Namibian motocross riders left their mark at the Africa Motocross of Nations championships at Donnybrook Park Raceway in Harare, Zimbabwe, competing against some of the continent’s best.
During the event, organisers announced that Namibia will host the 2026 edition.
This is a significant achievement for the local motocross fraternity. Although the announcement came as a surprise, Namibia’s organising committee will meet this week to begin preparations for the 2026 event.
Speaking at the sixth leg of the MX Nationals at Gallina, north of Windhoek, motocross official Ingo Waldschmidt emphasised that careful planning and strict time management are essential to successfully hosting such a competition.
Waldschmidt, who returned from Zimbabwe a few days ago, commended the organisers there for staging a professional event.
“It was a real eye-opener. We had a good and well-organised event, and we learned a lot,” he said.
He said Namibia still has much to do to meet the standards of the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), the sport’s global governing body.
Namibia has hosted international motocross and enduro events before, most notably in 2009, albeit on a smaller scale. However, Waldschmidt noted that FIM regulations have since become stricter, with additional requirements.
These include ensuring jumps are at least 6m wide and that safety barriers are positioned further from tracks and jumps.
“We expect close to 200 riders from eight countries across nine categories. Zimbabwe had just over 140 riders, so we anticipate full participation in Namibia,” Waldschmidt said.
He warned that the scale of the event could pose logistical challenges if not planned well in advance. Preparatory meetings will therefore start this week.
The existing Gallina track complies with FIM’s length requirement of 1 400m, measuring 1 423m. However, the start gate may be relocated due to new developments in the area, with discussions already underway.
Meanwhile, Saturday’s sixth leg of the National MX Championship attracted 38 entries across eight categories.
The results are as follows:
Vets: 1. Sigi Pack; 2. Olaf Pack; 3. Gerhard Simon
Open: 1. Mark Sternagel; 2. Bjorn Bierbrauer; 3. Gero Friederich
Clubmans: 1. JF van Eeden
Women’s MX: 1. Zoe Waldschmidt; 2. Melanize Oberholzer
85cc: 1. Leander Metzger; 2. De Wet du Plessis; 3. Connor Bouwer
65cc: 1. Oliver Mathews; 2. Carter Bouwer; 3. Markus Pack
50cc: 1. Mason Mayer; 2. Duhan Heifer; 3. Nicky Strauss
125cc juniors: 1. Juan de Vos; 2. Jarno Metzger; 3. Luca Andreas Brand
King of the Dirt: 1. Mark Sternagel; 2. Bjorn Bierbrauer; 3. Gero Friederich
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