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Namibia: Becker Triumphs at Coast
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New Era (Windhoek)
6 May 2008
Posted to the web 6 May 2008
Swakopmund
Pupkewitz-Honda rider Rainer Becker once again showed his fellow competitors that he has very little peers when it comes down to racing and negotiating obstacles on two wheels.
Exciting weather conditions contributed largely to the vast number of spectators that flocked into the newly built Coastal Cement Works race track, last weekend.
The competition in the Open/125cc Class could be easily described as the salt in the soup, and while the first heat was sort of a procession event that saw Tommy Gous (Zenner Yamaha) surrendering his early lead to Rainer Becker, the second heat certainly proved a real humdinger.
From the very first moment when the engines started roaring and the gates dropped, Ronnie Adams on his new Kawasaki grabbed the hole-shot and there was no holding back.
Becker got stuck to Adams like glue, with Gous and Brannigan "Animal" Wise in hot pursuit. The "Animal" exploded like a wounded Tiger and squeezed past Rudi Brand with brutal force and by completion of the fifth lap, Gous found himself trailing.
Adams could no longer sustain the pressure and fell back - paving the way for Becker to take the lead leaving the "Animal" and Gous trailing in second and third places respectively.
However, the "Animal" fell foul of some mechanical problems during the seventh lap-opening room for Gous to assume the role as sole pursuer, and it took the experienced Gous just another lap before he caught up with Becker and edged ahead of him, much to the delight of the spectators who enjoyed every moment of the action.
So close and so near, or at least that's what Gous must have been thinking with merely half a lap to go before he was about to cross the finishing line.
But silence suddenly befell him as the engine mysteriously lost power - courtesy of a damaged clutch.
Gous had to surrender his unassailable lead, thus allowing Becker to grab the gifted opportunity with both hands and win the race ahead of Wise and Adams.
On the 4th rank, "local boytjie" Rudi Brand found himself in the company of Jaco Loots on his 125cc Suzuki and what a race it turned out to be!
As usual, the highlight of the day was undoubtedly the OBECO King of the Dirt.
Once again, Becker won the hole-shot ahead of Brand, Wise, Adams and Gous but before completion of lap two, Wise had edged ahead of Brand with Gous adrift in fifth place.
However, Gous showed talent and racing acumen way beyond the norm and spectacularly sliced past his opponents with breath-taking speed at the Big Table before taking the lead during the 7th lap, and clung on until the finish.
Results OBECO King of the Dirt
1. Tommy Gous, Windhoek, Zenner-Yamaha, 20 points
2. Rainer Becker, Windhoek, Pupkewitz-Honda, 17
3. Brannigan Wise, Windhoek, Kawasaki-Namibia, 15
4. Rudi Brand, Swakopmund, Brand Builders-Honda, 13
5. Ronnie Adams, Kapps-Farm, Kawasaki-Namibia, 11
6. Ruhan Gous, Windhoek, Yamaha, 10
7. Eckhard Hall, Swakopmund, Coastal Racing Honda, 9
8. Henry o'Kennedy, Windhoek, Muxima B&B-Honda, 8
9. Jaco Loots, Windhoek, Suzuki-Namibia, 7
10. Wolfgang Rohe, Windhoek, Kawasaki-Namibia, 6
Once more, the day belonged to Becker as bad luck continued to haunt Gous with Adams showing signs of his old self, while Wise deservedly walked away with the comeback-rider of the day award!
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In the 50cc Class, Michael Barlow stamped his authority in all heats - leaving William Smith and Jay-Em Tredoux to pick up the cramps in second and third places respectively.
The Boy from the Garden Town of Okahandja Tristan Muller proved quite a tough nut to crack in the 65cc Class but since Matthew Nederlof rode a KTM, Muller had to fire on all cylinders.
Joshua Teixeira had to be satisfied with 3rd spot, slightly ahead of Lee-Anne Smith. The highflyer in the 85cc Class was doubtlessly Mark Sternagel with commendable victories from the same number of starts.
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