STEVEN ODENDAAL JOINS VRD IGOL EXPERIENCES

The South African rider – the 2021 Supersport championship runner-up – is taking up a new challenge. Steven Odendaal will make his endurance racing debut alongside Florian Alt and with VRD Igol Experiences in the 2022 FIM EWC season.

Another of the finest riders in international sprint racing has joined the Endurance World Championship. Steven Odendaal, the 2021 FIM Supersport championship runner-up, will be in the saddle of the VRD Igol Experiences partnering the German rider Florian Alt who is going into his seventh year with the French team.

Fourth overall in the 2021 FIM EWC, VRD Igol Experiences are aiming even higher in the forthcoming season. The independent Yamaha-supported team won the 2016-2017 FIM Superstock World Cup and have progressed year on year since moving up into the EWC class.

Steven Odendaal’s arrival alongside Florian Alt is a new card up the team’s sleeve. The third rider will be announced shortly. British rider James Westmoreland has been confirmed as the replacement rider for VRD Igol Experiences.

World endurance is like a game of chess

Steven Odendaal will be debuting in endurance but he has already identified the key characteristics a rider in this sport needs to have. “A massive attraction for me is the way endurance racing is not all about the fastest bike but more about team strategies to be the most efficient on track,” he says. “World Endurance is like a game of chess (just a bit more expensive)! You have to use all your team members to achieve one goal. As an individual you can’t win the race. You have to help your team mates, learn from them, share your success with them. It is completely different to what I am used to and I am very excited to start this new adventure. I have always believed in team work on and off track and I think I am a good team player.”