First time 1,000km winner ready to level up
Kabelo Boranabi | Thursday April 17, 2025 09:38
Over the weekend, Mamaloukos won the OR1 class and emerged as the overall winner of the bike category in the Sarona Kalahari 1000 Race held in Jwaneng. The rider maintained his grip on the 2025 Botswana Motor Sport (BMS) Cross-Country Championship after three rounds. His triumph over the weekend would come in handy at the end of the of the season as the Sarona Kalahari 1000 Race was a double points race by virtue of being a marathon event. This season has seen a number of elite riders opt out of competition, leaving Mamaloukos to dominate the series as his stature in the local scene continues to rise. The biker, who recently finished third in the Gauteng Cross-Country Series (GXCC), believes he needs more time on the bike in the cross border competitions to level up.
“Racing is an up and down thing and besides racing, people have their lives and for some unforeseen reasons some could not come. We race with what we have that is why I put a lot that side (South Africa) because that is where the competition is and to raise up the bar,” he said. The local championship has in recent years been dominated by a number of budding riders with most of the elite bikers making sporadic appearances. This was Mamaloukos’ first-ever 1, 000km race career win and he predicted the remainder of the championship will be positive. “We have managed to win and complete my first-ever desert race and it is definitely (an) opening for much bigger things. It is positivity all the way. I would like to think that I will continue working hard as long as I have the support behind me. It is nothing but positive vibes from now on,” he said.
Motsamai Goppani finished in second place in the OR1 class with Shaun Bonang in third position. Vince Osego won the OR2 class as his closest competitor, Kagiso Stephens had to forfeit the race on the day two of the competition after a mechanical fault. Euan Harmse continued his good form on the bike as he bagged the OR3 class whilst Setso Gareebine and Lincoln Lindsay were second and third respectively. Mamaloukos was crowned the overall winner whilst Harmse and Gareebine completed the podium finishes with the second and third spots respectively. Tinus Coetze was the overall quads winner as Francois Smallberger and Kevin Tladiyamoroba were second and third respectively. Coetzer won the Q2 class ahead of Smallberger and Shaun Coetzer. Tladiyamoroba beat Lesego Mathware in the Q3 class.