The first of the two Namibian Inter-Series race weekends was a good overall day for the Zenner Racing Team. After nearly two months of no competitions, both riders were eager to get going again.

It was decided that the 50cc class would race on a slightly shortened senior track in order to give them the same exposure as the other classes. The Gallina track is notorious for becoming exceptionally rough after a few races. This however suited Matthew as he seems to perform better and better as the track breaks up.

In the first heat, Matthew got stuck in the starting gate and by the time that he was able to get going, was at least 100 meters behind the field. The laps he put in then were awesome. It took him three laps to get into the lead and once there, started to pull a big gap.

The start in the second heat was much better coming around the first bend in second place. Three turns further and he was leading again increasing the distance to the second placed rider. Halfway through the heat, the bike started overheating due to the clutch slipping and therefore loosing a lot of power. His lead was big enough however that he could slow down a bit and still comfortably hold on to the lead.

A quick service after the heat had the bike sorted out again and ready for the last heat. By now the track was very rough and it was difficult for the riders to hold on to their bike. Again Matthew struggled at the gate and was half way down the field once they got going. Again it did not take him long and he was in front and although the conditions were tough, rode like a star. He won the day with three heat wins. This day also counted towards the AMU Southern Challenge for which he competes and having missed the Zambian round, places him in second place for this competition.

Tommy had a difficult day although the results were very good for an International event. The open class was a big field and it was going to be tough to get decent results against the international riders. In the first heat, although being quick out of the gate, Tommy was pushed against the inside of the first turn and could only hold onto third last place. He strung together some quick and consistent laps and with some aggressive riding forced himself up into 7th position.

In the second heat, the start was marginally better but still far down in the field. By now the day’s temperatures had gone up to just nearly 40 Degrees and the 20 minute heats took their toll on the riders. Tommy however did not let that deter him and fought hard to get himself into a strong and well deserved 4th place. The last heat in the class and also the ‘King of the Dirt’ was a spectacular affair with 25 riders on this tight an rough track made for some exciting racing.

Tommy was again unfortunate with his start and was forced out at the first turn. Virtually last he began his comeback with a vengeance and had to grit his teeth to be able to work his way up in these conditions. Every lap he would pass at least one rider and slowly worked his way up the rankings. When time ran out, he was placed in a hard fought 6th position. His efforts earned him a well deserved 3rd place overall in the Open Class.

This week will be spent in the gym and prepping the bikes for the second round of the Inter-Series this weekend and hopefully the boys can repeat their performances.