The gates finally dropped for the start of the highly anticipated National Motocross Championship at Gauteng’s Terra Topia. The riders of Rockstar Energy Husqvarna lined up with not only an all-new look, but with the opportunity to conquer brand new territory.

For new recruit David Goosen, the opening round came with facing the unknown of racing his Husqvarna machines for the first time. As he set off for the first MX1 heat, Goosen described the feeling as something he could have only dreamed of. He explained: “I just felt so comfortable on the bike and before I knew it, I had overtaken everyone and found myself in the lead! I took the first heat win of the year and it was really cool – I don’t think I’ve ever done something like that.”

The rest of the day was filled with banging bars and hard-fought battles that ultimately saw Goosen take second overall in MX1 and MX2. The rider was especially proud of his MX2 result and commented “The final heat was one of the most competitive races the championship has seen in years. I was in a five-way battle for the lead in MX2 – one moment I was winning and the next moment I was in fifth place. I had to dig really deep as I worked my way back up to second place – possibly the deepest I’ve ever had to dig in racing. I was so chuffed to finish the day with some solid points in the bag.”

The season opener also marked a big moment for Rockstar Energy Husqvarna teammate Neil van der Vyver, who stepped up to the 85cc Pro Mini Class for the first time. With four national championship titles under his belt, he decided to take on new territory this season.

The youngster was off to a blistering start as he pushed to pace to set the fastest qualifying time. He commented, “It was really exciting to take on something new! I had no idea what to expect so it gave me a lot of confidence to qualify first.”

He unfortunately suffered a setback in the first heat after a bad start, but he managed to defy the odds and work his way back up from 11th place to finish fifth. After shaking off the nerves, he positioned himself to fight for the lead from the moment the gates dropped for the second heat. With a solid second place finish in the final moto, Van der Vyver secured a spot on the podium in third overall.

The team will now get back to the drawing back in preparation for the second round of the series that is set to take place at Rover in Port Elizabeth – a track notorious for its unforgiving sand and deep ruts.

“I was absolutely over the moon with the way our new season started. Having changed the majority of the personnel in the team as well as the look and feel, the results were beyond my expectation. I feel super excited for the rest of the season after such an awesome start,” said Husqvarna South Africa’s Brand Manager Fred Fensham.

Published by: Fred Fensham