RACE REPORT: FULL THROTTLE GAUTENG MX CHAMPIONSHIP - ROUND 6: CAPRICORN RACING CLUB
29 August 2013

by Laren van der Westhuizen

We past the half way stage of the Gauteng regional championships and some favourites are starting to appear. This weekend saw the regional roadshow head to Polokwane for what is the away leg of the championship.
Some 130 riders made the trip up to what is now one of the best tracks in the series and the track was perfect for racing. Unfortunately it is one of those tracks that requires it to be on the wetter side of muddy for practice, just to make sure it is not dusty for the heats. With this in mind, some riders chose to sit out practice, which became a spectacle to watch on it's own. Needless to say, the wash bays were buzzing away from the first practice. This did however create some awesome racing conditions, with ruts we haven't seen in a while. The track certainly tested the best of the best.

The results have been posted on MXSA website, but will highlight a few key performances on the day.
James Thompson was the clear fastest man in the 50cc junior class and we are starting to see a bright future for Gauteng in this regard. Barend DuToit has been the man to beat, but had a bad day with mistakes and bike issues. Between Barend, James Thompson, Willem Hough, Emma Jennings and Aeron Wecke, there is a champion in waiting.

The 50 pro class was a dog fight. Jono Mlimi did the winning without his arch rival Camden McLellan there, but he was given a hard time by the regional specialist and championship leader, Vincent Van Rooy. It was great and aggressive riding.

The 65cc class just saw Dalton Venter check out. Only making 1 small mistake in heat 2, Dalton was on another level. Chirstiaan Cilliers has improved his starts and his jumping, but consistency eludes him and this trait has fallen to his rival, Calvin Jean Jacques, who just keeps pulling off great results.

The 85cc class has been a little topsy-turvy of late and a new top man has stuck his hand up, Mathew Kruger! He holeshotted both heats and won. He had some heat from Dalton Venter in heat 1 and a resurgent ride from Ruben Aucamp in heat 2. No stress though, as he dealt with it in his stride. Slade Smith was back on the Honda and took some time to get used to it. He is riding it in the FIM Africa and needed some practice.

The Pro-mini class was won by Marcus Phelps who is riding a wave of confidence at the moment. He was fast and aggressive which made him hard to beat. Marco DeVrye has been the man on form, but offered no resistance as he had 2 mechanicals. Justin Thompson has been struggling with starts of late. He has great speed and lacks NO determination. If he could just buy a start, he will be tough to beat.

The 125 class is really living up to it's name of the Kamikaze class. These guys ride on the edge without fear. Jason Visser just came back from injury and set about racing with the inform man, Nicholas Phelps. They would leave the rest of the pack wanting in both heats. Jason won heat 1 and Nicholas lead heat 2 until the last corner, where he got caught in lappers and Jason "pinned" it around the outside. Jason took a win that had the crowd going mad.

The MX2 class was the Sacha Naude show. His Honda 250F is so fast and he rides it with so much momentum. He had 2 easy wins, from Wesley DuPlooy and a surprising 3rd from Nicholas Phelps. Jesse Wright rode an old Honda 125 and rang it's neck to really make waves in a 250 4 stroke class. Jay Jay Deysel is also showing good form of late. Danny Lailvaux was fast and had the 2nd fastest time in heat 1, but bad luck cost him a top 5.

The MX2 B class tucks in with the MX2's and they do their thing. The class was won by local boy, Janneman Potgieter. He is showing some good speed at the moment, but just needs some fitness.

The ladies class rode with the open support and Amy Sawyer really showed most of the men up. She is on form and looks great going into 2014. She finished ahead of Bianca prout Jones and Thuli Radebe.

The Vets class was won by local man, Jason Jackman. They rode with the MX1's and he actually lead heat 2 for a while. Nicholaas VD Linden finished 2nd. Frans DuPlooy won the masters class.

The MX1 class saw Sacha Naude give the riders a head start. In heat 1, he may have underestimated the competition, as he only passed them after 10min. Wes DuPlooy and Jesse Wright rode hard and finished a little closer than Sacha would have liked. In heat 2 he did the same, but came to the front with more urgency. This time, Jesse and Wesley didn't let him run too far ahead and finished within sight.

The open support class was nice and full as it always it. Bevin Christie won the class ahead of the championship leader, Brad pieterse. The surprise podium on the day belonged to freestyle MXer, Dallan goldman.

It was a great result and with the awesome hospitality of the Polokwane people, this has become a preferred stop for the Gauteng MX fraternity.

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