Photo by Marvin Castillo

The improvised motocross track at the Nosara Fiestas was completely full with hundreds of motorcycle fans on Sunday, January 27 for the second date of Guanacaste’s regional motocross championship.

Forty competitors from different parts of Nicoya and Santa Cruz gave a grand show. Without a doubt the most anticipated part of these competitions are the expert-category street races. These audacious and intrepid drivers ride at incredible speeds and make spectacular jumps that leave your skin cold.

The most expert young riders have the most powerful motorcycles, in general 450cc.  They are very modern machines and should be in excellent condition to endure the demands of their drivers.  In addition, the riders should have the latest protective gear.

Photo by Pinar Istek

Another category that excites and captivates the audience is the children’s category. On their 50cc motorcycles, they look as capable and daring as the older riders.

At around 11 a.m., the competition opened with the experts category, everyone ready at the starting lineup. Among them was Brainer Rojas, competitor from Nosara, who started off and right in the first curve wound up in a violent crash with another competitor.  Both motorcycles landed on top of the motorcyclists, and the one who caught the brunt of it was Brainer. He suffered a back injury.  Even so, with the pain reflected on his face and completely covered in mud, he picked up his motorcycle and took off in search of his rivals.

In the end, it was impossible for him to hunt them down since he had lost almost two laps in the fall; however he managed to earn 40 points on the general board and is now ranked 9th in the tournament.
Another Nosaran who stood out on Sunday was Luis Saiden Lopez, who took two hits in the pre-experts category.  On his Honda CR125, he showed his great ability as a racer.  Luis has a very unique style at the stops, turning his motorcycle in a pirouette that not just anyone would dare to execute.

The organization lacked many classic details for this type of events, such as narration and music that add a lot more flavor to the spectacle, but in everything else, and despite the fact that the track didn’t offer the best conditions either, all of the spectators were excited and enjoyed the show. 

The public paid attention during the entire competition, which ended around 2:30 p.m.  Everyone who attended paid 3000 colones ($6) for admission, and they all agreed that attending was worth it since the day, in spite of the usual January heat, was rather nice.  The breeze made the morning more pleasant, and between the dust, mud and powerful motorcycles, the crowd was thrilled. 

Photo by Pinar Istek