Namibian biker reaches podium place in Africa race stage

“Ingo…has moved up to third place and he is very, very pleased,” his wife Lisa Waldschmidt told a Sapa correspondent on Friday.

“Ingo said it was a very fast stage and rather dusty. There was no wind blowing at first, but suddenly a sandstorm started, which Ingo found quite scary to ride in.”

Waldschmidt has since Day One of the 6337km long endurance race continuously held fourth position.

On Friday, he finished just 11 minutes and 37 seconds behind Austria’s’ Robert Theuretzbacher, who was first to reach the finish.

Norwegian favourite Pal Anders Ullevalseter, who had for nine days kept first position, was three minutes and 58 seconds behind Theuretzbacher.

In the overall ranking however, Ullevalseter remains in first position, with Theuretzbacher 2 hours, 28 minutes and 10 seconds (02:28:10) behind him.

Namibia’s Waldschmidt — now in third position – is 4 hours, 12 seconds and 37 seconds behind the Austrian biker.

The Africa Eco Race kicked off on 30 December from Nador, Morocco and travelled across Morocco and Mauritania.

The last and twelfth stage will end on Sunday in Dakar, Senegal.

Waldschmidt, 45, is among 29 bikers, 10 truck drivers and about 130 motorists with their teams.

He is the only Namibian taking part in the endurance race and forms part of the Desert Rose racing team from Britain.