Leading rider Tristan Purdon took a clean sweep for Red Bull KTM at the fifth round of the National Motocross Championship when he stormed to victory in both the MX1 and MX2 class respectively. With the class win having narrowly evaded his grasp in the last few rounds, the rider came back swinging to take top honours in all four heats he competed in.
As the curtains of the prestigious series slowly start to draw to a close, it’s full steam ahead for Purdon as he prepares to defend both red plates. The double victory comes at the perfect time for the rider who is about to compete in the biggest motocross race of the year, the Motocross of Nations. The pinnacle event gives Purdon the opportunity to test himself against the very best in this sport and will put him in good stead for the final two rounds of the South African championship.
Adding an exciting element to the race for the MX2 title has been the battle between Red Bull KTM teammates Purdon and Cameron Durow. The riders have fought tooth and nail for points this season with Durow edging his way to the top of the leaderboard in the last few rounds.
Durow came off second best this time around after two unfortunate crashes in the first MX2 heat. Regaining his composure, he managed to salvage the moto to finish in fifth place. He set off with a blistering pace in the second moto before Purdon made his move, but held onto his pace to finish in second and ultimately secure second place overall.
While the result was not what Durow had hoped for by his own high standards, the race for the prestigious championship is far from over. While getting his hands on the MX2 title is his main focus, Durow has also been getting valuable experience racing in the MX1 Class. This weekend he put on an eye-catching performance when he placed second overall in the competitive class – his best MX1 finish this season.
Once again, Red Bull KTM’s Jonathan Mlimi stole the show in the High School Class. It was a perfect race for the rider who finished first in everything from qualifying to the two heats he competed in.
The event didn’t come without its challenges, however. After setting off with the holeshot in the first heat, Mlimi had a slight tip over in a corner. Shaking off any unsettled nerves, he fought his way back to the front to secure the win.
The second moto started off with yet another holeshot, and Mlimi didn’t look back. He explained: “After the holeshot, I controlled the race from the front to bring home another win for the day. This was a very memorable race as it was my first 1-1 of the season!”
A seemingly elusive Pro Mini victory only just evaded the grasp of Trey Cox. Having secured the holeshot and the win in the first heat, a victory overall looked promising for the rising star.
With only two laps to go in the second moto, Cox had a crash that kept him from the top step of the podium. The results were enough to defend his championship lead, however, and Cox will line up with the red plate in the next round.
