Birthday boy Terreblanche 10th in German Masters event

BIRTHDAY BOY SHANTER 10TH IN GERMANY 12 JULY 2009 The fourth round of the German ADAC MX Masters series at Ried am Innkreis in Austria would mark a significant turning point for South African Shannon Terreblanche. Not so much for what happened on the track, of which more anon, but rather the import of the event had to do with the passing of time. For all of his international racing career, Shannon was a teenager, but as the clocks strike midnight at the end of his day, he would shed his chin fluff for man-strength beard, acquire a semi-tone deeper in his voice, and leave his teenage years behind forever. Although the event was a German Championship race, it took place in Ried Am Innkreis in Austria. On the eve of stepping off his teenage platform, this fact had some extra significance for Shannon, as it was in Austria that he participated in his very first international race in Europe, way back in 2003, when swine flu meant that there was an ill traffic officer in the vicinity, Barack Obama sounded like some military living quarters, and Shannon's beard could have come straight off a baby's behind. The South African was all enthusiasm during the qualifying session, and posted the fifth fastest time on his Sturm Kawasaki, a pleasing result indeed. Unfortunately for Shanter, his race day ran into almost immediate troubles on Sunday. A major pile-up at the start of race 1 dropped him to near the back of the pack, and he was forced to resume his race with most of the opposition already having scurried far over the horizon, so to speak. Ruing yet another mishap, he was grimly determined, and the urgency in his riding was palpable. From miles back, he worked his way into the points by lap 12 when, within the space of a few corners, he passed four riders. His upmarch was still not done yet, and before the 21 lap race had run its course, he had worked his way up to 14th position in a strong field. A better start lay in store for the South African in race 2 as he got off the gate in third position, but he got a bit ahead of himself and overdid things down the first downhill. The resultant crash left him way back in the pack again, and now he was thoroughly miffed with the oversight. He got up and charged though the pack like he had never done in a German Masters event before. In what was probably his best ride in the series thus far, he passed a heap of riders, including former champion Florent Richier on the way to tenth place at the end of the race. Shannon's come-from-behind rides in both races helped him bag enough points for tenth overall on the day. He has also clambered up a couple of positions in the championship standings. He will be forgiven if on Monday he allows his thoughts to dwell on his 20th birthday celebrations, which will start his new week off in fine style. Results: Qualifying Race 1 Race 2 Overall result   THE BOARD READS "FEMALE BODY INSPECTOR", AND WAS DELIVERED BY A HOPEFUL FAN     Mail server hosting by www.mxhosting.be This report is available online   TEAM SPONSORS   PRIVATE SPONSORS

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