By Action in Motion.
PAINTING THE TOWN OF LEANDRA RED: Paying tribute to a friend.
On Saturday 13 July, riders descended on the little town of Leandra in the Mpumalanga province for round 5 of the Gauteng Xross Country Club (GXCC) Championship and the MSA Northern Regions Cross Country Championship.
                           Some pics from the parade. Too cool!
This round carried special significance as the GXCC community united by paying tribute to Michael Pentecost. Competitors, teams, crew members, spectators and fans gathered not only to compete but also to honour Michael’s legacy. The event commenced with a moment of silence being observed before the races began and an honorary lap in the start maze. Riders adorned their bikes and gear with Michael’s racing number and other personal tributes, turning the race into a moving celebration of his life and passion for the sport.
GXCC laid out a great track with flowing sweeping turns, which crossed over some of the most beautiful koppies and dried up rivers in the area. The open expanse of the pit area allowed spectators to get a glimpse of the dices between competitors on the route.
The quads opened the morning session with some impressive racing. The class winners were:
Q1: Franco Pretorius
Q2: Hennie Michau
QLadies: Liezel Barnard
QMasters: Wikus Pretorius
QVeterans: Tony Dos Santos
QSocial: Danielle Esterhuizen
There was fierce competition in the junior classes and the following riders claimed victory:
50cc: Rogan Mathews
65cc: Declan Richards
65cc Rookie: Shain Nienaber (Jnr)
Jnr85cc: Liam Scheepers
Jnr85cc Rookie: Alexander Compaan
Snr85cc: Drikus van der Merwe
The seniors raced the afternoon session with stellar performances across all classes:
OR1 Pro: Scott Heygate
OR2 Pro: John Botha
OR3 Pro: Peter Karam
Highschool: Nathan Westerdale
OR4: Drikus van der Merwe
Seniors: Louwrens Mahoney
Masters: Pieter Höll
Veterans: Geoff Den
Ladies: Brooklyn Lilford
OR1 Pro-Am: Francois Smalberger (Jnr)
OR2 Pro-Am: Dieter de Wet
OR3 Pro-Am: Jason Leslie
Senior Pro-Am: Richard Hein
OR1 Rookie: Stefan Labuschagne
OR2 Rookie: Tristan Schana
OR3 Rookie: Stefan de Klerk
Social: Graham Engelbrecht
                            Not everything goes according to plan.
Now the series gets ready for the last few rounds of the 2024 season.
The GXCC community will always carry forward the spirit of competition and camaraderie that Michael so dearly loved, with racers gearing up to face new challenges and create more memorable moments on the track.
