information supplied by: Bridgestone South Africa 06 July 2012
Dirco van der Westhuizen scores overall win in Richards Bay MX

Pietermaritzburg teenager Dirco van der Westhuizen continues to impress in his first season in the Pro Mini class of the 2012 WOMZA/Full Throttle national motocross championship. Last weekend in Richards Bay he took the overall honours ahead of Portable Shade/Bridgestone/SupaQuick Honda team-mate and defending champion Tristan Purdon in a closely-contested fourth round of the series.

The 13-year-old reigning MX85 MSA national champion finished second behind Purdon in the opening moto on the fast Teza track, with less than a second separating the two Honda CRF150R riders after nine laps. Purdon, competing in his third season in the class for riders aged between 10 and 15, led from the start after getting the hole shot, but his younger rival passed him midway through the race, only to be repassed two laps later. Third-placed Jaydon Proctor (KTM) was a distant 1 min 15,8 sec behind.

Van der Westhuizen got the hole shot in race two with Purdon fourth on the opening lap. Purdon closed up to second place on lap two and set about chasing after Van der Westhuizen, closing the gap to three or four seconds. Riding with great maturity and skill, Van der Westhuizen pulled away from his older and more experienced team-mate to cross the finish line at the end of the nine laps over 16 seconds ahead. Proctor was again third, this time 1 min 17,7 sec in arrears.

Van der Westhuizen was credited with the fastest lap of the day at 2 min 8,5 sec over a very tough course that the competitors regard as the best in the country and comparable to top European tracks. Built in a valley, the layout is very spectator-friendly and the 15 riders who contested the Pro Mini class gave the fans their money’s worth over the fast straights and tricky jumps.

With two rounds of the WOMZA/Full Throttle Championship remaining, Van der Westhuizen trails team-mate Purdon by just nine points (181-172) with third-placed Proctor on 141 points. The next round is in Port Elizabeth on August 11.

Van der Westhuizen will next be in action on his Portable Shade/Bridgestone/SupaQuick Honda in the third round of the MSA National Championship at Cato Ridge in KwaZulu-Natal on July 22. In a recent regional event at the same venue last month, he took the overall honours in the Pro Mini class, beating top rider Bradley Cox (KTM).

“I’m feeling a lot more confident on the Honda after the first half of the season and riding in the two championships and in selected regionals has given me a lot of saddle time,” said the unassuming youngster. “To be beating older and more experienced riders like Tristan and Bradley is more than I had hoped for and I am very motivated to continue with my good progress.”

Ends

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