The final stop of the SA MX National Championship was held at Dirt Bronco, where over 140 contestants raced in the muddy tracks with the title contenders producing some of the best racing of the year.
In the MX2 race, all eyes were initially on the battle between Caleb Tennant, Anthony Raynard and David Goosen, but it all changed when Goosen’s teammate Tristan Purdon made a quick move and charged all the way to the line for the win.
With many of the MX2 contenders racing in MX1, the action switched to the first MX1 heat where Goosen pulled a large lead, but Tennant hung on until Purdon again made a mid-race charge to pass the two leaders, claiming his second heat win of the day. Goosen took second and Tennant third, but with their close points in heat 1, the MX1 heat 2 had to serve as the title decider.
That heat saw both Tennant and Goosen sit out, as they rested for a pending battle for the MX1 Championship. This gave Matthew Malan the opportunity to win with Purdon in second and Joshua Mlimi in third. Purdon took the overall title with a 1-2, closely followed by Malan’s 4-1 and the solid 2-4 performance by Raynard giving him third for the day.
‘It was a good day on the track for me,’ said Purdon. ‘It was muddy so I chose different lines, often choosing the way outside, looking for the dry spots. I actually fell in the first Moto, and I was second last, but I pushed really hard and got the win. I was tired after that, and settled for second place in the second Moto.
‘This is definitely one of my best year of racing. I’m off to Florida for the Mini O’s next month. It will be my first time, so I’m just going to have some fun,’ Purdon added.
Photo: Tristan Purdon, by Eric Palmer