Chasing the light

[Dirty Boy]

OK my cell phone is on  :thumleft: You can phone me now  :deal: I am packed and ready to ride  :ricky:  eepwall:

Lekker storie dierdie julle  :biggrin: :sip:

Sorry briv, I already got the call  :thumleft:  Riding God, Good looks, personality, charm, youth and skill.    Ok, so I lied on my CV

 

[Kobus Myburgh]

The three pilots/riders/models arrived ala Windhoek uber.  They were, in no particular order:

Gerrit du Toit – [member=2149]Scrat[/member]

Claude Deyzel

David Ellis

Gerrit was my 2017 Quest partner, co-instructor during Quest 2018, participated in every Amageza there was and friend for life, so we knew him well.

Claude was a contestant and part of the winning team of Quest 2018, so we knew him as well.

David is the guy that rode into the fence during the Tankwa rally teaser video…..  Ok, maybe there’s more to him than that.  A hooligan on a bike and accomplished rider.  I met him briefly at the 2017 West Coast Baja and followed him ever since.

It was great to see the guys and wasn’t long before they were getting down and dirty.  They’ve never seen the bikes they were to ride and you could see the excitement in their eyes.  Of course Hardy delayed the reveal as long as possible.

It’s so important to have a team that gets along and from the start it was evident that this was going to be nothing short of an epic adventure.

That night we had a great dinner at the hotel.  All that was missing was Kamanya.


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[Kobus Myburgh]

Great report as always Kobus.

Keep it coming.

And thanks for obliterating my dream of becoming a promotional motorbike rider, if you two short arses are too tall what chance do I have?

Unfortunately you've got no chance Takashi.  :imaposer:

 

[Kobus Myburgh]

We left the next morning full of excitement.  Gerrit and Claude was in the Crafter, David was in the L/C single cab and the rest of the convoy remained the same.  First we had to brief the newbies on radio etiquette, which they mastered without a problem.

Our first stop was in Okahandja to refuel.  Hardy has a rule that you fill up whenever possible, a risk management principal that works well.  Fuel is often not available at filling stations on the route.  Okahandja is a quaint little town where you can get some decent coffee and good biltong.  A regular stop on all Specialised Adventures’ Kaokoland trips.

The convoy was proceeding at a steady pace and before long we reached Usakos, our next refuelling point.  I’m always excited to arrive here.  Willem, the filling station owner and a friend of Hardy’s, always makes extra effort to accommodate us.  He clears two lanes and dedicates staff to the convoy.  You feel like royalty when you go there.

Not long after, we took the turnoff to Spitzkoppe.  No matter how many times you visit this landmark, it’s just an amazing sight as you approach this impressive, well known tourist attraction.


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[Kobus Myburgh]

We arrived in Spitzkoppe knowing all too well what lay ahead.  We had a camp to erect, a kitchen to get going and bikes to prep.  There was no time to waste and everyone was put to task immediately.

Mark and Oubones joined us soon after our arrival, their siesta rudely interrupted by the tasks ahead.  The team was split to ensure everything gets sorted prior to sunset.  Tents were erected, equipment offloaded, a temporary workshop arranged, bikes offloaded, logistics and some more logistics.

The majority of the BO team was in the field scouting for filming areas.

Between all of this, Hardy had to rush off to arrange a filming permit, an oversight that now fell into his lap.

By the time our guests returned from their scouting exercise, a five star camp site awaited them in all its glory.  It was something to be proud of.  Oubones used his initiative and made sure the tents were erected with military precision.  A rope as his surveying tool assured that the spacing was precise.  The girls’ kitchen was suited for a king, and we were busy prepping bikes.  Chairs were placed in a half circle around a burning fire and the impressive fleet of vehicles were staggered with equal spacing between them.  It was a lekker feeling to be part of this team.

Prepping of the bikes involved putting on some stuff and taking off some stuff.  Swopping rims, checking everything and ……….

The bikes that we used are what is known as PPU’s – Pre Production Units.  What this means is that it is not necessarily the final product.  You get various stages of PPU’s, but I leave that up to Hardy to explain, he has vast experience in this field.

When not assisting with camp erection and bike preparation, the pilots were sorting out the riding kit and getting on the bikes.  They had to get used to it as quickly as possible and took the opportunity with both hands.

It wasn’t long before we all had smiles on our faces, especially Hardy.  It was evident that he made the right choices. These South African boytjies were not going to disappoint.

Unfortunately pictures is still few and far between.  We were very weary of jeopardizing our non-disclosure agreement.


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[Hardy de Kock]

The three pilots/riders/models arrived ala Windhoek uber.  They were, in no particular order:

Gerrit du Toit – [member=2149]Scrat[/member]

Claude Deyzel

David Ellis

Gerrit was my 2017 Quest partner, co-instructor during Quest 2018, participated in every Amageza there was and friend for life, so we knew him well.

