Husqvarna National Motocross Cape Town - Round 1 2022

The National Motocross Championship kicked off in Cape Town’s Zone 7 track on Saturday, 19 February. It was a solid start to the season for Husqvarna Racing with both David Goosen and Neil van der Vyver securing a podium spot in the MX2 and Pro Mini Class respectively. The event also marked the return to motocross racing for Davin Cocker, who managed a top ten finish in the highly competitive MX2 Class.

For both Goosen and Van der Vyver, the Cape Town track brought with it a home ground advantage. Goosen commented, “It was good to have a national at home. To not have to travel and feel some kind of familiarity was so good! The whole event was such a positive experience - our motorcycles are incredible and there’s such a good atmosphere in the team.”

The rider came hot out of the gates to take the holeshot in both MX2 heats. With two second place finishes the rider took a respectable third place overall.

Goosen faced a tougher day in the saddle in MX1, however, after two slow starts by his own high standards cost him precious time. A fourth place in the first moto and third place in the second moto saw the rider settle for fourth place overall.

Goosen said, “I’m happy with the results, I rode to my limit and put myself in some good positions throughout the day. I unfortunately had some bad starts in MX1, which are crucial if you want to do well at Zone 7. It was a good experience for me and I’m keen to get back to training to work towards the next one.”

New motocross recruit Davin Cocker had an exciting start to the season. After a tough start and crash in the early stages of the race, the rider settled into a rhythm as he worked his way back up to ninth place in the pack. His confidence had sky rocketed by the second heat as he started in second behind his teammate. After an exciting battle, Cocker finished in an impressive fifth place overall.

“I’m so happy with where I ended up considering how long I’ve been out of this discipline. All we can do from here is improve, so I’m excited to see what the next round holds,” said Cocker.

A cherry on top of what was a solid weekend of racing was a second place finish from rising star Neil van der Vyver in the Pro Mini Class.

While the rider was pleased with his result, to have come so painstakingly close to victory is something he describes as “bittersweet”. Van der Vyver was lightning fast out of the blocks and stormed to victory in the first heat, but a second place finish in the second moto kept him from securing the top step overall.

While he didn’t get the win, the rider is now tied for the points lead going into the second round of the series where he will undoubtedly come back with a vengeance.