CAPITAL: The Voice of Business Issue 2, 2016 | Page 43

“ With an old machine such as the Scout , you are always keeping a check on oil levels , temperature , carburetion [ getting the right mixture of air and fuel for engine combustion ]... I even carried an altimeter so I could properly keep track of carburetion so that the bike didn ’ t overheat on high-altitude parts of the route . And all the time you ’ re having to concentrate on navigation too .”
6 . Keep tight control
Coertse created a ritual to stay focused . “ Every five to 10 minutes I ran a list of checks : oil , temperature , direction , route schedule ...” From the start he was running in first place . “ People were saying : ‘ You ’ re going to win it !’” “ But I built a motto by day three : ‘ One day at a time , five minutes at a time , only today is important .’” This helped when people began to have doubts about Coertse ’ s little old bike making it over Loveland Pass , a 3 655-metre high pass through the Rocky Mountains on the Continental Divide . The steep , twisting road has a steady 6,7 % gradient , which is punishing for an engine to climb . “ I just thought , ‘ Don ’ t worry about that now . Enjoy today . Focus on today . Enjoy the ride .’” In the end , the little bike surprised everyone and soldiered through the pass , keeping Coertse on track for the top of the podium .
Hans Coertse with his 1924 Indian Scout ( right ) atop the 3 655-metre high Loveland Pass through the Rocky Mountains . The little bike surprised everyone and soldiered its way through the daunting pass .
7 . Never give up
Everyone was getting ready to heap accolades on Coertse and were betting on him and his little bike to win the race when , on the penultimate day , disaster struck . “ The bike just stopped ,” says Coertse . “ It was a big blow . I hadn ’ t felt this defeated since the piston episode back in South Africa .” The Cannonball rules state that participants ’ backup teams cannot help . Only other competitors and the general public can assist . The Scout ’ s condenser had broken and in his frustration and panic , Coertse tried to glue it back together . “ Then I remembered I actually had a spare condenser , so I attached it in parallel with the broken / repaired condenser .” The time-consuming repair had taken up one-and-a-half precious hours . “ Luckily though , the breakdown had happened right at the beginning of the day , so I had time to make up the lost time .” And , in another piece of luck , the two condensers together seemed to give the bike an extra boost in performance . Coertse put his head down and raced . “ I stopped for nothing , except fuel and water ,” he says . The official cut-off time for the end of the race was 4 pm . At 3.55 pm , amid cheers from almost 500 onlookers , the 700cc 1924 Indian Scout rumbled across the finishing line carrying an exhausted Hans Coertse to the title of Grand Champion and overall winner of the 2014 Motorcycle Cannonball .
Hans Coertse works on his bike while his wife , Anna-Marie looks on helplessly . Race rules dictate that no member of a competitor ’ s backup team can help during the race .
Hans Coertse is named Grand Champion and overall winner of the 2014 Motorcycle Cannonball .
8 . Win by developing yourself
For Coertse , the way to win the Cannonball Run and the way to win in business is the same . Both require the discipline many sports people embody . Because whether in sport or business , when a curveball is thrown at your game plan , success comes down to your focus , determination , endurance , and will to win .
CLICK FOR MORE http :// www . bloomberg . com / bw / articles / 2012-04-10 / athletes-natural-born-leaders http :// www . forbes . com / sites / davidkwilliams / 2013 / 10 / 02 / why-you-should-fill-yourcompany-with-athletes / http :// www . entrepreneur . com / article / 236922
Hans Coertse at home in Pietermaritzburg with his rebuilt 1924 Indian Scout motorcycle . For Coertse , to win the Cannonball Run and to win in business , the same character strengths are necessary .
PHOTO : Barry du Plessis
Capital | Issue 2 | 41 .