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Collin Matiza Sports Editor
ONE of Zimbabwe’s fast-rising motocross riders Regan Wasmuth wrapped up his season on a high note when he came first in the 125cc High School Class during the final round of the 2017 South African National Championship series at Terra Topia just outside Johannesburg on Saturday. Wasmuth (16), who has been based in South Africa this season, was among a number of Zimbabwean riders who were part of this year’s tough seven-round South African Nationals in which he competed in six rounds.

Riding for Harare-based Grainger Racing Team KTM, Wasmuth only missed round four of the series at Dirt Bronco in Randfontein on June 3 and he went into last Saturday’s final racing meeting of the year at Terra Topia lying in seventh place in the High School Class Standings with 158 points. And coming up against a number of South Africa’s top motocross riders, including Cameron Durow, who had already wrapped up the 125 High School championship, and Slade Smith in Saturday’s event, nobody gave Wasmuth a chance of taking the first step on the podium.

But he surprised the South African motocross fans who were backing Smith and Durow by beating them into second and fifth place respectively after two exciting and hotly-contested heats in the 125 High School Class. Another South African biker Richardo Raaf came third behind Wasmuth and Smith. However, Wasmuth’s victory was not good enough to place him among the top three in the final standings of the High School Class as his points tally were way behind the leading trio of this year’s champion Durow, Smith and Keegan Hickson-Mahony, all of South Africa.

Wasmuth was the third Zimbabwean biker to get the first step on the podium on Saturday, emulating 12-year-old Daiyaan Manuel, who came first overall in the 65cc A Class to walk away with the 2017 title in this section, and Davin Cocker. Wasmuth, Manuel and Cocker are all part of the Grainger Racing Team KTM which also has in its ranks some of Zimbabwe’s finest junior and senior bikers such as Ashley Thixton, Tristain Grainger and Luke Southon who all took part in this year’s South African National Championship series which began in February at Rover in Port Elizabeth and ended last Saturday at Terra Topia. And like Wasmuth and Manuel, Cocker did not leave the scene at Terra Topia empty-handed as he came first in the Pro Mini Class ahead the South African duo of Miguel de Waal and Calvin Jean-Jacques.

Cocker’s victory was, however, not good enough to unseat South Africa’s Camden McLellan at the top of the Pro Mini Standings but it, at least, guaranteed him a place in the top three in the overall classifications of this year’s series. His team-mate at Grainger Racing Team KTM, Thixton, did not do well in the MX2 Class where he finished well outside the top three while young Southon was placed 19th out of 29 riders in the 50cc Class on Saturday at Terra Topia.