Nyachae, Kandie save Kenya as Ugandans dominate C. Africa Challenge
Ethan Nyachae and the returning Shivam Vinayak were the standout performers for Kenya at the Central Africa Challenge Motocross Championship at the Jamhuri Park at the weekend.
On a day when Ugandan riders won most race categories, Nyachae and Vinayak were largely untouchable in the heavyweight MX 2 and MX 1 classes.
Despite having most entries, Kenya could not muster their neighbours in the MX 85 and MX 125 classes where the likes of Wazir Omar and Julian Wekesa managed the terrain better as Uganda claimed the overall win with 2,075 points.
With the muddy terrain occasioned by the ongoing rains, it was up to who had a perfect start and good maneuvering of the track and the Ugandans seemed to have a perfect mastery of the surface in the junior categories.
However, tight competition was witnessed in the heavyweight MX 2 and MX 1 classes where the Kenyan contingent had a slight edge over their rivals.
Ugandan captain Maxime Van Pee was top in the MX1 after two heat wins and one runner-up position to garner 57 points. This was a race full of high drama as most of the riders did not finish because of either mechanical failures or bike weight due to the muddy terrain.
Vinayak was second with two second and first place finishes in the last heat after some miscalculation by Van Pee.
Nyachae, meanwhile, was in good form in MX2 which he won after managing the whole ‘muddy-ness’ well enough with his bike 67 gaining speeds on the straights.
Alex Kandie was the toss and shine for Team Kenya, managing two good heats in the MX 85 Class. He was neck-and-neck with Ugandan Waleed Ali Omar in a brutal contest that had tens of fans on the edge of their seats.
