LW Mag LW Magazine
The Cape Town Motocross Club (CTMX) once again hosted a spectacular MX national on the 28th April. Round three was held at the sandy Melkbos MX track. With over 150 entries, the stage was set for a showdown of note, as the coastal boys (CTMX and Rover MX) vowed to prove that they could beat the northern regions top guns.
Documentation, which took place on Friday, commenced on time and all the visitors were treated to braaied Snoek, bread and jams – an old CTMX tradition. The track was brilliantly prepared and manicured to international standards. The race logistics (sound, start gates, wash bays, etc) were tested and in place on Friday, before the event was officially declared open by the convenor, Mark Sangster. On race day, proceedings were started with a short prayer and a rendition of the SA National anthem, before Hilton Harper, the CoC, took control of the race meeting.
The atmosphere was electric; the mood of the almost two thousand spectators was filled with excitement and expectation, as the riders were called onto the starting grid.
In the junior class, the little Cape Town favourite, 9 year old Justin Sangster confirmed that he was the man to beat in the MX Pro Senior 50cc class. Sangster led from start to finish in both heats and bagged the maximum points for the day. This win places him a very comfortable 28 points ahead of his nearest rival. Camden McClellan from Johannesburg, mounted a brave challenge in heat two, but was not enough to unseat the championship leader. As predicted by MX coach Dean Hoffman, Sangster also caused a major upset in the 65cc class where he beat the SA No 2 and secured an overall third place for the day. The 65cc class was won by Slade Smith with Grant Hutton ending up in the second slot.
The 85cc small wheel was an all PE affair with the three Rover boys dominating once again. Bevin Potgieter was on top of the box with his two club mates, Keegan Hickson-Mahoney and Seth van den Abeele in second and third, respectively. In the Pro Mini class, Tristan Purdon dominated proceedings with Dirco van der Westhuizen in second and Jason Visser in third. Matt van Galen, the CTMX rider gave an outstanding performance and secured a 4th overall for the day.
In the MX high school class Justin Mittens was largely unopposed. Reid Sinnicks ended in second but it was Dylan Stokes, who put up a brilliant fight and earned a worthy third place for the day.
In the MX 2 (250cc) class, Anthony Raynard blasted his opposition into the dust as he convincingly beat the SA championship leader Kerim Fitzgerald and the consistent, Richie van der Westhuizen. Raynard secured first place in both heats and with this win, is only 8 points behind Fitzgerald. With three rounds still to go, he could still clinch the national title. Raynard also secured a third place in the MX 1 class behind Sacha Naude and Richie van der Westhuizen. Another Cape Town favourite, Dewald van der Berg, was up there and achieved a very respectable 5th place for the day in the premier MX1 class.
In the MX 3 class, the trio of Wayne Smith, Ian Topliss and Roger Bergstrom took the top three spots. Terence Monk, the Cape Town motocross stalwart, got third place in the class.
Cape Town MX coach Dean Hoffman said – “My predictions were correct. The coastal riders were prepared and have proven that they can beat the best in South Africa”.
Round 4 of the championship will take place on 30 June and will see riders go to Richards Bay in KZN.
