Trademore Group South African Cross Country Championship heads to Western Cape

It’s a long trek to the `Porterville for most teams and riders as the Trademore Group South African Cross Country Championship heads back to the Western Cape for its fifth round on Saturday 27 August. Organisers are preparing a varied route comprising sandy sections around the wheatfields and into stony and rocky mountain sections for the tightly packed championship chase to continue.

 

Multiple South African dirtbike champion leader Brett Swanepoel heads to the Cape leading the overall title chase aboard his factory OR2 Husqvarna. Zambian OR2 rival Scott Heygate is his closest rival on his Brother Leader Tread KTM, with Tork Craft CIT Kawasaki OR1 leader Mike Pentecost sitting in third. He heads an orange KTM army comprising ex motocrosser Kerim Fitz-Gerald’s Red Bull OR2 machine, and Brother Leader Tread duo, OR1 lad Bradley Cox and OR3 leader Matthew Wilson.

 

Senior king Kenny Gilbert sits seventh overall on his Pepson Plastics Scottish Cables Motul Kawasaki, ahead of OR1 duo, Hayden Louw’s Yamaha and Jaycee Nienaber’s Pepson Kawasaki. That follows a significant overall top-ten title shake up in the previous Bronkhorstspruit round. Late starter, factory Husqvarna rider Michael Docherty however won that race, and the sand expert can be expected to shake things up again this weekend.

 

Pentecost and Cox are the fast men in open class OR1, but look out for Louw and Nienaber, as well as Gareth Cole on a Tork Craft CIT Honda. Swanepoel has Heygate and Fitz-Gerald for company in 350 cc OR2, with Docherty or possibly Davin Cocker right in there, if he his back from injury in time. But don’t ignore Erik Merry’s Husqvarna and KTM rider Kyle Eggar either. Wilson is the 250cc OR3 form guy with Ryan Pelser’s KTM, Taki Bogiages’ Pepson Motul Kawasaki, Tork Craft Honda duo, Haydn Cole and Peter Karam and John Botha’s Tork Craft CIT Kawasaki on his case. 

 

Gilbert has made Seniors his own on his Kawasaki ahead of Marco Cocci’s Yamaha, Wade Blaauw’s Tork Craft CIT Honda, and Ockert Swart and Alain du Toit Husqvarnas. Greg Nairn leads the Masters championship chase on his Husqvarna from Mielies Le Roux on a KTM and recent form man Warrick van Schalkwyk’s CIT Tork Craft Kawasaki. Wayne Farmer is next riding his Husqvarna, with Kobus Jonck in pursuit on a KTM.

 

In junior action, its tight between Ross Ramseyer’s KTM and Wian Wentzel on a Husqvarna in the High School 125 chase. Cobus Bester’s similar machine, Nathan Westerside’s KTM, Joss Alexander’s Husqvarna and Derek Karam’s KTM can all put a spanner in that works too. Brandon Clarke’s Husqvarna and Bruno Niebuhr and Murray Smith’s KTMs are fighting it out for primary school 85cc honours ahead of Husqvarna duo AJ Louw and Lohan le Roux and Juandre Vermaak’s Kawasaki. And watch for GJ Coetzee’s Husqvarna, Jake Pretorius’ Kawasaki, Matthew Meyer on a Gas Gas and Liam Scheepers’ Husqvarna in the Interprovincial 65s.

 

Cape race fans can witness the Porterville Trademore Group South African Cross Country Championship round first hand. Take the R44 to Porterville, drive straight through town and on to the R365 for 27km, turn right on the gravel road for 7km, where they will find the pits on the left. More details at www.saxcnationals.co.za.