LIGHTNING STRIKES THREE TIMES IN 2014 Syringa Park hosted the final round of the MSA’s Nationals this past Saturday the 18-10-2014 - under clear blue skies, to the schedule and the event ran like clockwork. The MX1 Class lined up for the first practice of the day and Sacha displayed his ability with regards to raw speed and completed the session in pole position. Jesse Wright was on top form in the MX2 qualifying, posting the fastest lap time of (1.30.448) and was closely followed by Sacha in 2nd position with a 1.30.679. Fitzgerald, Kok and Adams all qualified respectfully on (1.3.1’s), which clearly indicated that a competitive and serious days racing was to follow in this class. Prior to the gates dropping in the MX1 Class on Saturday, Sacha had accumulated a comfortable fourteen (14) point lead, after completing five (5) rounds of the MSA Championship, and raced with the end in mind. He rode with self control, discipline and maturity to minimize mistakes and guaranteed the championship. The entire year has been a three way battle between Sacha, Kerim and the Kokstar in both Federations and Syringa Park was going to be no different. Sacha took an early lead, however, Michael was applying sufficient pressure for the Sach-Mystar to allow the Kokstar to pass and safely settle for second. Kerim rounded off the third spot of the podium in heat one. Gizmo, once again displayed his unpredictable nature and speed, took the hole shot in heat 2 and ensured that Michael Kok would not make a pass. Sacha wisely backed off the pace and settled for 3rd, reserving his energy for the final “do or die” championship deciding heat in the MX2 Class. Having passed the checkered flag of the second MX1 heat in 3rd position, the Number 54 had successfully added another title to his name and lighting had struck for the third time in 2014. Sacha had secured both MX1 and MX2 titles in the WOMZA Series and now added the MSA MX1 title to his name. The MX2 Class was an emotional rollercoaster for all the parents, competitors and fans. Gizmo took the hole-shot in the first MX2 heat and had control of the race, until such time that he sadly suffered a premature engine failure. Jesse Wright took the win, followed by Sacha and then Michael Kok whom came back with great pace and intensity after a first lap crash. The second heat was unquestionably going to be a game changer. Jesse Wright took the hole shot, followed closely by Nicholas Adams, Sacha Naude and Kerim Fitzgerald. The Championship was so close but yet so far. Sacha had Nicholas Adams in his sight and was preparing a strategic pass, which would have been sufficient to seal the MSA MX2 Championship. Unfortunately this title eluded the Number 54 as disaster struck at the base of a flat out fifth gear left hand turn, when the berm broke away on the racing line at the bottom of the hill and both Sacha and his motorcycle ended up in the trees on the most dangerous part of the track. This is a massive concern to myself, as there was no run off on this extremely fast corner which was over run by trees and was most certainly overlooked by the track inspector earlier in the week. Yamaha’s factory pilot suffered a pulmonary contusion (a trauma / bruising to the lungs), sustained a serious amount of tyre burn to his left arm and a large amount of bruising to the majority of his body. On a positive note, the tree that Sacha hit looks fine and I sincerely trust this miniature forest will be removed as a priority in the near future. Sacha has stabilized well; feeling upbeat and a making a remarkable recovery considering the magnitude of the impact that his body took from the sudden stop. This accident reminded me of an “Isle of Man” styled incident and track. To win any championship requires a rider to be exceptionally focused, consistent, motivated, healthy, and have the ability to manage his or hers injuries during the entire season whilst maintaining an above average level of fitness. Kerim managed the above mentioned far better than the rest of the competition and deservedly won the MX2 Championship. The depth and quality of top class riders in this year’s MSA and WOMZA Championships has been phenomenal and unparralled to anything I have witnessed in many years of South African racing. 2014 took it’s toll on the riders in the form of blood, sweat and tears, as 99% of the competitors competed in both the WOMZA and MSA Championships and maintained the highest level of riding at all times. As I conclude and summarize this great year, I take this opportunity to thank all our sponsors, namely, Bidvest Yamaha, Jim Tarintino’s TRP, Pirtek Hoses, Shoei Helmets, and a big thank you must go to Ken Somerville and Charlie Stebbing from Game Services for all their technical support and unconditional assistance throughout the year. Without all the above mentioned business’s and individuals our success on the race track would not have been possible, thank you very much.
Posted on: Tue, 21 Oct 2014 07:48:27 +0000
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