Claude was a contestant and part of the winning team of Quest 2018, so we knew him as well.

David is the guy that rode into the fence during the Tankwa rally teaser video…..  Ok, maybe there’s more to him than that.  A hooligan on a bike and accomplished rider.  I met him briefly at the 2017 West Coast Baja and followed him ever since.

It was great to see the guys and wasn’t long before they were getting down and dirty.  They’ve never seen the bikes they were to ride and you could see the excitement in their eyes.  Of course Hardy delayed the reveal as long as possible.

It’s so important to have a team that gets along and from the start it was evident that this was going to be nothing short of an epic adventure.

That night we had a great dinner at the hotel.  All that was missing was Kamanya.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Almost always, without exception, will the riders we use in filmshoots become celebrities in their own minds during such a film shoot. it is therefor very important to know the riders and they need to accept that they are there to do a very important job. a Job that does not tolerate arrogance. We believed these three guys would be perfect
Those of you that knows David, also know that he has a lot of hair. More than all of you combined, And he can ride a bike, like most of us wish we could ...
[youtube]https://youtu.be/A02x7JArd_s[/youtube]

 

[Hardy de Kock]

We arrived in Spitzkoppe knowing all too well what lay ahead.  We had a camp to erect, a kitchen to get going and bikes to prep.  There was no time to waste and everyone was put to task immediately.

Mark and Oubones joined us soon after our arrival, their siesta rudely interrupted by the tasks ahead.  The team was split to ensure everything gets sorted prior to sunset.  Tents were erected, equipment offloaded, a temporary workshop arranged, bikes offloaded, logistics and some more logistics.

The majority of the BO team was in the field scouting for filming areas.

Between all of this, Hardy had to rush off to arrange a filming permit, an oversight that now fell into his lap.

By the time our guests returned from their scouting exercise, a five star camp site awaited them in all its glory.  It was something to be proud of.  Oubones used his initiative and made sure the tents were erected with military precision.  A rope as his surveying tool assured that the spacing was precise.  The girls’ kitchen was suited for a king, and we were busy prepping bikes.  Chairs were placed in a half circle around a burning fire and the impressive fleet of vehicles were staggered with equal spacing between them.  It was a lekker feeling to be part of this team.

Prepping of the bikes involved putting on some stuff and taking off some stuff.  Swopping rims, checking everything and ……….

The bikes that we used are what is known as PPU’s – Pre Production Units.  What this means is that it is not necessarily the final product.  You get various stages of PPU’s, but I leave that up to Hardy to explain, he has vast experience in this field.

When not assisting with camp erection and bike preparation, the pilots were sorting out the riding kit and getting on the bikes.  They had to get used to it as quickly as possible and took the opportunity with both hands.

It wasn’t long before we all had smiles on our faces, especially Hardy.  It was evident that he made the right choices. These South African boytjies were not going to disappoint.

Unfortunately pictures is still few and far between.  We were very weary of jeopardizing our non-disclosure agreement.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Pre production Units as Kobus mentioned has not received final sign off. In this case, the design and engineering team of Honda Japan has not presented the final product to the Honda board of directors and the film production double served as final testing before presentation to the board.
It simply boils down to the fact that apart from the design and engineering team, we were the first people to lay eyes on these bikes. Competition is fierce in Japan, and these bikes were kept away from everyone. When I spoke to the chief engineer to confirm that I have received the bikes, he politely mentioned that I am the 7th person in the world and the first outside of Japan to see it.

It was lekker to see the whole team working together to get the camp, food and the bikes ready. I was indeed real proud.

 

[Hardy de Kock]

We arrived in Spitzkoppe knowing all too well what lay ahead.  We had a camp to erect, a kitchen to get going and bikes to prep.  There was no time to waste and everyone was put to task immediately.

Mark and Oubones joined us soon after our arrival, their siesta rudely interrupted by the tasks ahead.  The team was split to ensure everything gets sorted prior to sunset.  Tents were erected, equipment offloaded, a temporary workshop arranged, bikes offloaded, logistics and some more logistics.

The majority of the BO team was in the field scouting for filming areas.

Between all of this, Hardy had to rush off to arrange a filming permit, an oversight that now fell into his lap.

By the time our guests returned from their scouting exercise, a five star camp site awaited them in all its glory.  It was something to be proud of.  Oubones used his initiative and made sure the tents were erected with military precision.  A rope as his surveying tool assured that the spacing was precise.  The girls’ kitchen was suited for a king, and we were busy prepping bikes.  Chairs were placed in a half circle around a burning fire and the impressive fleet of vehicles were staggered with equal spacing between them.  It was a lekker feeling to be part of this team.

Prepping of the bikes involved putting on some stuff and taking off some stuff.  Swopping rims, checking everything and ……….

