Terra Topia MX Track played host to Round One of the MX Nationals this past weekend, setting the stage for an action-packed day of top-tier motocross racing.

The gates opened early as teams and riders rolled in, setting up their rigs and preparing their machines for what promised to be an unforgettable day. The morning began cool, with overnight rain leaving the circuit soaked and heavy. But if there’s one thing motocross riders aren’t afraid of, it’s a bit of mud. Practice sessions kicked off on a very wet track, and competitors geared up for a slippery, technical start to the day.

Despite the muddy conditions, spirits remained high. Spectators began streaming in, lining the fences to catch a glimpse of their favourite riders. As the morning wore on, the clouds slowly gave way to some much-needed sunshine. The track began to dry, but not before deep ruts had formed, carving challenging lines into the surface and testing rider skill and endurance.

By Heat Two, conditions had shifted dramatically. The mud gave way to dust, creating visibility challenges and adding yet another layer of difficulty to an already demanding circuit.

Heat One and Two saw intense battles across a wide range of classes: MX3, MX3 Vets, MX3 Masters and Senior Support; MX High School, MX 65cc, MX2, MX Ladies, MX 50cc, MX 85cc and the ever-popular MX1. Each class delivered its own brand of excitement, with fierce competition and edge-of-your-seat racing throughout the day.

It was particularly inspiring to see riders as young as five years old fearlessly taking on the challenging track. With proud and passionate parents cheering from the sidelines, the young competitors dug deep, racing their hearts out and showcasing incredible determination.

Congratulations to all the racers who completed the course without mechanical issues or injury. It was a tough day in ever-changing conditions, but ultimately a successful and thrilling start to the MX Nationals season.

Overall Results:
MX50cc
1st Gianno Ferreira #11
2nd Nate Small #72
3rd Paul Graven #16

MX65cc
1st Riley Geldenhuys #33
2nd Luan Jordaan #20
3rd Trey Dean #117

MX85cc
1st Brody Bircher #30
2nd Rayden Woolls #345
3rd Aiden Retief #42

MX High School
1st Tristan Durow #444
2nd Caden Weise #315
3rd Trent Valsecchi #300

MX1
1st Slade Smith #337
2nd Cameron Durow #1
3rd Jayden Proctor #81

MX2
1st Cameron Durow #584
2nd Trey Cox #37
3rd Jayden Proctor #81

MX3, MX3 Vets & MX3 Masters
1st Brandon Wheeler #73
2nd Vincent Conlon #171
3rd Keegan Du Plooy #94

MX Ladies
1st Mackenzie Bam #349
2nd Jessica Osner #1
3rd Mienke Cawood #202

MX Senior Support
1st Jack Roche #65
2nd Arno Erasmus #98
3rd Shayne Steenkamp #64

Published by: Suzanne Rogers

What South African National Motocross Round 1 Report
Where Terra Topia, Gauteng
When Saturday 28 February 2026
Community South Africa National

Wins and great results at National Motocross opener

It was a golden day at the races for Team Tork Craft with two overall wins and a bunch of podiums across the classes at Terra Topia’s opening round of the 2026 South African Motocross Championships over the weekend. Overall winners, Mackenzie Bam took Ladies Motorcross honours, while Slade Smith powered to an Open class double.

Mackenzie Bam enjoyed a brilliant day with fourth in her opening heat before she won the second moto en route to that Ladies Motorcross victory aboard her Tork Craft Junior Team Husqvarna. She was backed by Katelyn Pretorius in seventh for the day on her Tork Craft Pepson Plastics Yamaha.

Moving on to the senior classes, Slade Smith opened his 450cc open class MX1 season on with a double victory on his Sigmafix Tork Craft Yamaha. Smith backed that up with second and fourth in his 250cc MX2 heats to end joint third for the day, while Ger-Drie De Beer ended 18th in both heats on his Tork Craft KTM.

It was also a great day for the team in junior motocross. Rayden Woolls rode his Tork Craft Junior Team Husqvarna to a third and a second moto win to end a close second in the 85cc action. Behind him, Lourens Erasmus came home fifth overall on his Tork Craft KTM and Adam Meyer enjoyed a positive day en route to thirteenth on a similar machine.

Tork Craft Junior teammate Kabelo Ledwaba meanwhile delivered a positive 125cc High School debut in fifth aboard his Husqvarna. Little Damien Kritzinger ended a solid seventh in the baby 50cc class aboard his Tork Craft Ride Train Race Husqvarna, and Ulrich Sterley was eleventh in the 65cc action on his Sigmafix Tork Craft Yamaha.

“Team Tork Craft enjoyed a great start to the 2026 National Motocross season,” team patron Ryan Hunt concluded. “Congratulations to Mackenzie and Slade on their overall wins, Rayden on his heat win, the rest of our riders who all delivered their very best over the weekend and also to our team bosses Tony Riddell and Harry Grobler. Well done all!”

Issued on behalf of Team Tork Craft

Scorching sunshine, sticky air and high temperatures created a typically draining Thai Grand Prix in the city of Buriram. 2026 marked the second year in a row that MotoGP launched at the packed Chang International Circuit, 300km north of Bangkok. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and Red Bull KTM Tech3 started from qualifying slots on the second, third, sixth and seventh rows of the grid.

Brad Binder was busy in a close second group where the South African had to sustain grip and be cautious of tire pressures. Brad kept a solid pace to improve on his 2025 position in Thailand thanks to his P7. He occupies P6 in the early championship table.

