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Miguel showed grit and promise, maintaining a solid position within the top ranks but ultimately secured the sixth position. Meanwhile, Jonathan concluded the race at the 24th spot.
After their debut at the World Junior MX Championships in Budapest, Romania, the Katende brothers, Johnathan and Miguel are embracing a newfound determination to better their performance on the motocross tracks.
The duo, made history as the first Ugandans to compete at such a high-level event, found their stint short-lived but deemed it heavily rewarding.
Miguel and Jonathan Katende had a challenging start. They were unable to progress from the qualifying round to the main race.
Miguel ended the initial qualifying race in the 28th position among 34 riders, while Jonathan lagged behind in the 33rd position.
Undeterred by the early setback, the brothers took on the final qualification heat, requiring only the top four riders to join the pre-qualified batch.
Miguel showed grit and promise, maintaining a solid position within the top ranks but ultimately secured the sixth position. Meanwhile, Jonathan concluded the race at the 24th spot.
Despite the odds, Miguel successfully broke into the final race and finished 36th out of 66 riders, marking him as the third-best African rider in the race.
Reflecting on the experience, their coach and father, Ssemakula George, remarked: "We have stepped up our training exercise and regimes since we returned.”
There is a lot we learnt from the World Championships." George noted while he took the boys through a rigorous training session over the weekend.
This invaluable experience has prompted the Katende brothers and their coach to revise their training strategy, integrating the lessons learned from the World Championships.
Ssemakula, also the proprietor of the Semka Riding Academy, noted that while the boys demonstrated competitive pace on the stretches and jump skills, corner speeds remained an area for improvement.
“According to the data, the boys could match the pace of the field on the straights and the jumps, but it was the corner speeds where we were losing time and slots,” he explained.
“I was impressed because they were competing against factory backed drivers, riding the latest bikes with upgrades, while the boys were on stock bikes. Being that close to them was promising.”
“So, for now we are putting the lessons into practice, and so far, it is coming off well, though not yet perfect, but am sure they will master it.”
“When we return [ to the World Championships] next, we shall gauge the difference in pace and also how we handle our corner speeds. For now, we shall keep grinding,” Ssemakula added confidently.
Miguel and Jonathan Katende have already made a mark in the local and regional motocross scene, securing victories in the national, as well as East and Central Africa Motocross Championships.
They are among the top crop of Ugandan riders who will compete at the 2023 Motocross of African Nations (MXOAN) in South Africa, next month.
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