04 Nov LOCAL HEROES MAKE THEIR KILLARNEY FAMILY PROUD ON THE NATIONAL STAGE
Eighteen-year-old Killarney hotshot Dario Busi has won the Oettinger Polo Cup in only his second season in the most competitive series in South African national circuit racing, after being crowned Rookie of the Year in 2019.
The talented young Capetonian led the title chase into the final round of the championship in Port Elizabeth, finishing seventh in an eventful and hard-fought 10-lap sprint race, followed by perfectly-judged fourth in the 40 minutes plus one lap endurance race to clinch the title.
It was a fairytale outcome for a driver who didn’t even know at the end of the 2019 season whether he had a drive for 2020 – and then saw his dream season cut short by lock-down.
On behalf of the entire Killarney family – well done Dario!
Nevertheless, he’s not the only local hero who has been making us proud on the National stage, with David ‘McFlash’ McFadden finishing a strong second in the 2020 NGK SA Superbike championship after taking pole position and winning both races at the final round in Port Elizabeth. In fact, he says, he would have beaten Clinton Seller to the 2020 title had he not been forced to withdraw from one race due to a medical issue.
Racing is full of such ‘what ifs’ – but McFlash’s gutsy performance deserves our respect. As does his Lights by Linea team-mate Brett Roberts, a former motocrosser in his first season on tar circuits, who was on the pace from his first Super600 race and shows a lot of promise.
Also flying the Killarney flag high in the national arena were Jacques Ackerman and David Enticott, who put in strong rides in the Red Square ZX-10R Masters Cup (Ackerman finished third for the day at Aldo Scribante), and 2019’s RST Trac Mac Clubmans sensation, Lubabalo Ntisana, who topped his rookie season in the Bridgestone Superbike series with a fine second for the day.