Months of preparation fell into place this weekend as 5 top South African riders took on the 65cc and 85cc classes in Bucharest Romania for the 2023 FIM Motocross Junior World Cup and Championship.
Wayne Berrington-Smith, SA team manager, led the 5 rider team on this amazing journey to be a part of this annual FIM event. Riders Christian Berrington-Smith #141 on his 85cc, Trent Valschecci #300, and Blake Frost #29 also on 85cc put on a demanding challenge in the extremely talented 85cc class championship of the world’s top riders.
Christian Berrington-Smith sadly crashed out with a minor injury but has bounced back superbly to get going again.
Trent Valsecchi and Blake Frost competed in the Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ). Unfortunately, the mishap on the holeshot corner took them down and both riders were caught in the aftermath. The gap was too huge to fight but they fought their hardest to gain some positions.
In the 65cc class, it was Kabelo Ledwaba #280 and Evan Frost #28 who went bar to bar against the world to dominate through to the final race on Sunday.
Early morning strategizing and track walks to lay the plan down for what lay ahead on the most exhilarating experience any rider can dream of.
Ledwaba and Frost chose gates aside each other in the hope of a good jump out the gates for that holeshot to pave the way for the race. Ledwaba had an unfortunate drop and lost some pace but Frost managed to peak his performance through both heats.
Frost was there to stamp his authority and had a flawless ride in both heats to finish overall 6th on the world stage. Ledwaba pulled off a well-deserved overall 22nd. Both riders poured their heart into the race and it paid off.
Congratulations to the entire team on their outstanding performance.
Our heartfelt pride to these two amazing riders representing South Africa and Motorsport South Africa and Motocross in South Africa.
Thank you to the support of Motorsport South Africa for paving the way for our future champions and to all the riders’ individual sponsors and parents for making this dream possible for our riders.
We look forward to more amazing results from our South African riders.
Published on behalf of the Team by the MX Commission
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