South African motocross fans can officially mark their calendars as the FIM Motocross World Championship returns to Johannesburg on 5 July 2026 for the South African Grand Prix at the Terra Topia Motocross Track.
The highly anticipated event will bring the world’s top motocross riders back to local soil as the 2026 MXGP season heads into one of its key championship rounds. Fans can expect world class racing across both the MXGP and MX2 categories, with some of the biggest names in international motocross set to line up in Johannesburg.
Current stars including Romain Febvre, Jeffrey Herlings and Tim Gajser are expected to feature as the battle for championship points continues through a packed 19 round calendar. With the level of competition continuing to rise each season, the South African round is expected to play an important role in the title fight.
The return of MXGP to South Africa marks a major moment for local motocross and motorsport fans alike, offering spectators the opportunity to witness international competition at the highest level right here at home.
Supporters can look forward to a full weekend of motocross action, international talent and an electric atmosphere trackside at Terra Topia.
What SA National Cross Country & Team Tork Craft report Where Bloemfontein & Northern Regions When Saturday 16 May 2026 Community South Africa National
Maddy storms Bloemfontein as Team Tork Craft stars
It was another brilliant day at the races for Team Tork Craft on Saturday. Not only did its riders dominate the South African Cross Country Championship supported by Tork Craft tools, but it was also a good day at the Northern motocross regionals and in minicross too. The focus this past weekend was however on the second round Cross Country Nationals at Be Human in Bloemfontein.
Maddy Malan’s OR1 Sigmafix Tork Craft Yamaha 450 emerged from a fierce race long duel with KTM rival Scott Heygate to take his maiden overall South African National Cross Country victory. Matthew Wilson closed off the overall podium on another OR1 KTM followed by an epic battle as Cobus Bester’s KTM took 250cc OR3 honours by half a minute from Slade Smith’s Sigmafix Tork Craft Yamaha.
Sigmafix Tork Craft Yamaha’s pot quite literally flowed over as Murray Smith took 125cc High School, Ruan Potgieter won OR2 and madala Warrick van Schalkwyk stormed to Masters honours, too. And just in case, Beau Levey and Marco Cocci made it a Yamaha Seniors 1-2, while Team Tork Craft’s Sharisma Kriel won the Ladies race.
It was also a Team Tork Craft 1-2-3 in the Junior action. Sigmafix Tork Craft duo Ruald Potgieter and Ryan Wichmann were spit by Rayden Woolls’ Tork Craft Husqvarna on the Senior 85cc podium. Wilco du Plooy’s Tork Craft Husqvarna took Junior 85cc from KTM duo Kellin van Deventer and Tork Craft lad Juandre Wilken.
Ulrich Sterley led a Sigmafix Tork Craft Yamaha 65cc 1-2 over Rogan Mathews and Liam Sterley’s Tork Craft Husqvarna. Two more Team Tork Craft riders, Damien Kritzinger’s Husqvarna was sixth in 65 cc and Lourens Erasmus’ KTM 8th in 85 Senior. Team Tork Craft’s next National Cross Country outing is in Mafikeng in August.
Team Tork Craft was also active in two other championships over the weekend. It was happy hunting for Tork Craft Husqvarna hotshot Kabelo Ledwaba who took both 125cc High School honours and second in MX2 at Saturday’s Inland Motocross meeting. Two more team Tork Craft riders, Brandon van Wyk was fifth in High School and Tommy Wotherspoon third in the 85cc Juniors.
And last but not least, Team Tork Craft’s stars of the future raced in the weekend’s Minicross races where James Gibson took the day and Cooper Meyer ended fourth.
Team Tork Craft is title sponsor to the factory Sigmafix Tork Craft Yamaha team and also partner to the South African Cross Country Championship. Tork Craft furthermore sponsors the Husqvarna Junior motocross team and supports, nurtures, and trains several more riders through Tony Riddell’s Ride train Race motocross academy.
What Team Tork Craft Motocross Update Where Legends Motocross Track, Pretoria When 9-10 May 2026 Community Gauteng Regional
Motocross domination followed by a day of learning
Team Tork Craft enjoyed a very busy time at the Legends motocross track in Pretoria over the weekend. It started with a hugely successful outing for the entire team at the second round of the Gauteng Northern Regions Motocross Championship on Saturday, before Team Tork Craft and Ride Train Race hosted a minicross development day there on Sunday.
While the Saturday raceday was dominated by Slade Smith riding his Sigmafix Tork Craft Yamahas to double victories in both the open 450cc MX1 and 250cc MX2 classes, it was also a great weekend for Team Tork Craft Husqvarna. Like Smith, all three riders came away leading their class championships.
