                         Race report & photos by Deon vdl Photography.
The penultimate round of the Inland MX Championship began on a cold morning with light rain falling. More than 130 entries lined up to race. The track was prepped, the riders were ready, and it was a fantastic race day!
MX 50cc JNR & 50cc SNR.
50cc JNR
Heat 1.
The juniors lined up alongside the senior riders, the gate dropped, and the race was on. #8 Paul Graven set a strong pace from the start and rode his way to 1st place. #18 Garry Hamer took 2nd, followed by #112 Logan Fulton in 3rd.
Heat 2.
This time around, Fulton had a much better run, outpacing his competitors to claim the win. Coming through in 2nd was Hamer, and #14 Milan le Roux finished 3rd.
50cc SNR.
Heat 1.
Most of the senior riders quickly made their way to the front of the pack, with #30 Brayden Tucker leading. Tucker stayed focused and crossed the line for the win. #11 Gianno Ferreira came through in 2nd, with #17 Hanro Jacobs taking 3rd place.
Heat 2.
Tucker continued his impressive form as he pushed hard all the way to secure a double win. Ferreira secured 2nd, and the 3rd spot went to Jacobs.
                                     Overall Results.
                                        50cc JNR.
1st #112 Logan Fulton
2nd #18 Garry Hamer
3rd #8 Paul Graven
                                       50cc SNR.
1st #30 Brayden Tucker
2nd #11 Gianno Ferreira
3rd #17 Hanro Jacobs
MX1 & MX Support.
MX1.
Heat 1.
The top-tier class did not hold back as they took on the slightly wet conditions. The riders gave no quarter as they navigated the track. #746 Adriano Catalano was the first to finish, with #84 Marco Cherti in 2nd place and #184 Justin Cope in 3rd.
Heat 2.
Catalano came out of the gate on the back wheel, taking the holeshot. Meyer and Cope had a proper battle. Catalano powered his way to another win, Meyer clinched 2nd, with Cope not far behind in 3rd place.
MX Support.
Heat 1.
The riders of the Support class put on a great show of their own. In the end, it was #420 Todd Henderson who grabbed 1st place, followed by #321 Jordann De Lange in 2nd, and #33 Blake Levey in 3rd.
Heat 2.
Henderson took an early lead but was closely pursued by De Lange. #274 Matt McCarthy and Meyer battled for 3rd. Henderson held on for the win, De Lange followed in 2nd, and Meyer kept McCarthy behind to take 3rd.
                                     Overall Results.
                                           MX1.
1st #746 Adriano Catalano
2nd #717 Wayne Meyer
3rd #184 Justin Cope
                                      MX Support.
1st #420 Todd Henderson
2nd #321 Jordann de Lange
3rd #32 Brandon Meyer
MX4 Ladies.
Heat 1.
Eleven ladies lined up behind the gates for the final round. Up front was #21 Jessica Osner, whose pace was simply too fast for the others. Osner took a comfortable win. #42 Dekota Grobbelaar came through in 2nd, and #170 Katelyn Pretorius secured 3rd.
Heat 2.
Once again, it was Osner who kept her eyes on the prize, barely putting a foot wrong. She took the chequered flag in 1st place. #422 Kirsten Santillan had a strong run to claim 2nd, and Pretorius finished in 3rd.
                                     Overall Results.
1st #21 Jessica Osner
2nd #422 Kirsten Santillan
3rd #170 Katelyn Pretorius
MX 125cc High School.
Heat 1.
The school riders were out in full force, with 17 competitors ready to race. The action was thrilling, with plenty of elbow-bashing throughout. Finishing 1st was #11 Deruk van Aswegan, 2nd went to #229 Riley Rocher, and #24 Roland Graven took 3rd.
Heat 2.
It was an all-out battle between the teenagers in their final race of the year. When the dust settled, Rocher claimed the win, Graven took 2nd, and #3 Asher Brown just managed to edge into 3rd, with #555 Maxwell Fourie less than half a second behind in 4th.
                                     Overall Results.
1st #229 Riley Rocher
2nd #24 Roland Graven
3rd #3 Asher Brown
MX65cc.
Heat 1.
