Having had tremendous success in the local off-road motorcycle circuit, two local off road motorcycle riders, Vincent Crosbie and Lepsy Mosope are now casting their eye to conquering the South African circuit.
The two riders, who have now started racing in the South African circuit, are now launching concerted efforts to prepare for the upcoming 2013 season. With many successes and impressive results in the local racing circuit, the duo says they are eyeing the circuits beyond local borders as they now seek to grow.
Crosbie, who races in the 250cc single cylinder category, popularly known as the OR2 class is the past winner of the Botswana National Off-Road Championships, having won the crown way back in 2010 while also managing to grab second position in the 2010 Toyota 1000 km Desert Race.
Apart from this, the local lad has also managed numerous podium finishes in the Botswana National championships. While not having had a podium finish in the South African circuit at the moment, Crosbie has however had an impressive results in the circuit having managed a top 5 finish in the OR2 class and a couple of top 20 finishes overall in the open category. “This season I finished 4th overall in the OR2 class in South Africa, Top 3 in Botswana and top 5 in the South African Off-Roads overalls,” Crosbie informed Standard Sport.
Despite competing in only two events this season, Mosope on the other hand finished an impressive 11th overall in the 2012 South African National Off-Road championships. According to Crosbie, while the two riders are confident they can do well in the South African series, their problem at the moment lies in lack of adequate sponsorship that can see them compete fairly with other riders.
“We have been outstanding in the South African series considering that we are competing against better prepared riders with better sponsorships. These riders have also been exposed to extensive training regimes which we as Batswana riders have not had,” Crosbie explained. Despite this, Crosbie said both he and Mosope are very keen on competing and doing very well against the very best in the South African Series.
“We feel we have the raw talent needed for us to succeed in the series but we lack financial support,” he explained. He said as such, together with Mosope, they have launched an initiative to seek backing from potential sponsors locally. With the duo expecting to compete in many events in South Africa and Southern African countries such as Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia and Lesotho, as well as in Botswana’s largest race, the Toyota 1000 km Desert Race, Crosbie said they will need all the help they can get to fly the country’s flag high. “Should someone or a company sponsor us, we intend to have their logo or brand in our apparel, vehicles and motorbikes. Having appeared in many news features in magazines, television and newspapers, we believe we have the capability to give our benefactors a good mileage both locally and internationally,” Crosbie added. Meanwhile, the 2013 season is expected to kick off on the 26th of January in South Africa and on the 16th of March locally.
