Brian
Capper
South Africa
·
Trials
Date of birth | March 12, 1979 |
|---|---|
Birthplace | South Africa |
Age | 47 |
Nationality | South Africa |
Career start | 2000 |
Disciplines | Trial / Enduro |
Brian Capper is one focused individual. The 11-time South African national champion possesses an almost unsettling determination, but below it all there’s a core of humility and thankfulness.
At age nine, Capper took his first solo spin on a motorcycle and has since attempted and dominated almost every discipline there is. This dominance began on the trials bike – and the seemingly impossible obstacles he soon learned to negotiate. His natural affinity for conquering all kinds of terrain led him to a national trials title, international success and the pioneering of South Africa’s first trick-riding show.
He then made the unnatural transition from slow trials to race-pace Supermoto in 2005. He won two separate class championships in that year, only to repeat the unprecedented feat in 2006. In 2007, Capper raced for a factory team in the USA, eventually finishing the season in seventh. He returned to the South African circuit in 2008, much to the dismay of his competition. In 2010 he retired from Supermoto as nine-time champion.
In 2011, having tried all the obstacles he could do on the ground, Brian Capper decided to take up a challenge in the air. The Moses Mabhida stadium in Durban has an arch over the field that’s 350m wide and 105m high. Brian’s goal: to bike up the 550 steps to the top and back down the 500 steps on the other side. Keeping momentum and balance on the way up and being careful not to cause the brakes to overheat on the way down, Brian accomplished this insane feat in style – being the first one in history to do so.
After achieving all he could want in Supermoto, his passion for the sport had faded, being replaced by a new love. In 2013 Capper shifted that steely focus to the world of racing on four wheels. Off-road… He raced for the Polaris and Imperial/Regent Insurance factory team and finished second in his first race and then went on to win the second. In 2014 he won the Donaldson Cross Country National Champion side by side class.
2014 also saw Capper showcase his now much-refined extreme trials riding show to more of a global audience when he was a side-act as part of Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour finale in Pretoria. He also did what is, as far as we know, the first ever trial biking tour through Africa – #TrailsOfAfrica took him through Kenya and Tanzania.
Capper extended his travels globally in 2015 and 2016 with more extreme trials riding exhibitions. After that he turned his focus to the EnduroX series, where he continues to excel today.