MIXED RESULTS FOR TEAM SHIMWELLS YAMAHA AT MAFIKENG 500 OFF-ROAD
author: Elza Thiart
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Leon Botha
Gavin Louw, winner of the 125cc Class on his Shimwells Yamaha.
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Team Shimwells Yamaha took yet some more trophies and good results home after the Mafikeng 500, the 3rd round of the National Off-road Championship for Motorcycles that took place in Mafikeng this past weekend.
The dry, winter weather conditions did not make the racing any easier for the riders and early morning mist together with the dust, caused extremely bad visibility. But even so, the defending off-road motorcycle champion and current leader of the 2003 championship, Gray Dick, won the Open Class on his Nashua Mobile Racing/Shimwells Yamaha. He finished 4th overall after starting in the 21st position, only 2 min 09 sec behind the leading rider. A puncture on the front wheel of his Yamaha was the reason why he had to settle for the 21st starting position, but he caught the other riders and halfway through the race, he was already 8th overall. He passed two more riders after the halfway mark and finished 4th overall.
His team-mate, Brian Capper, also on a Nashua Mobile Racing/Shimwells Yamaha participating in the Open Class, started the race in the 8th position, but 100km into the race, he hit something and the exhaust pipe broke off when a bolt snapped. He lost about 45 minutes trying to fix it with wires, but after another 80km, it came off again. Again he tried to bolt it back on and made the 25km to the service point where the decision was taken to retire after the original bolt could not be removed.
This is the first race this season that the multiple Trails Champion, Capper, could not finish, but he is confident that the season can only get better. Like Dick, he will participate in a few smaller races like a Super Motard Race this weekend at the Zwartkop Racetrack and a regional off-road race at Rustenburg.
It was another excellent race for Gavin Louw when he won the 125cc Class without any other rider challenging him. He started first and although also plagued by early morning mist causing the dust to become mud on his racing goggles, he beat his closest competitor by about 20 minutes to take a very convincing class win.
The ever consistent Bernard Johnston also finished his third race of the season and was 6th in the 250cc Class. With this result he scored some more valuable points towards the 250cc Class as well as the overall championship.
After hurting his shoulder at the Kalahari 1000, the scholar, Zac Botha, took a chance and entered his 250cc YZ250 four-stroke in the 200cc Class and after an excellent race, he finished 4th in this competitive class.
In the Senior Championship, the defending champion, Johnny Lochner, finished 2nd on his 250 four-stroke Shimwells Yamaha and he is currently lying 3rd in the championship for senior motorcycle riders. He was the 5th Senior Rider (48th overall) to start the Mafikeng 500 and not only was the chase with the other riders a challenge, but also the dusty and misty conditions.
The next race is the Hluhluwe Queen Pineapple Off-road Spectacular that will take place on July 4 and 5.
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