Kiwi Chris Birch won the Roof of Africa event last weekend.

New Zealander Chris Birch scored a hat trick when he won the 2010 Baboons Lesotho Sun Roof of Africa last weekend for Brother Broadlink KTM.

The tough event not only tested the endurance of competitors, but their mental fitness too and only 22 riders managed to score gold when they completed the full race distance within the prescribed time over three days.

Birch won ahead of Jade Gutzeit (Full Throttle Yamaha) after the pair were locked in a tight battle with only three seconds separating them at the start of the final day.

In the end, Birch finished just over 18 minutes ahead of Gutzeit after almost 18 and a half hours of battling with one of the toughest Roof of Africa routes yet.

Like last year, the German, Andreas Lettenbichler (Team Husqvarna SA) produced another outstanding performance when he finished third after losing 30 minutes when he got lost on the second day.

The Baboons Lesotho Sun Roof of Africa is like no other endurance motorbike race in the world and as though and difficult as it is, competitors from all over come back year after year to tackle whatever nature is throwing at them.

Dates for the 2011 event will be announced soon, according to the organisers.