The National Cross Country Championship officially kicks off at Legends MX this weekend. Husqvarna Racing’s Davin Cocker will once again represent the team in the OR3 Class as he attempts to defend his hard-fought 2021 championship title. The young talent has also returned to his motocross roots this season in the highly competitive MX2 Class.
As he gears up for national glory and one of his most promising seasons yet, Cocker shares his thoughts:
You’re stepping into the season as the reigning OR3 Champion. How do you plan to defend that title in 2022?
I learnt a lot last year – I came out of every race with something new that I picked up on. My biggest lesson was that pace and consistency go well together, and I believe that’s what will help keep the points up this year.
Tell us about your weapon of choice this season and why you believe it could be the winning machine.
I’m very excited to be back on the Husqvarna FC 250 this season! It’s such a comfortable, nimble machine that packs the power to keep some of the bigger bikes at bay.
Some might find it surprising to hear that you’ve signed up for the 2022 motocross season as well. How did this come about?
I raced motocross for most my life until I decided to give Cross Country a go in 2018. I missed motocross, so I jumped at the opportunity the team offered me to get back into it. It’s so exciting to be hitting some jumps again! I know that motocross will ultimately help me with my pace and consistency in Cross Country too.
What has your pre-season training involved?
My training programme really worked for me last season, so not much has changed except for adding in a lot more bike time. I also hope to get the chance to practice on some new terrain to challenge and ultimately better myself as a rider.
What are your goals with the Husqvarna Racing team?
For now my obvious goal is to try my best to finish at the top of the OR3 Class. I would also like to possibly look at going up to the FX 350 next year, but let’s first see how this season goes. My longer term goal is to go to the Dakar Rally.
The National Cross Country Championship kicks off at Legends MX on Saturday, 26 February. Husqvarna Racing’s star-studded line-up consists of Brett Swanepoel and Davin Cocker, two young athletes bristling with all the talent needed to bring home their respective championship titles this season.
As a multi-disciplined star, Swanepoel will be spearheading the hunt for glory in the National Enduro, National Extreme Enduro and National Cross Country Championship. The team has revealed an exciting change for the new season as the rider returns to his trusty Husqvarna FX 350 in the Cross Country OR2 Championship.
Swanepoel has also set his sights on winning both the National Enduro and National Extreme Enduro Championship on his Husqvarna TE 300i, where he will be taking on a highly competitive field of riders in the E2 Class.
We catch up with the rider ahead as his first race of the season approaches:
You’re stepping into the season as the reigning overall Enduro Champion. What are the greatest lessons from last season you think will help you defend that title in 2022?
Something that last season taught me is that it’s not over until the very end. I started off the season with food poisoning and it actually looked like the championship was over for me. I went on to win every round after that and the last race of the season counted for double points, so I managed to take the overall victory by a few points! I realized that every race counts and it’s not just about how you start, but also how you finish.
As a multi-disciplined star, you’ll also be racing in the OR2 Cross Country Class. Why the change of class this season?
The Husqvarna FX 350 is just the best all-rounder bike that I’ve experienced and the one that really stands out when I look at my racing career so far. It’s so versatile and its top end speed is incredible – I get so excited at the thought of racing it. So when the opportunity came to move back to the OR2 Class, I went for it!
What has your pre-season training involved? Is there anything new about your training this season that could possibly give you that extra edge?
This off season I actually adopted a ‘less is more’ approach. I often get caught up in training too much and pushing my body into the ground. I’m still training really hard and enjoying a lot of time on the bike, but also giving my body enough time to recover before a race.
What are your goals with the Husqvarna Racing team?
I really want to get the number one Cross Country plate back. I missed out on that last year. The main goal is to win all three championships this season – The National Enduro, Extreme and Cross Country Championship. The Roof of Africa is also a big goal for the end of year – I want to give that a proper push and finish right up top.
I would also like to do some overseas races. I really believe that will help me up my game locally. When you race against the best in the world, you have no choice but to level it up.
National Cross Country and Enduro Championship Team
Brother Leader Tread KTM are gearing up for the start of the 2022 National Cross Country and Enduro Championship. The first race of the season takes Cross Country riders to Legends MX this weekend – a working farm in Gauteng with maze, cattle and indigenous wildlife.
Leading the charge for national titles is multi-disciplined star Bradley Cox. The rider took top honours last season when he snatched up the overall National Cross Country Championship and National Enduro E1 Championship. As a nine-time National Champion, the rider mentions feeling particularly excited to chase his 10th title this year.
“I’m stepping into the season with the number one plates – this is the first time in my career I’ve been able to do this. It’s a new pressure for me, but having the same goals and mindset as last year will help me defend my titles. I’m so excited to try get into the double digits of South African titles,” said Cox.
Adding to the rider’s sense of confidence this season is his recent success at the 2022 Dakar Rally. Not only did he finish what is deemed as one of the toughest races in the world, but was the third fastest Rookie and placed 25th in the Overall General Classification. With a wealth of experience, Cox will represent the orange team in the prestigious OR1 Cross Country Class and E1 Enduro Class this season.
“The experience I gained at the Dakar was invaluable and I’ll definitely apply the things I learnt there to my racing locally. The OR1 Class is the premier class, so I stepped up to KTM 450 XC-F to represent my team. Last season was my stepping year to the KTM 450 XC-F and I’m so excited to finally be on this machine. In Enduro I’ll be racing the KTM 250 EXC-F, so to be on a 4-stroke in both disciplines will give me a good sense of consistency.”
