Round four of the South African National Motocross championship was held at the well-known Syringa MX circuit in Muldersdrift, Gauteng, this past weekend. Greeted by a cold morning qualifying, team Red Bull KTM was ready to take on the challenge.
In the premier MX1 class Red Bull KTM’s Kerim Fitz-Gerald took an early lead in heat 1 on his KTM 450 SX-F, pulling a 10 second lead over fellow championship contenders Sacha Naudé and Anthony Reynard, comfortably taking the win. In heat 2 however, Fitz-Gerald struggled to find his rhythm, only seeing him finish in fourth place, but firmly securing second place overall for the day and he moves up the championship ladder in the MX1 class.
The MX 2 class saw Joshua Mlimi get a great start in heat 1, but after a crash in turn one Mlimi fell back in the pack which left him finishing the heat in 20th place. Heat 2 saw Mlimi charging for second place, but luck seemed not to be on Mlimi’s side when his sub-frame bolts snapped. He had to nurse the bike home in seventh place, giving Mlimi 11th place overall for the day.
His teammate Kerim Fitz-Gerald on the other hand came flying past his competition onboard his KTM 250 SX-F with a second place off the start in heat one, quickly making his way through to first place and holding onto this position until the chequered flag dropped. Emulating his teammate’s issue with turn one, Fitz-Gerald went down in the same spot in the second heat, having to charge from the back of the field. An incredible catch up maneuver saw the experienced rider pass competitor after competitor, as he made his way through the field into third place, giving Fitz-Gerald second place overall for the day. This now moves him up into second place in the MX2 championship, leaving Fitz-Gerald hungry for round five of the championship that will be held at Pietermaritzburg, KZN, on 6 August.
“Despite a few problems such as a bit of arm pump and a crash in heat 2 of MX2, I had a really good day at Syringa and made up quite a few points in both the MX1 and MX2 championship. I’m only five points down in MX1 and it’s almost like the season is starting all over again. I’m really excited for the remaining three rounds of the championship.”, said Fitz-Gerald.
The hotly contested 85 Pro Mini and 85 Juniors class who race together featured Red Bull KTM’s Camden McLellan who is making the older and more experienced riders of the class work harder at each round. McLellan took the holeshot on his KTM 85 SX in heat 1, but was passed by Durow and Venter later in the race. McLellan made his way back into second place, but after being held back by a back marker, which allowed Durow to pass, he had to settle for third place in the 85 Pro Mini class. A really bad start in heat 2 saw McLellan work his way through the field into an impressive second place, giving him third place overall for the day.
The 85 Junior race saw Jonathan Mlimi with a clear track all race long, leading from start to finish with Nate McLellan battling it out for fourth place in heat 1. Mlimi struggled with a bad start in heat 2, but managed to still finish second in class on his KTM 85 SX, securing second place overall. His Red Bull KTM teammate Nate McLellan ended his race day in fifth place overall