HONDA QUEST


20 men, 12 days of riding and 2000 kilometers of rough Namibian terrain made for an exciting first Honda Quest Adventure.

The convoy of riders who competed in the Quest, returned to Windhoek on Friday where the winners were announced at the Safari Hotel. Exhausted, edgy but at the same time excited, the team told the tales of their trip. Ten of the twelve days were competition days where teams could score points on various skills and tasks.

Honda Quest did not aim to pick purely the most skilled riders, but instead set out to pick the most versatile team.

The judges were looking for people who showed a keen sense of adventure and who were curious about their surroundings. They also wanted to know who would get along with their fellow competitors and could contribute to team spirit, as well as taking the initiative with special tasks.

Looking back, there were some interesting characters. Johannes Haasbroek, a Namibian local with a huge beard and a collection of never-ending stories, always elicited a chuckle or two from his fellow competitors.

Then there was Glenn Koch, who was able to fix any flat tyre in record time, even if the actual rider of the bike sometimes objected!

Barbara Muszynski, the lone female competitor, impressed everyone with her positive approach and managed to silence quite a few doubters in the process. And then there was Grant Pentalow who, despite taking quite a few tumbles in the deep sand, never once considered giving up, earning him the nickname of “the Terminator”.

Andrew Johnstone amused people with his psychological profiling of his fellow competitors, while Clinton Pienaar took all the hardship in his stride, regardless of the fact that he’s the editor of one of South Africa’s biggest motorcycling magazines and took part as a normal competitor. There are too many more riders to mention, and each of them have their own set of unique skills.

After putting their heads together, comparing points and interviewing everyone a couple of times, the instructors and organisers of Honda Quest 2017 were happy to announce the winning team of Charl Potgieter from Pretoria and Hennie “Tyres” van Heerden from Victoria-West.

NamAuto Honda Quest Bike
NamAuto Honda Quest Bike
NamAuto Honda Quest Bike
NamAuto Honda Quest Bike
NamAuto Honda Quest Bike
NamAuto Honda Quest Bike
NamAuto Honda Quest Bike
NamAuto Honda Quest Bike
NamAuto Honda Quest Bike
NamAuto Honda Quest Bike
NamAuto Honda Quest Bike
NamAuto Honda Quest Bike
NamAuto Honda Quest Bike

They impressed everyone with their calm, yet enthusiastic approach, as well as the thorough way in which they approached the special tasks. Both will be excellent brand ambassadors for the Honda CRF 1000 L Africa Twin, both becoming proud owners of the motorcycle models on which they competed.

The winners of the Quest Spirit Award are Grant Pentalow and Glenn Koch. They were always in good spirits, no matter how tough the conditions, and remained loyal and supportive teammates right to the very end.