Day of drama at Zwartkops
OIL ON TRACK: RACING STOPPED AFTER CRASHES, MECHANICAL PROBLEMS
Despite strenuous mopping attempts, the track was still too slippery for motorcycle racing.
The 2018 South African SuperGP series started – and stopped – in spectacular style at the Zwartkops Raceway near Pretoria on Saturday, with the Tswane SuperGP event catering for both national and regional championship racing.
Top billing belonged to the unlimited SuperGP category, where defending SA champion Clinton Seller (King Price Yamaha R1) had a fraught time.
Seller crashed twice during the Friday’s practice sessions and consequently had to start from the pit lane in both of Saturday’s races.
In race one he passed half the field on lap one, and then crashed out.
That left Michael White (Consortium Shipping Yamaha R1) to win from David McFadden (RPM Centre Kawasaki), Morne Geldenhuis (Hi-Tech Yamaha R1) and Darryn Upton (Uncle Andy Suzuki).
The first Super600 race went to Adolf Boshoff (Uncle Andy Suzuki), leading home Hayden Jonas (Samurai Yamaha), Byron Bester (Hi-Tech Kawasaki) and Jarred Schultz (Uncle Andy Suzuki).
Race two was red-flagged after one lap when the Uncle Andy Suzuki of Cassidi Simmons broke something mechanical and left a line of oil around half the track.
Adolf Boshoff, Byron Bester, Haydon Jonas and Gareth Gehlig (Formula Autos Kawasaki) all crashed, causing the race stoppage.
And that, sadly, was all she wrote.
Despite strenuous mopping up efforts by Zwartkops’ hugely efficient track personnel, the circuit stayed too slippery for two-wheeler racing and the rest of the event was called off. Earlier, other things happened.
Kerwyn Snyman (ORT KTM) won both the Super300 races from Dino Iozzo (King Price Honda), with Chase Hulscher (Uncle Andy KTM) and Savannah Woodward (Monroe Yamaha taking turns in the third place.
Veteran Lance Isaacs (Supabets BMW) took victory in the Thunderbike race, beating AJ Venter (Lekka Yamaha) and Shaun Vermaak (Adrenalin Powersports Yamaha).
Adan Barnard (GN Projects Kawasaki) was the Bridgestone Challenge race winner, followed by Renaldo Marais (LG Interiors Kawasaki) and Reno Kruger (Yamaha R6).
Both the BOTTS races went to Thomas Brown (Extreme Print Ducati), with Antonio Iozzo (Ducati) and James Harper (Ducati) swapping the respective second and third places.
The next meeting at Zwartkops will be a regional round of the Extreme Festival series on Saturday, March 17.