Maxime ready for Branch face off at Garuga MX
Branch with his countryman Louw Schmidt (L) after winning the OR1 Open class last year.
What you need to know:
Motorcross. Branch, a five-time African champion, arrives in Uganda today to prepare riders for the Mountain Dew MX Championship in Garuga on Sunday but he has his work cut out with Uganda’s captain Van Pee, also the East African champion, relishing a challenge against the star.
Kampala. Maxime van Pee believes he will have the advantage against guest rider Ross Branch when the two clash during the opening round of Mountain Dew Motocross Championship.
The event, expected to bring together several riders, is due this Sunday at the Victoria Race Track Garuga. The 28-year-old rider jets in today from Gaborone, Botswana. For the next two days, he will also train riders at Garuga ahead of the event. “I competed against him (Ross) during last year’s Africa event in Harare, Zimbabwe. He came out top but he had the advantage because of the track,” Maxime, the two- time national champion and Team Uganda captain, told Daily Monitor.
“He is used to sandy tracks. It will not be easy to adjust immediately to our tracks.”
However, Maxime praised the Botswana-born rider, who is also a five-time MX1 African champion.
“He is quite fast, rarely falls down and very consistent.”
Ross started riding at age of five and once finished third at the Denver Supercross in 2005.
The event is sponsored by Mountain Dew, ICEA, IAA Health/ Resolution Health, Safe Solutions, D.Light and Fotogenix.
