Tyla Rattray, who became the third South African in 16 years to win a motocross world championship, taking the hotly contested MX2 title in 2008 in a season that included a round in Nelspruit, South Africa, is the 2008 Bridgestone/Guild of Motoring Journalists Motor Sportsman of the Year.
The 23 year-old from Durban joins Greg Albertyn (1992 and 1993 Motor Sportsman of the Year) and Grant Langston (2000 Motor Sportsman of the Year) as the only South Africans to have won world motocross championships. Since he is in full preparation for his 2009 racing season in the United States, the award was accepted on his behalf by his grandmother Sandra Mann.
Three other motor sportsmen were nominated for the prestigious award, which was first won in 1964 and has been sponsored by Bridgestone for the past 16 years. They were Hennie Groenewald, winner of the WesBank V8 Supercars championship for the third year in succession; Graeme Nathan, overall Bridgestone Production Car Champion in a class B SEAT Leon Cupra; and Leeroy Poulter, who won both the European Rotax Max Challenge DD2 championship and the Rotax Max Challenge DD2 World Final at La Conca in Italy.
Rattray embarked on his international racing career in 2000 as a 14 year old. He left all that is familiar behind in South Africa and relocated to Europe, the base of world championship motocross racing. He achieved his first GP podium in 2002, at the age of 16, and has been a leading contender in the world championships for many years. After a number of injury-plagued seasons, he finally enjoyed a trouble-free run to the title in 2008, after a season-long battle with Red Bull KTM teammate Tommy Searle.
Shortly after securing the world crown, Rattray announced that he had accepted an offer to join the prestigious Monster Energy Pro-Circuit Kawasaki racing team and pursue his lifelong ambition of racing in America. He will participate in the AMA championship series in the MX lites class.
