First on the road were the motorbikes, and for a change, they left in clusters of four, giving the spectators excellent scenery as they jostled to assume an early lead in their pack.Botswana's motocross champion Ross Branch left in the first group and was already in the lead as they entered the first stretch after leaving the start grid. Ross would like to put behind last year's disappointment when he was in the lead on the first day of the race, but fell behind after getting lost.He was however on second, six minutes behind the leader as they were about to finish the first quarter of the race at around 10:30 am yesterday.
The quad bikers were equally brilliant, ripping the ground apart an hour after the motorbikes left. Local rider, Mothusi Lekone, on his new bike, was however, minutes behind at the start and he will have a lot of catching up to if he wants to keep up with the leading pack today.Spectators from around Kumakwane village braved the chilly morning to watch the bikes start as the race is held for the very last time in their area.The bikes are expected to finish this afternoon. Meanwhile, the highlight of the event starts tomorrow in the vehicles category. This year's race looks set to produce a fierce battle between the Castrol Toyota and Ford factory teams. Toyota ended more than a decade of misfortunes in their own race last year when Duncan Vos and Rob Howie won.
