Dusty Delmas makes it four winners in four races
Bradley Cox tightened his grip on the overall South African National Cross Country Motorcycle championship.
KwaZulu-Natal hero Bradley Cox tightened his grip on the overall South African National Cross Country Motorcycle championship when the Brother Leader Tread KTM rider beat Franchise Company CIT Kawasaki man Mike Pentecost and Kerim Fitz-Gerald’s Red Bull KTM to victory in a dusty, rocky, and occasionally slippery Delmas race on Saturday.
In so doing, Cox opened his championship advantage to a handy 19 points, but it is far closer in the various class chases.
OR2 rider Cox had to fight for his overall victory as he made it four different riders and machines to win in the four races so far in 2021.
Former motocrosser Fitz-Gerald was quick out of the blocks on his OR2 machine and led the way from OR1 man Pentecost before Cox clawed back to take a close win from Pentecost and Fitz-Gerald.
Just 37 seconds covered the top three as Cox became the first out-of-province rider to win around this year as he continues to prepare for his Dakar debut in January.
OR3 lad Davin Cocker’s Rockstar Husqvarna harried the leaders as he beat Ian Rall’s similar OR2 MCA Dragon machine to fourth.
D’Artagnan Lobjoit’s Pepson Motul Kawasaki was sixth from reigning champion Brett Swanepoel’s Rockstar Husqvarna, Scott Heygate’s Alfie Cox KTM, and Jaycee Nienaber’s Spherical Husqvarna.
Also, Dakar bound, reigning OR1 champion Charan Moore was tenth on his Brother KTM, straight off racing the Kalahari Rally through the previous week.
The upshot of all that is Bradley Cox has extended his overall 2021 South African National Cross Country Motorcycle championship advantage to 19 points over KZN rivals Brett Swanepoel, with Michael Pentecost a further two points adrift, subject to official MSA ratification.
Botswana rider D’Artagnan Lobjoit leads the tight four-man fight for fourth over Gauteng trio Ian Rall, Davin Cocker, and Kerim Fitz-Gerald, with just seven points splitting that quartet.
It’s however a different story in the classes, where several of them see splendid title battles raging as the season heads to its finale next month.
Read the full story on: Record East.