New supercross track opens in Benoni

24 October 2014

   INDEX OF CONTENT

ARTICLE

Words: Ryan Angilley ǀ Photos: Scott Niccolls

Dirt bike riders can now rev it up on the newly built supercross track, the Chimes SX Park, in Benoni.

The newly built supercross track, the Chimes SX Park, in Benoni.

This massive project came about when I was looking for somewhere to practise in Gauteng for the upcoming Monster Energy SX Africa event, which is taking place in November. Currently, there are no supercross parks in Gauteng to practise on, so riders usually end up practising on motocross tracks, which are not really ideal.

When I saw some photos of the revamped Erora MX track, in the East Rand, on freestyle rider Tyron Cameron’s Facebook page, I commented if it would be possible to build a whoop section there as well, so other riders and I could prepare for the fast-approaching supercross event. Tyron had just the spot in mind for a supercross track, so we arranged to meet and discuss our ideas further.

Meeting at Chimes, in Benoni, there was a flat area of about 200-square metres in the middle of this motocross track that was just perfect for our needs. All that was now required was a plan and lots of hard work.

Psyched up, I went home and immediately started drawing a track map; our dream was becoming a reality.

With Tyron in charge of organising the equipment, I took on the role of raising funds to make it all happen. To kick-start the process, my friend Michael Docherty and I pretty much poured all of our savings into hiring the equipment needed. We also received assistance from Michael and James Kok, from 2 Brothers Plant Hire and Transport, who supplied us with an excavator and operator, as well as Shane Ford from Diesel Performance Trucking. Shane has played a vital role in all of this because it's on his land that we’ve built the track, and he has also supplied most of the equipment needed.

With the building progressing well, I invited Grant Frerichs to come have a look at what we were doing, as he has experience with building tracks. He arrived and was ready to get stuck in, just like everyone else. With a 1,000-litre water tank and pump strapped to the back of his Hilux, he showed us how to water. Copying his watering system, we put a pump on our big 5,000-litre water truck and it was game on. We now had our own water cannon. Even better, we had two water cannons, which we use early in the morning and late in the afternoon to keep the ground hard and dust down.

It took us two weeks of 12-14 hour days in the hot sun and dusty conditions to build the track from scratch, but now we have a fantastic track to play and practise on. We had an absolute blast building this track and are very proud of what a couple of dirt bike riders can do when we all teamed up and worked together for one end result.

Thank you to everyone who was involved for all their hard work and commitment; my dad Robert Angilley, Tyron Cameron, Michael Docherty, Sean Docherty, Anthony Lowrenstein, James Kok, Michael Kok, William Sutherland, Grant Frerichs, Shaun Ford, Shannon Tereblanche, Charl van Eeden and Duwayne Berowsky. Without you, none of this would have been possible. We all worked hard, now we get to play hard.

Come join us

The track is open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, and the riding fee is R300. Riders must have a valid racing licence.

More information
To raise funds to keep the park running, advertising boards are available. If you interested in advertising, please contact Ryan Angilley on 072 054 3794.

Also in this issue

Shaun Devenish slogging it out on is unicycle. Photo credit: Stuart Pickering/Cycling Direct

Learn. Understand. Help. A typical mantra, I’m sure, for any charity...

Last week, Johann Rabie and I (EAI Cycling Team), lined up for the Bridge...

Warm weather, sun block and holiday vibes; these are all things we can look...

South Africa is a big place, with landscapes as varied as the towering...

The beautiful Villa del Balbianello on the banks of Lake Como.

Lake Como is a tranquil and picturesque slice of heaven that is surrounded...

Keegan and Brent on their adventure from Witbank to Ballito.

From the arid, dry landscape of the Karoo to the lush Cape Fold Mountain, I...

The newly built supercross track, the Chimes SX Park, in Benoni.

Dirt bike riders can now rev it up on the newly built supercross track, the...

Welcome to the 24 October 2014 issue of DO IT NOW Magazine.