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YAMAHA WINS THREE WOMZA
NATIONAL MX CHAMPIONSHIPS IN 2013
30 June 2013
Published with Permission
The final round of the WOMZA Full Throttle National Motocross Championships
was held at the TEZA Motocross track just outside Richards Bay on
the weekend of 15 and 16 June. This world class facility was indeed
the perfect venue to wrap up the 2013 National Championships, and
the racing and spectacle were, without doubt, a strong match to
this fantastic circuit.
Full Throttle Yamaha’s Seth van den Abeele clinched his first
national title in the 85cc Jnr class on board his Yamaha YZ 85.
The diminutive Port Elizabeth based rider rode with his head, preserving
the strong points lead he had going into the final round, securing
a fifth in the first moto and a convincing victory in the second
moto. With one moto left in the championship, this was enough for
Seth to be crowned the 2013 WOMZA National 85cc Jnr Champion. In
the final moto, Seth got a front wheel puncture on lap one. A quick
wheel change by his crew at the end of lap 2 enabled him to finish
the race, and the championship, with 100% finishing record.
In the Pro Mini class, Full Throttle Yamaha’s Justin Thompson,
the 2012 85cc Jnr National Champion, in his first year in the bigger
class, went into the last moto lying in second place in the championship,
and was on track to secure that very well deserved accolade until
another rider jumped on top of him, sending him to hospital with
a severe concussion and resulting in his first DNF of the season.
This unfortunate incident robbed Justin of the points he was so
hoping to earn for the race, which in turn dropped him down to fourth
in the final championship standings. The doctors gave Justin a clean
bill of health and he now has his sights firmly set on the 2014
National Pro Mini Championship.
In the 125 cc Highschool class, Liquidblast Yamaha’s Dylan
Stokes from Cape Town did enough on the day to secure second place
in the National Championship behind Bradley Cox (KTM). Full Throttle
Yamaha’s Dirco van der Westhuizen, who moved up into this class
a year early (he should still be racing in the Pro Mini class based
on age) showed that he has really started to gel with his Yamaha
YZ 125, and pulled off three second places in the three moto’s.
In fact, Dirco was posting lap times six seconds a lap faster than
his first lap on his last lap, proving his fitness and race tenacity
is out of the top drawer. Dirco managed to finish third in the 2013
National Championship, despite the odds and a mindset of using his
first year in this class as a test bed.
Full Throttle Yamaha’s Richard van der Westhuizen (Yamaha
YZ 450 F in MX1 and Yamaha YZ 250 F in MX2) rounded off his most
dominant season of national motocross by taking both the MX1 and
MX2 National Championships, making them his eleventh and twelfth
titles in his very illustrious career. In fact, so dominant was
the combination of Richie and his Yamaha’s this year, that
he took no less than nineteen victories out of the twenty four moto’s
that made up the championships in both classes, as well as seven
out of eight overall victories.
And now, after twenty two years of campaigning for motocross glory,
twelve national titles, his most dominant season ever under his
belt, having raced overseas and also represented South Africa at
the Motocross of Nations last year, Richie has announced that he
will retire from national championship racing at the end of 2013.
But, he is adamant that he is not hanging up his helmet for good
as he will still compete in regional championship racing, as well
as play a significant part in the development of the sport that
he loves.
We at Yamaha would like to extend our sincere gratitude to Richie
for the role he has played, not only as a brand ambassador for Yamaha
over the years, but also as a highly respected and a true example
of a professional athlete. We are proud to have partnered with you
in our mutual quest for championship glory.
Photo credits: Brodalka Photography: http://www.facebook.com/BrodalkaPhotography.
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