Race Report: The MSA S.A. MX National Final - Round 6: Syringa
29 October 2014

Copyright Motocross South Africa (MX SA)
Written by Laren van der Westhuizen
Pictures courtesy Rich Sutherland Photography.
Unauthorised use of this content is prohibited.

The final round of the MSA national championship happened at Syringa on a track that resembled the legendary track of the 70's and 80's. Although the championships were tight, the mood was relaxed and somewhat calm after a long hard season.

The 50cc class results was a true refection of the top 3 riders in the country and strangely, only 1 of them was from SA. That was 3rd placed rider, Nate McLellan. Swazi rider, Blake Young was 2nd and the unstoppable Zimbabwean, Daiyaan Manuel was 1st. Noticeable performances from Tyler Tarantino in 4th, James Thompson in 5th and Nathan Bester in 6th.

The 50 junior class, saw another Swazi rider in the mix as Seth Young took the win ahead of Jordon Van Wyk and Brandon Burley.

The 65cc class was a 2 horse race, between already crowned champion, Camden McLellan and Jono Mlimi. Jono capitalized on rare mistakes from Camden to take the win. Camden's 2nd was was overshadowed by the joy of winning the season. Christiaan Cilliers has been on form of late, but just couldn't catch the 2 front runners and had to settle for 3rd.

The 85cc class saw Slade Smith run into mechanical issues in heat 1 and drop back to 3rd. This handed an easy win to Cameron Durow, who is on fire at the moment. The most improved rider of 2014, Slade Botha, was 2nd in heat 1. in heat 2, Slade Smith went out and won. Cam Durow was 2nd and Slade Botha rode well for 3rd. Cayle Dormehl was out with a broken collar bone and was sadly missed in this 3 way battle.

Slade Smith came out in the pro-mini race and really showed he is a man for the future. He had a ding dong tussle with Janes Van Sandwyk for 2nd. He would get the better of Janes, but only after some great passes in heat 2. They couldn't catch the pocket rocket, Justin Thompson, who dominated both heats.

#54 Sacha Naude (picture courtesy Rich Sutherland Photography)
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The 125 class is just crazy to watch. These guys give us hope for the future of SA motocross. Joshua Mlimi stepped up a gear and won both heats, but all eyes were on Charl Van Eeden who charged through the field in heat 2 after hitting the gate. He managed to get 2nd and won the applause of the crowd. Marco Ras had a great ride to finish 3rd ahead of Dirco Van Der Westhuizen who made a welcome return to the sport after a long injury layoff. Justin Thompson climbed off his pro-mini and finished 5th in the 125 class.

The MX2 class was a tight battle between Kerim Fitzgerald and Sacha Naude. Kerim was leading heat 1, when his bike seized. It seemed like his championship was over, but with throw-aways, he still had a 1 point lead. Whilst this was all going on, Jesse Wright quietly rode a great race to win. Sacha Naude struggled for rhythm in heat 1, but managed a 2nd which was great for the championship. Michael Kok was 3rd. In heat 2, Jesse Wright made his way to the front riding on first heat confidence. The big focus was on 3rd, where Sacha Naude was holding off Kerim Fitzgerald. It was half way through lap 1, that Sacha went down and could not finish. That meant that Kerim just had to finish to win. A big battle went on for 2nd between Nicholas Adams and Michael Kok. Michael passed Nicholas on the last lap and as he did that, Jesse Wright pulled to the side of the track with a broken sprocket. What drama. Michael Kok won the heat and the day.

#108 Kerim Fitz-Gerald (picture courtesy Rich Sutherland Photography)
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The MX1 class was a 3 way battle. In heat 1, Michael Kok won from Sacha Naude and Kerim Fitzgerald. In heat 2, Kerim came out firing and Michael Kok just could not find a way past. Kerim won from Michael and Sacha back in 3rd.

The MX3 class was won by Wayne Smith who looked right at home on his old track. Greg Aspinall was 2nd and Darryle Fitzgerald was 3rd. All 3 riders were on the gas and did not seem like vets out there.

The support class was won by KZN rider, Mason Buist. He was chased home by 2 girls who are some of the best lady riders in the country, namely Nanda Swiegers in 2nd and Toni Jardine in 3rd. Andre Potgieter is showing great improvement with a solid 4th.

The season ended with some great racing and with new sponsors and promoters for 2015, we are in for a great season.

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