On a hot spring day with racing conditions made almost perfect by a relieving cool breeze, Monster Energy SuperGP Championship leader and the King of Superpole, Clint Seller (Portable Shade Race! Kawasaki ZX10R) claimed his sixth successive SuperPole at Zwartkops Raceway west of Pretoria yesterday afternoon.
The tight and twisty 2,4-kilometre Zwartkops layout with its eight corners, five of which are right-handers, is rated by the riders as the most difficult of any around the country and regularly produces the closest racing and lap times. Saturday’s qualifying was no exception.
The top 10 riders in qualifying all contested the one-lap shoot-out that makes up SuperPole and the fastest six all managed to remain in the top six, although some improved their position on the grid while others dropped places.
Just seven tenths of a second covered the top five riders in SuperPole, which was generally quicker than the earlier qualifying as the track cooled, and all five cracked the 1 min 3 sec barrier, so another hectic and exciting start is expected in tomorrow’s first 30-minute race.
Lance Isaacs (Black Swan Energy BMW S1000RR) was second fastest with a time of 1 min 2,25 sec, 0,13 sec behind Seller and 0,355 sec quicker than third-placed Garrick Vlok (Pre-Empt Fire and Security Kawasaki ZX10R).
Making up the second row of the grid for the first of Sunday’s two races are fourth-placed Dylan White (Portable Shade Race! Kawasaki ZX10R), Brent Harran (Black Swan Energy BMW S1000RR) and Brandon Goode (CJ Auto Kawasaki ZX10R).
Sunday promises to be even hotter than yesterday – track temperatures of between 45 and 50 degrees Centigrade are forecast – and the riders will be racing under these difficult conditions for longer than any previous national championship motorcycle race at Zwartkops. For the new-look inaugural national motorcycle championship, called the Monster Energy SuperGP Champions Trophy, which got underway at Phakisa Freeway in the Free State in March, all SuperGP races have been lengthened to 30 minutes, as is the case with the FIM Superbike World Championship. Tyre and brake wear are going to be critical.
SuperGP SuperPole:
1 Clint Seller 1:02.120; 2 Lance Isaacs +0.137; 3 Garrick Vlok +0.492; 4 Dylan White +0.675; 5 Brent Harran +0.791; 6 Brandon Goode +1.096; 7 Ivan van Niekerk (Recon Racing Kawasaki ZX10R) +1.709; 8 Ryan van Aswegen (Gem Auto Service Centre Kawasaki ZX10R) +2.367; 9 Robert Portman(Brother/Emtek Yamaha R1) +2.533; 10 Nicholas van der Walt (Brother/ Emtek Yamaha R1) +2.576.
Adolf Boshoff (Toy Store Kawasaki ZX6) stunned the regulars in the Super600 national championship category with pole position in qualifying for Sunday’s opening 25-minute race at his first appearance in the championship. It was another close-fought affair that promises the closest of racing today. The top eight riders are blanketed by less than a second.
Boshoff beat Mathew Scholtz (Portable Shade Kawasaki ZX6R) by 0.109 sec with a lap time of 10:02.85, only six tenths of a second slower than the best of the 1 000 cc brigade.
Third fastest was Cameron Petersen (Emtek/Brother Yamaha R6), who crept on to the outside of the front row just 0.185 sec behind Boshoff and a tantalisingly close 0.056 sec ahead of current championship runner-up Dean Vos (EmTek/Brother Yamaha R6).
Post-qualifying drama saw championship leader Steven Odendaal Portable Shade Kawasaki ZX6R) lose a hard-earned second place on the grid after he was penalised five grid slots in both of tomorrow’s races for a technical infringement. He will start race one on Sunday in seventh place.
Super600 qualifying:
1 Adolf Boshoff 01:02.854; 2 Mathew Scholtz (Kawasaki ZX6) +0.109; 3 Cameron Peterson (Yamaha R6) +0.185; 4 Dean Vos (Yamaha R6) +0.241; 5 Blaze Baker (Russell Wood/Muscle and Fitness Gym Kawasaki ZX6R) +0.430; 6 Nicholas Kershaw (Tsunami Beach Bar Kawasaki ZX6R) +0.847; Steven Odendaal (Kawasaki ZX6R); 8 Allan-Jon Venter (AJ Venter Racing/Wiesenhof Triumph 675) +0.947; 9 Anthony Shelly (Fercor Construction Kawasaki ZX6RR) +1.113; 10 Nicole van Aswegen (Triumph SA, Women in Motorsport Triumph 675) +1.776.
Current SuperM Challenge leader Kyle Robinson (Fantech Kawasaki ZX10R) took pole position by 0.443 sec from Darien Kayser Darien Kayser (Uncle Andy Racing/DNA Motorcycles Kawasaki ZX6R). Third fastest in the qualifying session was Beau Levey (Motos KTM Klerksdorp KTM RC8), 1.069 sec off the pace and only a tenth of a second ahead of Justin Gillensen (Portable Shade Kawasaki ZX10). Teddy Brooke (Brooke Refrigeration Kawasaki ZX10) will start from fifth on the gird, while lone female rider in the Challenge, Janine Davies (Enbridge Torque-Sure Consultants BMW S1000RR), will complete the second row.
SuperM qualifying:
1 Kyle Robinson (Kawasaki ZX10R) 1:03.525; 2 Darien Kayser (Kawasaki ZX6R) +0.443; 3 Beau Levey (KTM RC8) +1.069; 4 Justin Gillensen (Kawasaki ZX10) +1.171; 5 Teddy Brooke (Kawasaki ZX10R) +1.237; 6 Janine Davies (BMW S1000RR) +2.394; 7 Kevin Redman (Coral Tree Cottages Yamaha R6) +3.480; 8 John Krieger (Full Throttle/AJ Venter Racing Kawasaki ZX10) +3.510; 9 Russ Page (Walking with Winners/Page Property Developers Kawasaki ZX10R) +3.966.
