WHILE most children at the age of four had yet to learn how to ride a bicycle, Reid Sinnicks was kilometres ahead speeding down streets on his PW50 motorbike. And so started a fledgeling career which culminated in a special win at the FIM Africa Motocross of African Nations (MXoAN) event in Zambia recently. 

The 17-year-old high flyer took first place in the 125cc championships and played a role in the SA team winning the MXoAN overall. 

“I was just so stoked at the end of the race. It’s the first time I’d won something so big and it was just amazing. It took a lot of hard work and dedication and I couldn’t have done it without my coach, crew and my family. 

“My dad was super thrilled after the race and to see South Africa win was the cherry on top,” he enthused. 

Things could have been very different for the Crawford College La Lucia Grade 11 pupil, who suffered a serious concussion in 2012, which left him without hearing in his left ear. Doctors feared the worse and told Reid his career in the motocross world would be cut short. 

Though he could have given up, Reid says the perseverance it took to make it through those two years gave him the tenacity and drive he needed to forge a new path.

Not only did he make a comeback thought unlikely by doctors but he finished first in his National High School motocross category. 

“I was devastated when I received the news. You do fear the worst, but in a way it also made me more determined to come back back stronger and show that I still have a place in the sport. Making the national team for the African Nations event was fantastic.

“The journey has definitely been a blessing, and I’ve learned so much through it, pushing past fear and breaking down boundaries. I want to keep representing South Africa and doing them proud,” he said.