Featuring a mix of youth and experience, FIM Africa’s eight-rider team contesting the inaugural FIM Intercontinental Games (ICG) is preparing to take on the other five FIM Continental Unions (CONU) of Asia, Europe, North America, Latin America and Oceania at the iconic Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto in Spain on 30 November and 1 December.
All eight FIM Africa riders are from South Africa with eighteen-year-olds Abigail Bosson and Chris Wright teaming up with twenty-year-old Taigh Janse van Rensburg and Kgopotso Mononyane, who at seventeen is the youngest member of the team, to contest the R3 category.
Bosson has shown great domestic form this year and has wildcard experience in the FIM Women’s European Cup while Wright is a front runner in the Italian CIV SS300 series and Van Rensburg has also enjoyed considerable success this season racing in Italy. Mononyane has scored points in the 2024 Red Bull MotoGP Rookie’s Cup.
Leading FIM Africa’s R7 riders into action, thirty-seven-year-old Clint Seller is hugely experienced and a multi-time champion in South Africa. He will line up alongside thirty-eight-year-old Nicole van Aswegen who competes in the FIM Women’s Circuit World Championship and twenty-three-year-old Dino Iozzo who this year contested the CEV Spanish Championship and knows Jerez well.
The team’s youngest R7 rider is twenty-year-old Leungo Gaorekwe who also races in Spain and is a huge fan of the Jerez circuit.
Damion Purificati, FIM Africa Team Manager, said: “When I received a call asking if I could manage the African team I was super-proud. I am so excited and can’t wait to show the world what we are made of. As a manager I believe the only challenge we will have as a team is not knowing the Circuit Jerez while many of the other teams have raced there for years, but I do believe it will only be a challenge for the first day.”
Marco Comana, FIM Africa President, added: “As we prepare to represent Africa at the inaugural FIM Intercontinental Games in Jerez, I acknowledge each of our African riders. This is not just a competition, it’s an opportunity to showcase our diverse cultures, strengths and talents on a global stage. Let’s support one another and embody the unity and teamwork that defines us. Remember, we are making memories and building connections that will last a lifetime. Let us give our best and make Africa proud, for we carry the hopes and dreams of our continent with us!”
Organised with the support of la Junta de Andalucía, the City of Jerez FIM Intercontinental Games will bring together forty-eight riders from nineteen countries and takes place on 30 November and 1 December 2024 at the Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto in Southern Spain
Published by: – Isabelle Larivière (FIM COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER)
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