Sizzling action at Border Motocross Club race

In the 50 cc Senior class, it was always going to be a three-way toss-up between Chase Hanekom, Breece Romans (Allmans), and Kyle Phillips (Mayfair Gearbox, Fort Gale Motors). Hot on their heels was Liam Botha (Beacon Bay Motors), still on the younger side of the three at just five years old, who hung in there bravely with them. When Breece wiped out in the first heat (red flagged) and had to retire to the sidelines for the rest of the day, Liam clinched a much-deserved third place for the day. Chase and Kyle provided some very entertaining racing, however Chase was just too quick on the day and went on to claim the win in both heats.

In the 50 cc Support class (boys), Liam Botha (Beacon Bay Motors) was always going to be tough to beat with his National experience behind him, but a fantastic ride saw him cruise to a comfortable win. I believe this is the right class for him considering his age and the bike he rides, the only problem being that he is faster than the rest of the class, so he will need to compete in the 50 cc Senior class to gain valuable competition experience. It’s a very difficult decision that his dad, Chris, has to make on the day, and one that parents will hopefully understand.

Seth Smith (Wulf Clothing) just seems to be getting better at each race, and with Keagan Hanekom wiping out badly some weeks before, which has rattled his his confidence, Seth was all alone in second place.

The clash of the day went to youngsters Merrick Collins and Warwick Muller, who continued to swop places throughout the day. In the end, Merrick proved superior and claimed the third podium spot.

A Border MX would just not be the same without a Howard present. Showing just how strong the racing genes are in the Howard family, young Damian could not be kept down when he took a tumble in each heat, and just shook the dust off and kept going to place sixth.

In the 50 cc Support class (Girls), Eden Ivenson, with her blonde curls blowing in the wind like a caped crusader battling her enemies, looked every bit the seasoned MX racer on her blue PW80. With stern eyes always searching for a way through the sea of orange bikes, Eden fought her way into first place.

In the 65 cc class, Titus Iveson was a titan amongst riders and took both heats quite convincingly. With Breece absent because of his 50 cc wipe out, Chase Hanekom cruised into second place. However, the surprise of the day was Kylie Kotze, who snatched third-place honours and a podium spot from Lourens Spies (Marble & Granite). Although Kylie and Lourens ended on the same amount of points, Kylie was ahead of Lourens in the second heat, so the second heat rule went in favour of Kylie. Chad Lundie (TKY Yamaha) showed what a consistent rider he is, ticking off the points in fifth place. It must be said that in some places the riders got so bogged down in the mud that the dads and myself were kept busy pulling the bikes out. Thankfully, conditions improved drastically by the second heat and the track dried out quickly.

In the 85 cc and 85 Pro Mini, it was the two Selborne Primary School scholars, Kyle Birtill and Tyron Williams (Total KWT), who set the pace in the two different classes. After some real close racing, they (respectively) took first in their class. Zane de Amaral (Code Blue Alarms) came second in the 85 cc Pro Mini, and Erik Spies (Marble & Granite) was second in the 85 cc class.

In the A Stream class it was wide open with Tristan Purdon not participating, as he was in Cape Town competing in another race. It was now a three-way battle between Queenstown-local Justin Wood, and East London-boys Wade Wright (Honda Wing EL) and Jason Hannan (Wildcoast KTM, Ribco, Foxy Fresh, Peri, EPM, and UMSO ). A top-class performance from Justin on his green machine, which just powered out of the mud, saw him cross the finish line in first. Jason seemed to be having gear selection problems, hitting neutral at critical times and losing valuable seconds. Seizing the opportunity, Wade came back very strongly in the second heat to secure second place overall.

In the B Stream class, if, and I say if, you were a betting man, you probably would have had a safe bet on Chad Howard taking the win. But as in all motorsports, nothing is a sure thing and Gareth Green really set the cat amongst the pigeons when he won the first heat. Chad, who had taken a fall on the track, needed to win the second heat and Gareth place last, to stake his claim on the top podium position. But Christopher Renwick (TKY Yamaha) also wanted in on the action and went on to secure second overall. Gareth took third place, which saw him clinching the top spot on the podium. Chad’s first in the second heat was just not enough on the day, and he had to settle for third overall. Wesley Lockem came in fourth overall after a hard-fought battle against George Herman (Allmans), who took fifth overall.

The riders in the C-stream class are known as the ‘wild boys’ because they just pin it to win it. As a result, it’s one of the most popular classes with the spectators because they know that once the gate drops, it will be action all the way. In both heats young David Canning took first, but the ‘old man’ of MX, Rob Wicks, made him work for it every inch of the way, with Rob taking the holeshot in the second heat and David fighting back hard to win it. With Dylan Swartz and CJ Olivier fighting it out in the back, it was evident the heat was having an effect on riders fitness. The best action from this class came in the second heat when Sandy Wicks gave Terrence Fernandez (Kawasaki/Suzuki EL) the fight of his life, as they swopped places in the last 300 m of the heat. To be totally honest, I have never seen Terrence ride so hard and I quote him, “Dean, I have never tried so hard and pushed myself so much as in those last 300 m, but hell, I couldn’t go back to the clubhouse and hear the blokes teasing me again about Sandy kicking my ass.”

The Enduro class saw two youngsters taking on the old men, and the battle was also on between son and father; Tyron Williams (Total KWT) and his dad Shaun (Total KWT). Although this was Tyron’s first time out on the KTM 200 in the Enduro class, he was untouchable and secured the top spot. Next across the line was Juan Weber in second, with Clint Crowther (Nashua) taking third. Clint has only recently returned to the MX scene and once he gets his riding fitness back, he is definitely going to be someone to watch out for. Shaun Williams was fourth.

And that, in a nutshell is motocross. It’s all about the what, who, or why you race. For some it is the sound of a 4-stroke roaring in the distance or the distinct smell of 2-stroke oiler. For me, it’s the opportunity, the privilege to capture a moment in history, so that future generations may look and see what the old guns did whilst they downed a ‘cold one’ at the end of their race day.

Special mention must be made of the great job done by Gerhard Spies, who officiated very well, and to Luc Hannan for running the 15s board.