Mackenzie Bam enjoyed a brilliant day to win both Ladies MX heats and extend her Northern Regions championship advantage. Tork Craft Husqvarna teammate Rayden Woolls rode home second to open up his 85cc title lead, while Kabelo Ledwaba was second and third in his 125cc High School motos to move ahead in that championship too. Team Tork Craft now leads five of the seven Gauteng Motocross Championships.
Other Team Tork Craft riders to impress were Damien Kritzinger who raced his Husqvarna to fourth in 50cc minicross. Lourens Erasmus was also fourth in MX85cc, where Tommy Jayden Wotherspoon ended sixth on his Husqvarna. Deruk van Aswegan and his Kawasaki meantime made it a Team Tork Craft 2-3 behind Kabelo Ledwaba in the High School 125s.
Ledwaba went on to do double duty as he stepped up to a 250cc MX2 Husqvarna for the first time. He ended eighth on debut with Tork Craft teammate Cole Meyer’s Yamaha in 12th. “That was a most successful raceday,” Tork Craft Husqvarna team boss Tony Riddell wrapped it up. “Our team now leads all three classes we race in, while all the other Team Tork Craft riders also enjoyed a great day at the races.”
With the racing done, Team Tork Craft and Tony Riddell’s Ride Train Race hosted a minicross development day back at Legends on Sunday, where sixteen young riders turned up for a day of training. “Our minicross day was a huge success,” Tony explained. “Despite it being mother’s day we had a great turnout. We started out with bike setup. Lubes and maintenance demos before covering riding technique.
“Then came the drills on an oval corner before assisted laps for the younger kids on the intermediate track. After that, we showed the older riders the way around the main motocross track. It was a good day of learning for everyone from the two kids who rode a two wheeler for the first time, to the braver youngsters and the parents. Every rider was handed a certificate before we closed off with lunch at the Legends Café.”
Kabelo LedwalaChampionship leaders!Mackenzie BamMinicross DayRayden WoollsSlade Smith
What South African National Motocross Round 2 Report Where Zone 7, Cape Town When Saturday 25 April 2026 Community South Africa National
Smith, Bam, star as Team Tork Craft shines at Zone 7
Travelling all the way to the Cape did not deter Team Tork Craft bringing home the silverware when the third round South African National Motocross Championship visited a muddy Zone 7 in Cape Town on Saturday. Slade Smith was dominant in OR1 and also won an MX2 heat, while Mackenzie Bam extended her Ladies Motorcross advantage with a strong run on a day where team riders impressed at every level.
Cape Town was a huge day for Sigmafix Tork Craft Yamaha rider Slade Smith who dominated the senior action with three heat wins across the 450cc open class MX1 and 250cc MX2 classes. Slade made the big banger MX1 heats his own with a double win and bounced back from fourth in the opening 250 race to win the second moto for second overall on the day.
Mackenzie Bam delivered another positive performance with two second places to take second overall in Ladies Motorcross as she extended her championship advantage aboard her Tork Craft Junior Team Husqvarna. Katelyn Pretorius was meantime ninth and tenth in the heats and ninth for the day on her Tork Craft Pepson Plastics Yamaha.
It was another good day for Team Tork Craft in junior motocross too. Lourens Erasmus rode his RTR Tork Craft KTM to a third and a fifth in the 85cc heats to grab fourth for the day. Teammates Adam Meyer and Hanru du Plessis’ similar machines came home tenth and fourteenth overall.
And in the High School action Kabelo Ledwaba was ninth aboard his Tork Craft Husqvarna with RTR Tork Craft riders Cameron Stuckie’s Yamaha tenth and Armandt Milijo twelfth on his KTM.
“It’s never easy to travel to the Cape to take on the locals in their own back yard, so Team Tork Craft can be proud of their National Motocross performance at Zone 7 over the weekend,” team patron Ryan Hunt pointed out. “Congratulations to all our riders who shone at every level.”
Changeable weather conditions in southern Spain finally settled on sunshine and blue skies for the 40th year of MotoGP at the Circuito de Jerez. The 4.4km course is one of the most familiar on the Grand Prix calendar thanks to its constant presence both as a world championship host and testing venue.
The Grand Prix began with Pedro Acosta, Enea Bastianini and Brad Binder starting from P6, P8 and P13 on the grid respectively. For the duration of the race Brad circulated on the edge of the first ten positions and made sure of 11th at the flag, just behind teammate Acosta.
After the one-day IRTA test on Monday in Jerez, the historic Le Mans circuit will host the popular Grand Prix of France in two weeks.
Brad Binder 11th and 11th in the championship:
“It was a long race. I got a decent enough start but then missed some speed and the front pushed when I leant in [to corners]. To control it I had to brake earlier. When the tire performance dropped then I could get in easier but it was really tricky and very hard to be clean. A more difficult race than I anticipated and we need this test tomorrow to figure out some changes to hit the point.”
