RACE REPORT: POWER SERIES 7 BIKES – 28 AUGUST 2021

RACE REPORT: POWER SERIES 7 BIKES – 28 AUGUST 2021

WEATHER PLAYS DIRTY AT KILLARNEY SUPERBIKES

Only five riders came out for Race 1 of the South Motorcycle Superbike series at Round 7 of the Power Series presented by Wingfield Motors at Killarney on a bitterly cold and wet Saturday 28 August.

Among those who elected to sit out were pole-sitter and favourite David “McFlash” McFadden on the Stunt SA/RPM Center R1, and Trevor Westman’s brand new Wayward by Project Sixty ZX-10R, so it was Supermasters riders Malcolm Rapson (Racebase GSX-R1000) and Jacques Ackermann (South/Barker/Stepp Durbanville ZX-10R) who led the way.

Rapson soon showed his mastery of the conditions, pulling smoothly away to finish 22 seconds ahead of Ackerman, followed by Lubabalo Ntisana (Kawasaki ZX-10R), Gavin Louw and never-say-die JP Friederich, who crashed the GR Tax/MI Car Centre R1 in Turn 5, remounted and came home a lap- down.

Race 2, run in bright sunshine late in the afternoon, was a whole different story, as McFlash once again earned his nickname with an emphatic win, 21 seconds clear of a race-long battle for second that saw Westman, Rapson, Ackermann and late entry Connor Hagan on the NPH Electrical GSX-R600 (the only 600 in the field) finish in that order, covered by just 2.03 seconds, after swopping places on almost every lap.

Friederich, Michael du Toit (Danie Maritz Racing/Quick Pos R1), Louw and Ntisana followed, after Jonathan Schwerin (BMW S1000RR) went out on lap five.

The first combined Clubmans, Classics and Breakfast Run race proved once more that rain is the great leveller, as two Class B riders, Nick Benn (Two Wheel Solutions GSX-R1000) and Jamie Hall (Honda CBR600RR) led the field home, followed at a respectful distance by the Class A contingent of Zobair Adams (Suzuki GSX-R750), Nasief Smart (Yamaha R1), Molefe Ratlhagane (Yamaha R6) Rob de Vos (Hillbilly Buell 1125R), and Wayne Arendse, running his JJ Smith Trust ZX-10R on dry-weather tyres.

Arendse made his usual poor start in Race 2, but the circuit was dry and he was able to set a cracking pace, grabbing the lead on lap three and holding off determined charges from Smart and Adams, as the three came home on that order, covered by just 1.14 seconds after a race-long battle.

The battle for fourth was even closer, as Ratlhagane, De Vos and Benn came home within less than half a second after swopping places at least once a lap! Just two seconds further back in eighth overall was Nicho Venter on a Yamaha R1, the first of the Breakfast Runners.

Polesitter Slade van Nierkerk (Project 60 ER650), Jason Linaker (RST Ninja 650) and Zante Otto (Missile Motorcycles ER6) defied the treacherous conditions to put up the dice of the day for the win in the first Powersport race. Otto challenged Van Niekerk several times for the lead but was unable to make a pass that would stick and eventually surrendered second to Linaker, who finished less than half a second behind Van Niekerk, who clinched the 2021 Powersport 650 championship with the win.

David Lindemann (GM Contractors SV650) was fourth, followed by veteran Lance Jonas (BMW Accident Repair Centre Cape Town/Samurai Racing SV650, while Tristin Pienaar (KTM RC390) son of former SA Superbike star Clinton Pienaar, put in a superb late charge to catch Powersport 300 leader Nicholas Hutchings (HSC RC390) but lost out in the sprint to the line by a heart-breaking 0.006sec.

Race 2 was another Van Niekerk benefit, as he led from lights to flag from Trevor Westman on the Roxstar Ninja 650), Linaker, Ms Otto and Jonas, all of whom came home in less than five seconds. Sixth, just two seconds later was Pienaar, way ahead of the rest of the Powersport 300 runners.

The Wild Child’s luck finally ran out in the Powersport 1 Hour Endurance Race, however. His father Willy van Niekerk took the early stint on the Project Sixty60 ER650, running third and then second before handing over to the new Powersport champion, who almost immediately put the bike into the lead, only for the chain to break in the 40th minute after 27 laps.

Early leaders Rob de Vos and Wayne Arendse then brought home the MSA/Mag Workshop ER6 for a well-deserved win, a lap ahead of Connor Hagan and Tristin Pienaar, who covered an astonishing 41 laps in the hour on the KTM RC390, David Lindemann (riding solo on the GM Contractors SV650) and Alan and Trevor Westman on the Roxstar Ninja 650.