in the Mauritius Ocean Classic.

2016 FNB DURBAN DOWNWIND RESULTS

1. Hank McGregor 1:44.50
2. Matt Bouman 1:45.54
3. Mark Anderson (AUS) 1:48.54
4. Gene Prato 1:49.27
5. Barry Lewin 1:50.40
6. Luke Nisbet 1:50.52
7. Bailey de Fondaumiere (U18) 1:52.35
8. Jason Ekstrand 1:53.06
9. Steve Woods 1:53.43
10. Wade Krieger 1:54.10

Other Jeep Team results

MTB

On Saturday, 25 June 2016, Jeep Team’s MTB athlete, Thinus Redelinghuys, competed in Race#4 of the 2016 USN MTB Cup Series.

The 50km race took place at the Big Red barn, near Irene, Gauteng. Redelinghuys managed an impressive podium finish, placing 2nd overall.

#JeepTeamSA 

Editors’ Notes

For more information please contact Bronwen Blunden on 079 060 1905 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

DURBAN, 17 MAY 2016 – After winning the fifth and final race of the 2016 Bay Union Surfski Series this past weekend, Hank McGregor (Jeep Team) is on his way to Hawaii to compete in the Maui Jim Molokai Challenge, the world’s oldest and toughest downwind surfski race that is set in one of the roughest ocean channels in the world.

This year, this 53km surfski ultra marathon, which takes place on Sunday, 29 May, also doubles up as a World Surfski Series event, attracting the best and toughest surfski paddlers from around the world.

Now in its 40^th year, the Maui Jim Molokai Challenge is legendary for testing paddlers’ extreme skill, endurance and knowledge of ocean surfing.

The course is set in the Kaiwi Channel, between the Hawaiian islands of Molokai and Oahu. Here, a paddler’s ability is pushed to the limits against the unpredictable, fast changing, and extreme weather conditions experienced in the channel.

It’s no surprise that this race has been a favourite amongst South Africa’s thrill-seeking paddlers for many years, with Durban’s legendary paddler, Oscar Chalupsky, holding the record for the most wins (12 in total) over the race’s history. Chalupsky claimed the Men’s title a record 7 consecutive times (from 1983 – 1989), and then again in 1995, 2000, 2003, 2005 and 2012. Chalupsky will again be racing in 2016.

In 2009, McGregor won the Maui Jim Molokai Challenge for the first time, followed by a second victory in 2014 when the race doubled as the Surfski World Championship.

In 2015, he was a dominant force throughout the 53km race, leading the field until the final two kilometres when Australians Cory Hill and Clint Robinson managed to take an inside line that saw them leapfrog into 1^st and 2^nd respectively. McGregor finished 3^rd.

Said McGregor, “After my frustrating finish last year, I’m really looking forward to take on this year’s Maui Jim Molokai Challenge. Bring it on!”

Other South Africans on the start line of the 2016 event include Sean Rice (4^th at the 2015 race), Lee Furby and Herman Chalupsky (Oscar’s brother who tied 1^st place with him in 1995).

In preparation for the Molokai Challenge, McGregor partnered with Lee Furby to conquer the fifth and final race of the 2016 Bay Union Surfski Series, which took place in Durban on Sunday, 15 May.

McGregor and Furby won the Doubles-only race in 1h02m05, just a few second ahead of second-placed Matthew Bouman and Louis Hattingh in 2^nd in 1h02m15. Gene Prato and Bailey de Fondaumiere finished 3^rd in 1h04m15.

It was a close race with Bouman / Hattingh racing neck-and-neck with McGregor / Furby until the final 1.5km, when McGregor / Furby managed to get the upper hand in a thrilling sprint finish.

Said McGregor, “The Bay Union Doubles Race was only a fifteen kilometre race and we’ve got to race 53km over in Hawaii, but it’s great to leave South Africa with a win, and to have enjoyed a solid race with a great friend like Lee, was awesome! 

#JeepTeamSA 

Have a look at the following platforms to keep up to date with Jeep Team SA:

Website: www.jeepteam.co.za
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jeepteamsa
Instagram: JeapTeamSA
Twitter: @jeepteamsa 

Editors’ Notes

For more information please contact Bronwen Blunden on 079 060 1905 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..