Dirt and Trail Dec 2019

only be decided by the number of riders that finished
between him and his championship rival Gareth Cole.
One of the riders that helped bridge the gap was
Coetzee’s own teammate, Louw Schmidt, who raced his
heart out to finish the event in third place in class. After
minutes that felt like hours at the finish line, it was an
unforgettable moment for Coetzee when he realised that
he would officially take the 2019 OR2 crown.
“Like they say – it’s not over until the fat lady sings.
The chance of winning the championship was so slim
coming into this round, but there’s a lesson I took from
this – never, ever give up no matter how impossible the
situation looks,” said Coetzee.
Bradley Cox is unstoppable at the moment. He received
the first National Cross Country title of his career in the
OR3 Class.
Like Coetzee, the chance of an overall victory was
uncertain as Cox entered the double-header event. He’d
received a DNF at the previous round of the series after
breaking his collar bone and was nine points behind
fellow KTM rider Haydn Cole.
Cox managed to take the win on both days of the event.
It was not only a proud moment for the rider, but for his
father and motorsport legend Alfie Cox.
“I started my career with a motocross dream, and never
imagined that I’d be experiencing a moment like this. I
have unbelievable support back home and couldn’t ask
for a better mentor than my Dad,” said Cox.
Rounding out the list of national victories for Brother
Leader Tread KTM was Juan ‘Bollie’ van Rooyen, who
for the sixth consecutive time managed to defend the
Senior title.
“Victory always gets sweeter, but it definitely doesn’t get
easier!” joked van Rooyen.
A cherry on the top of a day that will not soon be
forgotten by KTM South Africa was an impressive
performance from Ryan Pelser who won the High School
Championship.
Your OR1 national champ
Louwrens Mahoney with his
better half Marilyn.
High fives allround for
Louw Louw Schmit.
DIRT & TRAIL MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2019 75