Windhoek MX event a hit, despite rain, mud

The first leg of the motocross (MX) national championship was welcomed with rain, mud and slippery riding conditions. But that did not deter riders from going full throttle during the first leg of the national MX championships at the Galinna tracks north of Windhoek.

At least 44 riders in nine different classes, including the women MX class (WMX), took part in the first event on Saturday.

The event was scheduled for February, but was postponed due to founding president Sam Nujoma’s funeral.

With limited time and lots of rain, event organiser Ingo Waldschmidt and his team worked against the weather to prepare the tracks for the event. Though MX riders prefer a damp track to suppress the dust, mud and water puddles are not the preferred dish on the menu as that contributes to the wear and tear of the motorbikes.

Waldschmidt describes the event as well attended by both riders and spectators.

“The riders were all eager to race,” Waldschmidt told Top Revs.

“The weather was perfect, but I was a bit worried that the rain in the morning might interrupt the races, but we were lucky,” Waldschmidt adds.

The weather lasted throughout the day so riders could finish all their races, and barely half an hour after the event, the rain started to fall, he says.

“The tracks were slightly damaged from the previous day due to the heavy showers, but we dug some trenches for the water to clear the tracks,” Waldschmidt says.

It is a stark comparison against the previous years when the tracks had to be watered to suppress the dust – this time around, no water tanks were seen during the entire event.

Following widespread rainfall, Omaruru in the Erongo region and Gobabis in the Omaheke region, previously excluded from hosting events due to drought, are now able to host sporting events.

Though only two events were scheduled for Omaruru later this year, it has now increased to four after the Swakopmund MX events were cancelled due to unknown reasons.

A Gobabis event was also cancelled last year shortly before the event due to the water shortage.

The results are as follows:

50cc: first Mason Meyer, second Delmar du Plessis, third Duhan Hefer.

65cc: first Oliver Mathews, second Paul Mans, third Carter Bouwer.

85cc: first Leander Metzger, second De Wet du Plessis, third Connor Bouwer.

125cc juniors: first Juan de Vos, second Luca Brand, third Jarno Metzger.

WMX: first Zoe Waldschmidt, second Melanie Oberholster, third Maike Bochert.

Clubmans: first Samene Wittreich, second JF van Eeden, third Mills Elmering.

Open class: first Mark Sternagel, second Bjorn Bierbrauer, third Tommy Gous.

Vets: first Heiko Stranghoner, second Sigi Pack, third Olaf Pack.

KOTD: first Sternagel, second Bierbrauer, third Gous.