Dean Hoffman MX Coach Report
Round 2 and 3 of the Motocross SA Nationals sponsored by Cannabis energy drink in Pietermaritzburg was one for the books !!
It was such a pity no spectators were allowed as it was a spectacle of note !
Mixed results for some of my motocross students , 2019 SA 65cc National champion, Neil vd Vyver showed his class by out riding his competitors on every level. Neil convincingly won 4 out 4 heats against a big field to regain the points lead in the championship.
50cc sensation Chase Bekker managed a 4th and 5th place on day 1, riding well within his limits and had his work cut out for a top 10 on an extremely muddy day 2!
Ethan Hoffman, 125 High School, rode well on day 1 ending in 4th place in heat 1 and had a great ride in heat 2 ending in 7th place after having to fight back from last place from a first lap crash .
Casting an eye over the different classes , it was evident who’s been able to get some bike time in during the lockdown period and who was lacking some fitness and sharpness.
The Pietermaritzburg track is extremely hard pack , some parts are bedrock with a black type clay on top which becomes extremely slippery when wet , throw in non stop rain through the day and plenty of elevation and you not only have difficulty in keeping the bike on 2 wheels but also knowing how hard to push yourself. On a track like this the trick is knowing on which parts to be aggressive and which parts to ride more conservatively, which is only learnt after years of experience and riding tracks like this often and coaching. A rider that stood out to me this weekend was factory Yamaha rider David Goosen, who won 3 out of 4 heats in the MX1 and MX2 classes on day 2. He got the mix just right , by pushing at 100% in parts but dropping down to 90% when necessary.
The last 2 rounds of the National series ends in Bloemfontein on the 24th and 25th October. All the championships will be decided on the last day so it’s going to be next level exciting. Mx nationals SA runs a live stream on Facebook , so diarise the dates and tune in !!