20 Nov 2018

Robert Pollock of Gaborone Motor Club is the overall winner of the Boteti 200 motor race tournament.

The tournament, which started in 2015 in Boteti, was held in Orapa recently.

The winner called on youngsters to join motorsport, saying it was essential to put Botswana on the map through sport.

Though motor sport is expensive, he said people should not regard it as a sport for a certain class of people.

Kagiso Stevens, who snatched position three, affirmed that motorsport had shaped his life as he spends most of his time training.

He called on youngsters to join the sport as it could deter them from engaging in illicit activities as it moulds good behaviour, stressing that it requires a disciplined individual to ride.

Desert Rats Club secretary, Tinaye Manyothwane said the objective of the tournament was to promote motorsport in the Boteti area.

Manyothwane said the intention was to train youngsters at grassroots level and equip them with skills as well as to provide entertainment to the local community and a market for local businesses as well as a platform for interaction and networking.

The community, he said, encountered challenges during the first tournament with some farm owners as the route passed through their fields.

He said in 2018 they registered 27 participants, attributing the drop in numbers to location and the tournament being hosted mid- month.

The race attracted participants from Gaborone motorsport club, Maun club, Serowe and Orapa in the two categories of quadbike four wheelers and two wheelers.

Desert Rats Orapa Motor Club, public relations officer, Clement Chabata said the objective of the tournament was to grow the sport in Botswana and Boteti.

Chabata indicated that the main challenge encountered in motorsport was lack of capital.

He said it was an expensive sport that needed sponsorships for fuel, trophies, food, drinks and marshals amongst others.

Trysome Auto Electrical area manager, Moipolai Motsamai stated that the aim was to promote motorsport in Boteti area.

Motsamai said their intention was to play an active role within the community they operated in by sponsoring the event to the tune of P40 000, noting that they supported the event through provision of trophies and riders’ kits.ENDS