Meet The Zealous Motswana Motorcycle Racer
It’s been a childhood love for him and it got stronger during his early varsity days. He is a huge fan of Valentino Rossi, aka The Doctor. That’s where the Dr in his nickname came from. He says over the years, parents and society would tell us that motorcycles are dangerous and he was divorced from his love for motorcycles as he listened to his parents who wanted to keep him safe. His passion was reignited in 2019 when he had to learn how to ride a motorcycle to do a job. The moment he got on it, all those childhood dreams of one day racing at MotoGP came flooding back and here he is. Featured here is Temogo Pilane, a Motswana born citizen who lived, schooled and grew up in Botswana.
Tell us about your first motorbike
My current bike, still my first, is a gorgeous red 2007 Honda CBR 600RR. It was a pre-owned bike and I was lucky enough to have found a pre-owned bike that was still in near mint condition. The moment I laid eyes on her, I knew she was mine and we would be together forever. She had very little mileage and was mechanically perfect. I rode over 20, 000km in the 1st year of owning her, I couldn’t get enough of her and I still can’t. I named the bike Ahmya, she is the love of my life. Honestly, the day I took her home for the first time was arguably the happiest day of my life. August 11th 2020, we were hit by a car she and I. She was a wreck but I still couldn’t and wouldn’t part with her. I bought her from the Insurer and sent her to my brother in Pretoria for repair, rebuilding and conversion into a race bike. We are still together Ahmya and I. It’s safe to say the Honda brand stole my heart and you know what they say, first cut is the deepest. Who knows, maybe someday I may ride another brand but it would be such a dream come true if I could race for Honda my entire career.
Tell us about your first motorbike
My current bike, still my first, is a gorgeous red 2007 Honda CBR 600RR. It was a pre-owned bike and I was lucky enough to have found a pre-owned bike that was still in near mint condition. The moment I laid eyes on her, I knew she was mine and we would be together forever. She had very little mileage and was mechanically perfect. I rode over 20, 000km in the 1st year of owning her, I couldn’t get enough of her and I still can’t. I named the bike Ahmya, she is the love of my life. Honestly, the day I took her home for the first time was arguably the happiest day of my life. August 11th 2020, we were hit by a car she and I. She was a wreck but I still couldn’t and wouldn’t part with her. I bought her from the Insurer and sent her to my brother in Pretoria for repair, rebuilding and conversion into a race bike. We are still together Ahmya and I. It’s safe to say the Honda brand stole my heart and you know what they say, first cut is the deepest. Who knows, maybe someday I may ride another brand but it would be such a dream come true if I could race for Honda my entire career.
What can you tell us about your racing career?
Well I’m a rookie in the truest sense. I have zero races under the belt but we all have to start somewhere and this is my start. I was so fortunate to get the attention of the owners of REDSTAR RACEWAY. It’s a race track facility in Mpumalanga, South Africa. They invited me in December 2020 and treated me like royalty. That trip changed my life. I experienced track riding for the first time and I was lucky to meet Steven Odendaal. He’s currently racing in the WSBK SSP class and watching him has changed me forever. Sadly, South African MotoGP racer Brad Binder didn’t show up. That would’ve been crazy to meet both on my first track visit. I knew then and there that I want to race superbikes for a living. I caught the eyes of a lot of instructors there who said I have a lot of potential and it can be developed into something. They are eagerly awaiting my return so as soon as I am able to, I have to head out to RSRW and start putting in work.
What do you hope to accomplish?
I love my country so much and I want to make it better. Motorsport is the tool that I intend to use to make my contribution to Botswana. I want to inspire other bikers and Batswana youth to pursue motorsport as a viable career option. I want to vivify motorsport into a thriving part of the private sector. The spill over benefits are obvious. It is my dream to someday race internationally and raise the Botswana flag high. I would love to see the Botswana flag on the MotoGP and WSBK rosters. I may not be the one to but if I can inspire someone to dream that big and make it there, my service to my country will be done.
What do you do when you’re not riding bikes?
I’m a regular guy, you know. I like playing games on my PS4, I love movies and series but mostly I love learning. I watch videos a lot on YouTube, about how to be a better superbike racer or learning about health and how to better take care of myself. I’m antisocial so I don’t go out much or interact with a lot of people. I really love my own company the most.
What’s the scariest thing that has ever happened to you on a motorbike?
I almost died in an accident involving a car on August 11, 2020. A motorist assumed, as they always do just before killing a biker, that I was far from an intersection and at the last second decided to dash in. Sadly they hit me square on and almost killed me. I suffered multiple injuries, broken bones, torn ligaments and lacerations. It was a pretty traumatic experience that landed me in hospital and psychological therapy and it’s been a hard road to recovery.
I almost lost my life to a moment of impatient carelessness and my dreams almost never came to pass. They would’ve died with me together with all the things I wanted to accomplish through them. The thought of that hurt more than the physical injuries.
Pretty please, to all motorists on the roads, KEEP A LOOK OUT FOR BIKERS. OUR LIVES MATTER.
What’s your dream bike?
Oh man, it is definitely the 2020 Fireblade RR-R SP!! Honda went all out with this one and built an absolute track weapon! It is so very much modelled on their MotoGP machine and its design is primarily high performance track racing. A lot of reviewers complain about the comfort of the ride regarding the foot pegs are too high so it bends the knee too high. I say, keep it to the race track then. If you want comfort, get a cruiser. It does not only boasts an amazing amount of power but just the aesthetics of it from the livery to the lines and profile. It makes my mouth water just thinking about it.
What does it take to be a superbike racer?
An insurmountable amount of physical fitness. Naturally I am a fit person, I took after my dad who is a retired army officer from Botswana Defence Force. Training was his life so like father like son and that’s been it for me. I thought I was in great shape untill I went to Redstar Raceway and got to experience track racing. It is literally a brutal assault on your physical conditioning. A few laps around the track left me winded and I wondered how MotoGp and WSBK athletes manage 20 laps. That’s when I realized the difference in levels between leisure street riding and track racing. I had to step up my training a lot ever since then. The training is intense and its non-stop and I continuously push my limits as I aspire to someday race in world class leagues. I can’t afford not to.
Any last words?
Dreams do come true. Everything is impossible until it’s done. You don’t have to know how it’s going to happen, you just need to know that it will. Take small steps towards your goal. It’s allowed to take rests and recharge. Resting, assessing, evaluating and recharging doesn’t make you a lazy person or less deserving of what you want because it is a marathon that ends in a sprint. So lots and lots of smart work vs hard work. It can be a lonely path but it’s your path. Not everyone will see what you see until you manifest it and that’s ok too. All you ever really need is yourself. As long as you don’t give up on yourself, you will accomplish your dream. If you don’t, and it does happen sometimes, you can at least look at yourself with pride and know you did your absolute best. Patience, you’ll need a tone of patience. Just because it’s not happening as fast as you want doesn’t mean it’s not happening. It will take sacrifice, you will be tested a lot along the way and the tests are everyday because quitting is always an option but every day you have to choose going after your dream.
To parents, please try to be more open minded about your children’s future. The go to school, get good grades, get a good job and retire scheme may have worked then but it doesn’t work now. Nurture their dreams, support them with a clear goal and semblance of a plan, I’m happy to help with the little I know.
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Duncan Sebeso 
Administrator