Summarize

The South African Cross Country Motorcycle racing season kicked off with an excellent opening round at Radium in Gauteng on Saturday. While overall winner Scott Heygate dominated on his KTM, it was Team Tork Craft that walked away with the lion’s share of the honours with no less than four class wins and twelve podiums across the classes.

Heygate was indomitable on his Bikers Warehouse KTM as he rode home over eight minutes clear of Sigmafix Tork Craft Yamaha lad Maddy Malan. 250cc OR3 winner Cobus Bester was third overall on his Roost KTM from OR1 men Matthew Wilson’s Roost and John Botha’s Fast KTMs. 

OR3 trio, Tyron Beverley’s Sigmafix Tork Craft Yamaha, Erik Merry’s Bikers Warehouse Husqvarna, and Slade Smith on another Sigmafix Tork Craft Yamaha followed. Peter Karam’s OR1 Motos Yamaha and Sigmafix Tork Craft Yamaha High School winner Murray Smith closed off the overall top ten.

Sigmafix Tork Craft Yamaha lad Ruald Potgieter took the Junior race from 85cc Senior rivals, Rayden Woolls’ Tork Craft Husqvarna, and Lourens Erasmus’ Tork Craft Pepson Plastics KTM. Hein Harvey took 85cc Junior honours on his Team Zonke Husqvarna and Ulrich Sterley won the baby 65cc class on his Sigmafix Tork Craft Yamaha.

In the classes, Scott Heygate took open class OR1 from Maddy Malan and Matthew Wilson, while Tim Black won 300cc OR2 on his Alfie Cox KTM. Cobus Bester took 250cc OR2 from Tyron Beverley and Erik Merry and Murray Smith led a Yamaha High School 125cc 1-2-3 from Franco Fourie’s Moto’s and Liam Scheepers’ Gravel Pot machines. Wayne Farmer took Masters  honours on his Bikers Warehouse Husqvarna ahead of Mielies Le Roux’s KTM and Warrick van Schalkwyk’s Sigmafix Tork Craft Yamaha, while his teammates, Shimwells man Marco Cocci and Gerhard Vorster led the way in Seniors. 

Leading retirements included OR1 frontrunners Brad Cox’s Sherco and Ruan Merry’s Husqvarna and Drikus van der Merwe’s OR3 Yamaha. The second round of the South African National Cross Country Motorcycle championship goes down in Bloemfontein on Saturday 16 May. 

Your South African National Cross Country Motorcycle action is brought to you by proud series sponsor Team Tork Craft.