With a puff of smoke, the youngsters charged into the first corner. They came through turn one cleanly and jumped the tabletop. #117 Trey Dean followed the ideal lines and secured 1st place. #20 Luan Jordaan crossed the line in 2nd, followed by #88 Reestin Bartlett in 3rd.
Heat 2.
Jordaan was clearly determined to end the season on a high note. He held the throttle wide open to secure 1st overall. Dean settled for 2nd, and Bartlett finished 3rd.
                                     Overall Results.
1st #20 Luan Jordaan
2nd #117 Trey Dean
3rd #88 Reestin Bartlett
MX3 Masters & Grand Masters.
Masters.
Heat 1.
In the first race of the Masters class, #28 Callan Theron delivered a dominant performance to take the win. #187 Ty Taylor secured 2nd, with #50 Nicolaas van der Linden in 3rd.
Heat 2.
Not satisfied with his earlier result, Van der Linden came out aggressively and didn’t look back, taking 1st place. Theron took 2nd, and Taylor claimed 3rd.
Grand Masters.
Heat 1.
The Grand Masters showed the younger riders how it’s done with some classic racing. When the chequered flag waved, it was #47 Shaun Lloyd in 1st, #159 Adrian Maguire in 2nd, and #4 David de Witt in 3rd.
Heat 2.
#7 Gary Killian, riding his Honda, had a brilliant start and led from the front to take the win. #19 Darrell Lehman finished 2nd, followed by Maguire in 3rd.
                                     Overall Results.
                                         Masters.
1st #28 Callan Theron
2nd #50 Nicolaas van der Linden
3rd #187 Ty Taylor
                                     Grand Masters.
1st #7 Gary Killian
2nd #47 Shaun Lloyd
3rd #159 Adrian Maguire
MX2 & MX3 Vets.
MX2.
Heat 1.
This was an incredible race, with a fierce three-way battle for 2nd place. #121 Lucas Venter came through to take the win. #229 Riley Rocher secured 2nd, closely followed by #84 Marco Cherti in 3rd, with #38 Ethan Louw right behind in 4th.
Heat 2.
Rocher was in top form and rode brilliantly to secure the win. Venter had to stay composed with two riders on his tail. He just managed to hold on to 2nd, with Cherti finishing in 3rd.
MX3 Vets.
Heat 1.
The Vets race was dominated by #73 Brandon Wheeler, who cruised to 1st place. #717 Wayne Meyer took 2nd, and #114a Ryan Mileham claimed 3rd.
Heat 2.
There was no stopping Wheeler as he flowed smoothly through the laps to claim the double win. Meyer took 2nd again, with Mileham completing the podium in 3rd.
                                     Overall Results.
                                           MX2.
1st #229 Riley Rocher
2nd #121 Lucas Venter
3rd #84 Marco Cherti
                                        MX3 Vets.
1st #73 Brandon Wheeler
#717 Wayne Meyer
3rd #114a Ryan Mileham
MX85cc JNR & Pro.
85cc JNR.
Heat 1.
The 85cc 2-stroke engines roared into life. It didn’t take long for #133 Deagan Preston to take the lead. He held the front and took the win. #413 Rocco Kapp finished 2nd, followed by #23 Gennaro Zabotto in 3rd.
Heat 2.
Preston was in a league of his own, dominating once again to secure 1st overall. #602 Rogan Schwim showed a much-improved pace to finish 2nd, with Kapp in 3rd.
85cc Pro.
Heat 1.
The Pro riders were out to prove why they belong in the top class. The standout was #234 Cassie van Zyl, who took 1st place. #15 Lleyton Botha followed in 2nd, and #78 Keagan Crawford finished 3rd.
Heat 2.
Van Zyl was unstoppable as he stormed to his second win of the day. Botha took 2nd, and 3rd place went to #246 Ryan Boggett.
                                     Overall Results.
                                        85cc JNR.
1st #133 Deagan Preston
2nd #413 Rocco Kapp
3rd #602 Rogan Schwim
                                        85cc Pro.
1st #234 Cassie van Zyl
2nd #15 Lleyton Botha
1st #234 Cassie van Zyl
With one more race to go, things will surely get heated in the Final Round. The last race of the year will take place on 8 November at Ridgeway MX Park.
