Lesotho? For a national? That’s what we thought, but the Mountain Kingdom is synonymous with South African racing – so why not?
Teams made their way into our favourite Mountain Kingdom for the fourth round of the 2025 National Cross-Country Championship.
Team KTM flat taps…
Leading the charge was Brother Leader tread KTM’s Scott Heygate, who delivered a stellar ride to claim both the overall victory and the Open class win.
Reflecting on his win, Scott shared, “Round 4 of the SACC Championship was truly one for the books! Managed to take the win in the time trial, and the main race was an absolute battle. The track was tough. A small mistake early on allowed Maddy Malan to get past and allowed Davin to close in, pushing me back to P3. I had to reset, regroup, and put my head down. Lap after lap, I pushed all the way to the end. On the final lap, a mistake from Davin opened the door, I capitalized and managed to take the win on the day! A massive thank you to Louwrens, Marilyn, the entire team, and the Lesotho Federation for putting together such an incredible event. With one round to go, we’ll keep working hard and giving it everything. Feeling truly blessed and grateful for all the amazing people supporting me along the way.”
Matthew Wilson took the top step in OR3, finishing just shy of the overall podium in fourth place overall. “Lesotho was one of the best rounds of the season so far. The terrain was rough and demanding, but I found a good flow early on and kept things smooth and consistent. To take the OR3 win and be so close to the overall podium feels great. The team has been incredible, and I’m excited to carry this momentum into the final round.”
Husqvarna is hot on their heels!
Husqvarna’s Davin Cocker put in a phenomenal ride, engaging in a hard-fought battle to secure second overall and second in the Open class. After a tight race at the front, Davin said, “It was a lekker battle all day! The pace up front was fast, and it made for an awesome race. I had a lot of fun out there, and the team gave me a great setup that worked perfectly in the tough Lesotho conditions.”
Teammate Luke Walker showed excellent pace and consistency, claiming second in the OR3 class and fifth overall, rounding out a strong weekend for the team.
Luke Walker shared, “Time trial on Friday was good, ending up 1st in class and 4th overall! The main race on Saturday was a roller coaster. On the first lap, I struggled to find a rhythm and dropped to 2nd in my class. On the second lap, I had a crash leaving the pit area but managed to pick the bike up and keep chasing. I closed the gap to about 15 seconds going into D-control and felt really strong after that. Unfortunately, halfway through the last lap, my front brake calliper broke off, leaving me with no front brakes. It was extremely difficult to keep up with Matt after that, and the gap at the finish was 23 seconds. Despite the challenges, I felt great on the bike and had the pace all day!”
Yamaha enjoyed three class wins:
Everest Wealth Ridgeway Yamaha Racing came back from this South African Cross Country motorcycle bout with a clutch of gold medals and top ten finishes.
“Maseru proved an epic penultimate South African Cross Country Motorcycle round in Lesotho over weekend!” Everest Wealth Ridgeway Racing team boss Harry Grobler confirmed. “Our Juniors all won their races; we were third overall and also took silver in the Seniors. Well done to the entire team on an excellent job in the mountains!”
Ryan Wichman remains unbeaten in the 65 cc Juniors and stands on the threshold of his first South African National championship.
Ruald Potgieter made it three out of four 85 cc Seniors race wins so far this season to extend his advantage at the top of that championship chase.
High school rider Murray Smith is a team veteran! He won the class and came home tenth overall in Maseru to consolidate his lead in the 125cc class in Lesotho.
It was also a great weekend for Maddy Malan, who finally found a little luck to power home third overall on his Yamaha YZ 450 FX, while Senior man Marco Cocci scored a fine second on his similar Shimwells machine.
This leaves the team in control of the Junior championship.
The last round of the championship is to be announced soon. Watch this space.
