The country’s 2020 National Motocross champions were crowned in Bloemfontein this weekend. The series came to a close with an exciting double-header round where Red Bull KTM’s Tristan Purdon took top honours in the premier MX1 Class. Effectively dubbing Purdon as the best Motocross rider in the country.
The victory came especially sweet for Purdon after last year’s season finale where he finished as runner-up. In a bid to set the record straight this time around, Purdon lined-up in Bloemfontein leading the MX1 Class by a single point. In excruciatingly hot conditions with temperatures above 38 degrees Celsius, the rider launched his attack. With consecutive victories in the first three heats and a third place in the final moto, Purdon took the victory overall in both rounds to secure the 2020 title.
Purdon: “I can finally say it – I’m the 2020 MX1 Champion! That is a wrap for the season – thank you is not enough to everyone in my corner.”
Adding to the celebrations in the orange camp was yet another championship title courtesy of young gun Jonathan Mlimi, who stormed to victory in the High School Class. Having fought his way back from an injury that ruled him out of the 2019 season, Mlimi was determined to reinstate himself as the frontrunner in his class.
Mlimi: “We did it! This time I managed to take three hole shots and another four wins – which makes it 8/8 victories since the season restarted. The hard work and training really payed off – thank you to everyone who supported me.”
Rounding out the orange squad this weekend was Kerim Fitz-Gerald. While the rider was unable to make up the 20-point deficit keeping him from the top of the MX2 leaderboard, he finished off the season with an outstanding performance.
Louwrens Mahoney (KTM South Africa’s Marketing Manager): “What a tough and demanding weekend it was with the track getting so rough, the unbearable heat and two solid days of racing! I am so proud of the team and their achievements, not just at this event but over the entire year. We’re going into 2021 with the MX1 and High School Championship, which is a massive confidence boost for the riders and the team. We will work hard in the off season to maintain this form and to come back even stronger!”
