Teasdale shows grit to win Rysmierbult

Pietermaritzburg's Travis Teasdale

Maritzburg’s Travis Teasdale started as the 37th bike, but won the second leg of the 2013 Junior National Champs a second ahead of Kokstad’s Damien Scott, in a race that saw the last rider in, Kyle Flannagan, show as much grit as the winner.

The event was the second round of the 2013 Junior National Championship and riders, aged between nine and 17, who came from all over South Africa, were tested by the dry and dusty conditions.

Teasdale, riding for Husaberg Alfie Cox Racing, and Scott (Portable Shade TLD Plant Hire), did not score at the previous race and had to line up in the 10th row.

The dust and the number of competitors he had to pass did not get the Pietermaritzburg rider down and he eventually took the lead from Scott, who crashed in the last of the six laps.

Only 15 seconds separated the podium finishers, with third-placed Mauritz Meiring (McGee Yamaha) scoring his first podium position in only his second attempt in the Junior National Championship.

The rest were somewhat further behind, with Jason Jones (KTM) finishing fourth and the Cape’s Eamonn Sullivan (Yamaha) rounding off the top five.

Tyler Robins (Yamaha) was less than a minute behind Jones, with Ceegan Loubsher (Diamond Trailers Racing KTM), who has recovered from a broken wrist, also not too far behind, in seventh place.

Coming last in the Open class, but showing as much grit as the winner, was Kyle Flannagan (Criterion Yamaha/Portable Shade), who had to push his bike to the finish of the third of six 31 km loops when it seized up.

The third of the five rounds takes place on August 17 in the Port Elizabeth area.