Father, son to spice up bike season ender at Ngong

By Oscar Pilipili

After seven months of intense competition, the 2008 Kenya National Motocross Championship reaches its climax tomorrow with the final and decisive round at Jamuhuri Park.

Top action is expected at the event after a sandy and low-attitude ride in Diani last month that claimed several casualties.

Focus is now on the rest of the field after Open class champion Tom Porter and his 85cc class counterpart Cruze Muigai sealed their respective championship titles in Diani. Porter has since proceeded for further studies in Ireland.

The 50cc category will be a showdown between leader Murigu Njiiri and Walter Kuria. Njiiri is, however, poised to win the series as he carries a massive 60-point advantage at the top of the table. He only needs to participate to achieve the feat.

Kuria who skipped the first round, is in top form after winning the last three rounds, but trailing Njiiri by 60 points means he can only win the Championship if he posts 60 points tomorrow and Njiiri misses the race or fails to score any point.

Kuria who plans to graduate to the 65cc class next year won the Diani round with 57 points, beating Ryan Bailey to second position on 45 points. Owain Ashley was third with 43 points.

The 65cc class title is also expected to go down to the wire with leader Ivan Guya claiming the Coast tour with 55 points. Fast rising Apollo Mbuki and Eugene Maina are, however, expected to give Guya a run for his money.

Apollo impressed in Diani when he rode his KTM bike to victory in the third heat. Like Murigu, Guya who leads the class with 401 points against Maina’s 354, also needs to participate to become the new champion.

The 85cc class is expected to be a one-way affair for Cruze in the absence of his cousin Tutu Maina. Tutu is still nursing a fractured wrist. Muigai capitalised on Tutu’s absence to recapture the 85cc class with an unassailable 390 points.

Behind Cruze tough battle pitting Davide Bernardi, Ken Anunda and Adil Khan is shaping up.

The open class will pit father against son. In the absence of Porter, Moses Mugo (KTM 525) and his son Mugo Jnr (Honda) will be out to outshine each other. They are currently lying second and third.