Organised by the Bontleng Motoride Club (BMC), an affiliate member of Botswana Motor Sports (BMS), this event marks an initiative to rejuvenate the sport of motocross.
Through its affiliate, the BMS has not hosted a motocross event in over a year, and there would not be a motocross championship for the 2023 season. Efforts to stage the competition earlier this year faced setbacks, including a lack of sponsorship and low competitor turnout.
Speaking to Mmegi Sport, Kagiso Stephens of the BMC expressed concerns about the struggling state of motocross and how it impacted the national team's performance at the 2023 Africa Motocross of Nations (MXoAN).
According to Stephens, the lack of local competition affected the team's training and preparation, which resulted in underperformance. "The national team that went to Cape Town went there without having enough training on account of the reason that we have not had a single championship race. We, as the BMC, need to bring back the race and awaken the discipline, hence the name renaissance. We have not had a single race, and we could not just sit back and watch the sport perish," he explained.
Stephens emphasised that the event is open to all BMS licence holders and non-registered riders. The primary goal is to reignite the passion for motocross and lay the groundwork for the reintroduction of a national championship in the future. "The whole idea of the race is to reinvent the sport, so we have relaxed many of the requirements to enable a lot of guys to participate.
Riders are not required to have a BMS licence; they simply need to have their insurance cover, as this is a high-risk sport, and pay an entry fee. The overall objective is to get everyone back so we can return to full racing requirements," Stephens stated. The planning process encountered challenges, as the racetrack had deteriorated after two years of inactivity. BMC received assistance from Estate Construction, which provided machinery to refurbish the track. Uni-Span Scaffolding and Formwork (Pty) Ltd contributed funds to rent additional machinery, while the remaining finances came from contributions by some BMS members.
"This track has not hosted any races this year, so it is currently in poor condition. It has been two years since it hosted any race. To properly restore a track like this, you need around P50,000. The track was repaired last weekend, and we need to water it. We were fortunate to have rain on Tuesday so we will perform the final watering on Friday, on the eve of the event," Stephens said. The races will commence at 8am, featuring all motocross classes throughout the day.
