For those who savour the adrenaline of sea-level motorsports, Vipingo Ridge is now home to a 2km dirt racetrack for motorbikes, buggies, and quad bikes to race around.
On the weekend of December 14-15, the Mombasa Motor Club (MMC) will organise the second and final round of the prestigious FIM Africa Central Africa Motocross Challenge (CAC), giving regional riders a taste of the sandy coastal terrain.
Vipingo Ridge, home to Africa’s only PGA golf course, is synonymous with the iconic Ladies European Tour (LET) Magical Kenya Open Golf Championship and the PGA Academy.
However, in mid-December, spectators will savor exhilarating displays of motorbike artistry.
With epic jumps and a myriad of twists and turns, the CAC season-closer will undoubtedly be a fun and fantastic challenge for riders in every class.
The event will also count toward the ninth and final round of the Kenya National Motocross Championship, featuring riders from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
Ugandan riders showcased their prowess in leg 1 of the FIM Africa event in March at E-villas in Kalisizo Town Council, Kyotera District. It will be interesting to see how this longstanding rivalry pans out on the sandy racetrack.
Uganda won CAC 1 with a cumulative total of 1,540 points, while Kenya scored 179.
Regardless of the round 1 standings, the good-humored rivalry between Kenya and Uganda will definitely add the much-needed zest to the two-leg regional series.
The CAC showpiece is the equivalent of the “Elgon Cup” in rugby and the “Victoria Cup” in golf, where the rivalry between the two East African nations is always a sight for sore eyes!
Having already featured the season-opening high-altitude leg in Uganda, the forthcoming MMC-organized CAC in the North Coast of Kenya presents diverse and scintillating racing opportunities for both riders and spectators alike, in Vipingo. Fortune Emmanuel Ssentamu, Ashim Sserwadda, Isima Mukiibi and Wazir Al-Muzahim Ali Omar are among those expected to represent Uganda in MX1.
Team Kenya Captain at Morocco MXOAN (Apollo Mbuki) will represent his country in MX1.
Ugandans are in top form at the moment, having already outpaced their Kenyan race adversaries during the 2024 Motocross of African Nations (MXOAN) in Marrakech, Morocco.
The Motocross Cranes (who are also the defending CAC Champions) showcased remarkable speed and teamwork at the 2024 FIM Africa MXOAN in Morocco, bringing home the silver.
Led by captain Stav Asiimwe Orland, who powered through to gold in the MX2 class, Uganda amassed an impressive 479 points, while Kenya settled for fifth overall.
Marrakech was a fantastic outing for Kenya, who have been picked as hosts for the prestigious MXOAN in 2025.
The 2024 MXOAN was attended by 12 African countries, pitting the best of African MX riders against each other.
Team Kenya’s 50cc and 65cc teams took the overall third country positions, with some sterling individual performances from the young ladies. Chiara Hatanga and Jematia Kangongo finished in 2nd and 3rd places respectively in the 50cc ladies’ class.
Atete Benzinge showcased her riding skills as the top senior lady rider in the East Africa region, with a third-place podium finish in the WMX senior ladies’ class.
The eyes of the region will now turn to Kenya, which has been nominated to host the 2025 MXOAN.
The MXOAN is FIM Africa’s most prestigious motocross event on its vast continental calendar, and next year’s showpiece will bring together 18 African countries to compete in the East African nation.
