Edenvale’s Toni Jardine recently competed in the SA National MX Championships for 2015.
She showed that hard work and consistency pays off when she claimed the title of National Ladies Motocross Champion.
It is the first time since 2009 that a women’s champion has been crowned.
This year was a tough race from the first round.
The final round took place in Johannesburg, at the Smoking Pistons Race Park, in hot and windy conditions.
In heat one, Toni did not get a great start but pushed hard and managed to push all the way into first where she led for a while.
She had pushed a bit too hard though and arm pump crept in towards the end of the race. Brittany Cuthbert managed to make the pass near the end and Toni took second in the race.
In the second heat, Toni managed a better start but was cross-rutted on the second corner and fell over, only to get stuck under the bike for a short while.
She managed to pull free and get going again.
Once again she pushed hard and managed to work her way back up to second. Overall, Toni said she struggled with the ruts a bit and could not find a good rhythm so she made a lot of silly mistakes. She was happy with second overall for the day.
“I would like to thank every one of my sponsors for believing in me and supporting me. Niels from Mr. Move for the support over the last few years and believing in me, Peter from Yamaha SA for giving me the opportunity to prove myself, Mark from HRP for the support over the years, my coaches John and Darrel for also believing in me and helping me improve my riding and fitness, 32Gi, Nithrone, PSP, Hayward Suspension, Solid Decals JT Racing and lastly my parents who have always supported me 100 percent and go out of their way to help me achieve my goals. Without the support and help from all my sponsors, I wouldn’t have been able to do this,” said Toni.