In the highly competitive field of Cross Country riders, Brother Leader Tread KTM will unleash the flying Zambian, Scott Heygate this season. The rider will represent the orange squad in the OR2 Class aboard a KTM 350 XC-F.
The 20 year old lives on a farm on the outskirts of a small town in Zambia called Chingola and practically grew up on a 50cc that his grandfather bought him at five years old. Heygate has since gone on to win the Zambian Motocross Championship the last five years in a row and in 2021 finished second in the South African National Cross Country Championship in the OR3 class.
Joining Heygate in the fight for OR2 glory is Kerim Fitz-Gerald, who will be riding for Red Bull KTM. After an incredibly successful motocross career, the multiple national champion has taken up the challenge of Cross Country racing. With years of experience to fall back on, the rider has plenty of grit to go with his raw talent and will be a favourite for the title this season.
The team will also be adding young gun Matthew Wilson to their cross country roster, who will competing in the OR3 Class this season. The 17 year old has been winning championships since the age of nine with multiple Gauteng Regional and National Championships under his belt. Wilson first stepped onto a bike at the age of three and by age eight was already going bar to bar with his rivals on a 65cc. The rider does most of his riding at Rhino Park and is also dedicated to putting in the work off the bike with a rigorous gym schedule.
In a massive scoop for the Enduro Brother Leader Tread KTM team last season, Blake Gutzeit stepped onto a KTM 300 XC-W TPI from November 2021. He will spearhead the hunt for a national title in the highly competitive E2 Class.
Hailing from the small town of Oslo Beach on the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal Natal, Gutzeit has rapidly become one of the most technically gifted riders in the world. Gutzeit’s first memory on a motorbike is at the age of three, but his racing career only actually started from about the age of 14.
The rider is a former Junior World Champion in SuperEnduro and currently lies fifth in the World Championship Prestige Class. His glittering resume includes a National Enduro title, a fourth place at the Roof of Africa and finishing the Erzberg Rodeo.
Brother Leader Tread KTM have also managed to capture the signing of exciting Enduro prospect Matthew Stevens, who will be riding in the J1 class on the KTM 125 XC this season. Stevens is the youngest ever finisher of the Gold Class at the IMPI Enduro and is already a two time national Enduro Champion.
Stevens has massive dreams and tells the story that at the age of nine he wrote his goals on the ceiling above his bed in permanent marker – one of those goals being to win the Roof of Africa in 2023. Stevens has an impressive work ethic and he stands by the ethos that his father has put in place for him: “Any goal is 100% doable if I have a plan, put in the work, surround myself with good people, and have a never-say-die attitude,” he said.
Please find enclosed the Press Release / FIM Flat Track World Championship 2022 Calendar, UPDATE 24 February.
The 2022 FIM Flat Track World Championship calendar has now been confirmed with the following changes to the provisional version, which was published on 19 November 2021.
The event originally set to take place in Montalegre (POR) has now been cancelled.
A new event in Diedenbergen (GER) has been added and will open the season on 16 July.
The National Motocross Championship kicked off in Cape Town’s Zone 7 track on Saturday, 19 February. It was a solid start to the season for Husqvarna Racing with both David Goosen and Neil van der Vyver securing a podium spot in the MX2 and Pro Mini Class respectively. The event also marked the return to motocross racing for Davin Cocker, who managed a top ten finish in the highly competitive MX2 Class.
For both Goosen and Van der Vyver, the Cape Town track brought with it a home ground advantage. Goosen commented, “It was good to have a national at home. To not have to travel and feel some kind of familiarity was so good! The whole event was such a positive experience – our motorcycles are incredible and there’s such a good atmosphere in the team.”
The rider came hot out of the gates to take the holeshot in both MX2 heats. With two second place finishes the rider took a respectable third place overall.
Goosen faced a tougher day in the saddle in MX1, however, after two slow starts by his own high standards cost him precious time. A fourth place in the first moto and third place in the second moto saw the rider settle for fourth place overall.
Goosen said, “I’m happy with the results, I rode to my limit and put myself in some good positions throughout the day. I unfortunately had some bad starts in MX1, which are crucial if you want to do well at Zone 7. It was a good experience for me and I’m keen to get back to training to work towards the next one.”
New motocross recruit Davin Cocker had an exciting start to the season. After a tough start and crash in the early stages of the race, the rider settled into a rhythm as he worked his way back up to ninth place in the pack. His confidence had sky rocketed by the second heat as he started in second behind his teammate. After an exciting battle, Cocker finished in an impressive fifth place overall.
“I’m so happy with where I ended up considering how long I’ve been out of this discipline. All we can do from here is improve, so I’m excited to see what the next round holds,” said Cocker.
A cherry on top of what was a solid weekend of racing was a second place finish from rising star Neil van der Vyver in the Pro Mini Class.
While the rider was pleased with his result, to have come so painstakingly close to victory is something he describes as “bittersweet”. Van der Vyver was lightning fast out of the blocks and stormed to victory in the first heat, but a second place finish in the second moto kept him from securing the top step overall.
While he didn’t get the win, the rider is now tied for the points lead going into the second round of the series where he will undoubtedly come back with a vengeance.
