Top riders vie for points at Garuga

Maxime Van Pee

KAMPALA- For the bigger part of the week, talk has been about the four Kenyan guest riders set to grace the fifth round of the Mountain Dew Uganda National MX Championship due today at Garuga Racetrack.

While the Kenyan foursome of Ivan Guya, Ngugi Waweru, Rolf Kihara and Dekker Kihara won’t be under any pressure to deliver, their Ugandan counterparts have everything to fight for in the race for the national championship.

“The championship race is still open in all the classes,” Maxime Van Pee, the reigning MX1 champion, told Sunday Monitor on Friday.

“Points are at stake and we must fight for them. Its good the Kenyans are here; they will spice up the event and increase the competition in their respective races.”

Guya, the reigning Kenya MX1 champion, early in the week promised to give Van Pee (pictured above) a run for his money. This will be an exciting match-up to watch.

In the MX2, Waweru will tussle it out with Ali Omar and Alestair Blick. Rolf will line up against crowd favourite Fortune Ssentamu in the MX85 while Dekker takes Waleed Omar in the MX65.

A battle is developing in the MX50 senior category between championship leader Isabella Blick, Milton Akiki, Ashi Mbabazi and Malcolm Omoding. The quartet is separated by 94 points.

Ten-time national champion, Arthur Blick Junior, second in MX1 with 195, only 35 behind Van Pee, thinks the Garuga meet is crucial for him as he plots to regain his crown. “Since Maxime might concentrate so much on beating Guya, I will exploit that opportunity and win,” Blick said.

LEADERS AFTER FOUR ROUNDS

MX 50 JUNIOR: Gift Ssebuguzi 57
MX 50 SENIOR: Isabella Blick 228
MX 65CC: Waleed Omar 237
MX 85CC: Fortune Ssentamu 226
MX 2: Ali Omar 204
MX 1: Maxime van Pee 230
LADIES CLASS Isabella Blick 180