While he admits to finding the main race challenging , Cocker fought tooth and nail to secure his place on the top step of his class . Elated with his debut victory , the rider commented , “ It was the perfect debut race for the team . I made a few mistakes throughout the race as the track got tougher and more tiring but , in the end , I managed to pull it together and take the win in OR3 and 6th overall for the day !”
Brother Leader Tread KTM teammate Charan Moore had a tough day in the saddle . From as early as 3km ’ s into the race , Moore described facing several setbacks : “ After losing some positions from a corner I had overshot , I got back on the bike and managed to catch up and find a good rhythm . Unfortunately , I faced another setback when some wire got stuck in my rear wheel . After a few minutes I managed to get it out but , in the process , I must have loosened the master link – which I discovered when my chain came off not long after that . I got that fixed too , but let ’ s just say it was a tough day in the office !” he said .
While the rider is relieved to have finished the challenging event , he is more determined than ever to defend his 2020 OR1 title and will undoubtedly come back swinging in the next round .
JARRYD COETZEE
VOL . 6 ISSUE 4 - APRIL 2021 // PAGE 29