Aloe Rock MX the place to be this Saturday

Date: 30 July 2015 By: Andries van Zyl

The Aloe Rock MX Club outside Louis Trichardt will be a beehive of activity this Friday and Saturday, not only as hosts of the Soutpansberg 400, but also as the event will serve as the official opening of the club.

The Soutpansberg 400 will form a round of the Totpak National Off-road Motorcycle and Quad Championships, as well as a round of the Raslouw Academy Junior National Championship on 1 August. It is the first time in decades that a national off-road race will take place in the Louis Trichardt area.

Currently, there are only two MX tracks in Limpopo, namely one in Polokwane and one in Phalaborwa.  “We are in the process of affiliating with both WOMZA (World of Motorsport South Africa) and MSA (Motorsport South Africa).  The general rule is that there must be a minimum of three tracks in a province to host their own regional.  With Aloe Rock MX as the third registered track in Limpopo, it will be possible to start our own Limpopo Regionals as soon as possible,” said Ms Bianca Prinsloo of the Aloe Rock MX.

Prinsloo added that their main goal was to host at least one WOMZA and one MSA regional in 2016.  “In 2017, we are aiming for a national event. Fun days will also be held monthly to introduce the local community to motocross.  An enduro track for the four-wheelers and two-wheelers are also in the process, so that we can accommodate all types of motorbikes on the premises of 40 hectares.  A clubhouse with all the facilities is also available,” said Prinsloo.

The club will also celebrate its official opening on Saturday at their MX track some 10 km out of Louis Trichardt on the N1 south. Motorcycle and quad competitors will tackle the two different 60km loops on Saturday between 07:30 and 08:00. This time trial will determine the starting order for the race that will start at 10:30.

In the junior category, the young motorcycle riders between the ages of seven and 14 years will start their two-hour race at 08:00, while the junior quad riders will race at 12:00.

There will be lots of action at the start/finish and service points as competitors will go through the same service point after completing each 60km loop. There are seven classes in the motorcycle and quad categories where riders will have to complete the full race distance (total of six laps) – the 60 km time-trial, followed by two of the same loops when the main race starts, before swopping loops and doing the second loop three times also. There will be lots of spectator points, while food and refreshments will be served during the day.

“We are not doing this for personal gain but for our community.  With all the riders that will be attending our events, the local business owners, restaurants and guest houses will all benefit.  We want to provide a safe and secure environment for our children to participate in a fast-growing sport,” said Prinsloo. An estimated 600 participants and spectators are expected to attend on Saturday.

Competitors from all over the country and as far as the Cape, Port Elizabeth, East London, Queenstown and the Free State, as well as Durban, Pietermaritzburg, Ballito, Richard’s Bay, Matatiele in KwaZulu-Natal and Norhwest and Gauteng will travel to Louis Trichardt to tackle the third-last round of the Totpak National Championship. It is also the penultimate round of the Junior National Championship, while the event will also form a round of the Northern Regions Championship. A couple of local riders to look out for include Stefan “Swanie” Swanepoel from Louis Trichardt, André Park from Musina and the 16-year old Wilmari Moller from Tzaneen.

For more information, phone Prinsloo at Tel 084 297 7274.

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Andries van Zyl

Andries joined the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror in April 1993 as a darkroom assistant. Within a couple of months he moved over to the production side of the newspaper and eventually doubled as a reporter. In 1995 he left the newspaper group and travelled overseas for a couple of months. In 1996, Andries rejoined the Zoutpansberger as a reporter. In August 2002, he was appointed as News Editor of the Zoutpansberger, a position he holds until today.

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