Round two will venture to Brazilian shores for the first time since 2004. The Autódromo Internacional Ayrton Senna in Goiania will be the scene for the next episode of MotoGP on March 20-22.

Brad Binder
7th and 6th in the championship:

“Happy on one hand but on the other I’d like more than a 7th. We’re going step-by-step and moving forwards because it was good to be in Q2 directly on Friday and both races were pretty good. We’ve made a step with consistency. Today was a lot more challenging than the Sprint. The bike clearly has the potential, so we’ll keep working and try to catch up to Pedro.”

Published by: https://bradbinder33.com

For the second year in succession, the 4.5km Chang International Circuit in Buriram brought a new season of MotoGP up to speed. After a hot, cloudy and windy day of Friday practice, the first qualification and race Sprint on Saturday was run in yet more stuffy and overcast tropical conditions.

Brad Binder was fast through Practice on Friday to start the year with a positive direct entry to Q2 for Saturday. The South African then took his KTM RC16 to the 11th best lap for the same slot on the grid and an improvement of three places compared to his effort in 2025. Brad battled on the fringe of the top five in the Sprint. His ranking of P6 by the line bettered his P8 from the previous year.

Brad Binder
11th in qualification, 6th in the Sprint:

“A pretty good start and I passed a few guys early on. I felt I had momentum but when the tire pressure comes up then it gets harder to stop, and harder to keep consistent. I had to stay calm and manage the front. The bike felt really good compared to our reference from last year and we’ve done great work so far. We had an issue on my second flying lap in Q2 and I had to use the second bike. It was a bit unfortunate…but I did an even faster time, which shows there is still a bit of extra speed in the pocket. We’ll see if we can get dragged along tomorrow and go a bit quicker.”

Published by: https://bradbinder33.com

As the 2026 motocross season kicks off, a powerhouse partnership has emerged to champion the future of South African motocross racing. The Ride Train Race (RTR) Academy, in a long-standing partnership with Motul, has joined forces with Tork Craft and Husqvarna South Africa to officially unveil the Tork Craft Husqvarna Motocross Team.

Bringing together the sport’s most promising young talent under one banner, the team is a natural extension of Motul’s commitment to developing South Africa’s next generation of champions. Selected strictly on merit following standout performances last year, the 2026 lineup combines title-winning track records with riders on a fast track to the top.

The 2026 Roster
• Rayden Woolls, 12 years old, (85cc): The “Triple Threat” of 2025. Woolls enters the new season as the reigning 65cc African, National, and Regional Champion. He makes the highly anticipated jump to the 85cc class this year.
• Mackenzie Bam, 16 years old, (Ladies Class): A revelation in the sport. After only one year in competitive MX, Bam secured an incredible 2nd place in both the National and Regional Ladies Championships.
• Kabelo Ledwaba, 14 years old, (125cc): Resilience personified. After a dominant 2025 where he led the 85cc National standings, Ledwaba’s title hopes were dashed by global logistics when his return from the Junior World Championships was halted in Dubai. Now moving to the 125cc class, he is a favourite for the podium.

For Motul, this initiative is a deep-rooted commitment to youth development and grassroots motorsport across Southern Africa. Extending their support to power the Tork Craft Husqvarna team is a seamless progression of their multi-year partnership with the RTR Academy.

“The youth are the lifeblood of motocross,” says Mercia Jansen, Managing Director of Motul South Africa. “Our partnership with the RTR Academy has been built over several years of shared commitment to developing young riders in this discipline, and extending our support to power the Tork Craft Husqvarna team is a natural next step in that journey. At Motul, we’re not just supporting a race season—we are investing in a pipeline of future champions.”

Central to this development is the RTR Academy, led by renowned mentors Tony Riddell (multi-time National Champion and International MX veteran) and Ryan Hunt (multi-time SA National Champion and International Grand Prix veteran). Both bring massive depth to the paddock, having transitioned from legendary racing careers to coaching and training. Motul has been a proud technical partner to RTR for several years, supporting the ecosystem that enables athletes to grow physically, mentally, and technically.

“Working with these young athletes is about more than preparing them for races,” says Tony Riddell. “At RTR we are building complete riders, and this partnership gives us the platform to do that at an even higher level.”

“To match that vision, Tork Craft has stepped in as title sponsor to ensure our riders have the support they need to match their ambition,” adds Ryan Hunt, Director at Tork Craft and co-founder of RTR. “We are proud to provide the tools necessary to maintain these bikes and, more importantly, to build the future of South African motorsport.”

A Collective Force
The partnership creates a complete performance ecosystem: RTR develops the talent, Motul powers the performance on track, Tork Craft provides the essential tools and Husqvarna delivers world-class machinery.

“At Husqvarna, pioneering performance is in our DNA,” says Megan Prinsloo, Marketing Manager for Husqvarna SA. “By teaming up with Tork Craft, Motul, and the RTR Academy, we’re giving these incredibly talented young athletes the ultimate platform to chase their dreams at full throttle. As junior riders, Rayden, Mackenzie, and Kabelo represent the very best of South African motocross.”
This joint partnership represents a long-term investment in the growth of South African motocross—ensuring the sport remains competitive and the development pathway remains robust for years to come.

To follow these young hot shots as they hit the National and Regional MX circuit, follow RTR on Instagram . For more info about Motul’s superior lubricants and Care Products, go to: https://www.motul.com/en-ZA

Issued on behalf of Motul by Listen Up