Action galore as motocross season starts

By FEVERPITCH REPORTER

Renzo Bernardi, the newly elected chairman of the East African Motor Sports Club, has announced that the 2012 motocross season will start with racing tomorrow at the challenging Jamhuri Park circuit.

The practice session will be held from 10.00 a.m. and wheel-to-wheel racing will start at 11.00 a.m. on a dry surface with light dust.

Sunil Vinayak, the Clerk of the Course, heads the organising team which will be backed by Anthony Nielsen who has been chosen as the Club’s Motocross Captain.

Sunil predicted, "Riders will be charging round the track at full throttle to gain championship points and establish an early lead in the tussle for the motocross titles."

Among the riders to watch are the Kenya National Champions for 2011, who will be moving up a gear to the higher classes. They include Maina Wanjigi, the MX 50 cc Champion, who is now in the MX 65cc class and will compete with Rolf Kihara the current MX 65cc title holder.

Apollo Mbuki is now in the MX 125cc class and will be hoping to tussle with Ivan Guya the undisputed champion in that category during 2011. The feted MX 1 champion Shivam Vinayak is also expected to be at this meet and a very exciting day lies ahead as all riders in the various classes start their 2012 challenge.

Looking to the future, Anthony Nielsen said, "On February 28th and 29th Jurgen Kuppers, a well known international motocross trainer from Germany, will be running courses for our riders. The timetable, location and details of this training will be announced at Sunday’s motocross meeting at Jamhuri Park."

"After this Sunday’s meeting the track will be closed for three weeks for a complete rebuild. A bulldozer will be used to create new jumps, slopes and banked corners. It is intended to bring our motocross track up to date with international developments in the sport."

Meanwhile, Italy’s seven-time MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi is contemplating retiring after the 2014 season. Before he quits, the 32-year-old is keen to bring success to his Ducati team and wants to extend his contract before it expires at the end of 2012.

Rossi, who won his last title in 2009, said: "I want a new two-year contract with Ducati, maybe the last, and then I’ll think about how to enjoy myself.