Summarize

Three South African team members made it to the finals of the FIM Junior World Motocross Championships at Pietramurata Arco di Trento on Sunday. Camden McLellan rode home to ninth overall in the 125cc World Junior Motocross Championships, while Neil van Der Vyver and Jordan van Wyk ended 18th and 19th in the 65cc FIM Junior Motocross World Cup.

With 80 riders per category and just 40 starting gate slots per class in Sunday’s final heats, the challenge was always to qualify and while Camden Mc Lellan made short work of qualifying with third in his 125cc race, his compatriots Cameron Durow ended 26th, Dalton Venter 30th and Arnu Saaiman 37th in their qualifying heats. 

They went through to the last chance race, where Venter ended 18th, Saaiman 33rd and Durow 35th. That left only Camden McLellan in the finals, where he rode to fifth in the first moto and ninth in the second heat on Sunday to come home a fine sixth overall.

In 65cc action, Jordan van Wyk ended 14th in his heat and Neil van der Vyver 15th as both qualified for the finals, while Liam Botha ended 28th, Pieter Brink 33rd and Thor Johnson 35th, before Botha came in 23rd, Brink 27th and Johnson 29th in the Last Chance race. Van Wyk and van der Vyver then enjoyed a great dice en route to 13th and 14th in the opening heat, before Niel ended 19th and Jordan 36th in the second moto with the duo ending 18th and 19th overall, respectively.

Five SA lads also raced in the 85cc two stroke World Junior Motocross Championships, where Blake Young ended 22nd in his qualifying race, Dylan Kirk 30th, Nate Mc Lellan 33rd, Luke Grundy 34th and Kyle Townsend 38th. Young then ended 13th in the Last Chance race, ahead of Kirk in 16th, McLellan 26th, Thownsend 31st and Grundy 32nd.

“The 2019 FIM Junior World Motocross Championship provided our young team with a wonderful opportunity to race against the finest junior motocrossers in the world,” MSA Motocross Commission Chairman Iain Pepper concluded. “Not only did we have three of the lads making it through to the finals among the best in the world, but they delivered star performances, while the rest of the team will take back an invaluable experience — well done to the entire team."