The bikes that we used are what is known as PPU’s – Pre Production Units.  What this means is that it is not necessarily the final product.  You get various stages of PPU’s, but I leave that up to Hardy to explain, he has vast experience in this field.

When not assisting with camp erection and bike preparation, the pilots were sorting out the riding kit and getting on the bikes.  They had to get used to it as quickly as possible and took the opportunity with both hands.

It wasn’t long before we all had smiles on our faces, especially Hardy.  It was evident that he made the right choices. These South African boytjies were not going to disappoint.

Unfortunately pictures is still few and far between.  We were very weary of jeopardizing our non-disclosure agreement.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[zacapa]

I used Calvert on a few occasions when moving things between CT and WHK a few years ago. Great company.

 

[Oubones]

I just have one small comment on this whole job.
Hardy is bigger and more efficient than his Unimog to pull this off in the way that he did and Kobus is not called " Koel Kobus " by me for nothing!
Well done guys and team!

 

[HB 9]

Awesome! Awesome! Awesome!!!!! :thumleft: :thumleft: :thumleft: :thumleft: :thumleft:

 

[Mev Vis Arend]

:sip:

 

[Sithe]

Kobus this better be really good with the way you have us salivating ,,, two weeks waiting for this big reveal  eepwall:

 

[Dragonfly-XC]

:sip:

Kobus this better be really good with the way you have us salivating ,,, two weeks waiting for this big reveal  eepwall:

:bueller: Two weeks, noooooooo!!, can't you see my Avtar?  :3some:

 

[Buff]

Ek lees te heerlik, glad I only clicked on this link now and didn't have to wait 2 weeks for the daily update  ;D With David Ellis you certainly chose the right rider, the oke is the real deal and IMHO the most talented rider in the country currently. It's only his studies that have kept him of every Offroad podium... and he's the most humble and down to earth oke you'll ever meet. So glad to hear he got the call up  :thumleft:

 

[171steve]

The three pilots/riders/models arrived ala Windhoek uber.  They were, in no particular order:

Gerrit du Toit – [member=2149]Scrat[/member]

Claude Deyzel

David Ellis

Gerrit was my 2017 Quest partner, co-instructor during Quest 2018, participated in every Amageza there was and friend for life, so we knew him well.

Claude was a contestant and part of the winning team of Quest 2018, so we knew him as well.

David is the guy that rode into the fence during the Tankwa rally teaser video…..  Ok, maybe there’s more to him than that.  A hooligan on a bike and accomplished rider.  I met him briefly at the 2017 West Coast Baja and followed him ever since.

It was great to see the guys and wasn’t long before they were getting down and dirty.  They’ve never seen the bikes they were to ride and you could see the excitement in their eyes.  Of course Hardy delayed the reveal as long as possible.

It’s so important to have a team that gets along and from the start it was evident that this was going to be nothing short of an epic adventure.

That night we had a great dinner at the hotel.  All that was missing was Kamanya.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Almost always, without exception, will the riders we use in filmshoots become celebrities in their own minds during such a film shoot. it is therefor very important to know the riders and they need to accept that they are there to do a very important job. a Job that does not tolerate arrogance. We believed these three guys would be perfect
Those of you that knows David, also know that he has a lot of hair. More than all of you combined, And he can ride a bike, like most of us wish we could ...
[youtube]https://youtu.be/A02x7JArd_s[/youtube]

Jislaaik maar David kan darem maar n bike ry soos min  :ricky:

Ons wag angstig vir die nuwe bikes en video

 

[0012]

het die bike reveal al gebeur?  :sip:

 

[Kobus Myburgh]

Belowe om die naweek weer bietjie aandag hier te gee manne.  Besig om fotos uit te sort.  Byt vas.


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[Kobus Myburgh]

For the next couple of days Spitzkoppe would form our base for a variety of photo and filming shoots.


Our responsibility would be to ensure everyone is well fed, accommodated in comfort, the bikes are maintained and cleaned continuously and pretty much any seen and unforeseen eventualities.


For some of the foreign visitors, this was their first camping experience.  By the second night, the first guys ventured out of their comfort zone and slept under the stars opposed to the security of their tent.


The South African cuisine, professionally prepared by Gené and Chantal, especially a good old braai, struck a cord with them and they fondly sat around the fire till late at night, often asking for more firewood, and seconds.


A typical evening in Spitzkoppe.

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[Kobus Myburgh]

Early mornings and late nights would be the order of the day for the duration of our trip.  


This brings us back to the thread title, where the soft light just after sunrise and prior to sunrise are ideally suited to photography.  


Breakfast was early the next morning and two teams were formed.  Gary and Mark would support the static shoot with Gerrit and Claude.  Hardy and me would do the same with David and the filming crew.


We set off in the Unimog just before sunrise and set up our support station.  We would be stationery at our base camp and the filming crew would revert to us if anything was required.  

We were certainly ready for any and everything.

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