Brent Harran (Kawasaki ZX10) did it while the sun was shining, Lance Isaacs (Black Swan Racing / BMW Motorrad S1000RR) waited until the rain was falling, but both of them took SuperGP race wins at Zwartkops today (Sunday, 12 April) in the second round of the 2015 DEOD Super GP Champions Trophy.
Harran signalled his intentions during SuperPole when he was the only rider to break the one minute two second barrier. Clint Seller (Neolife Racing Kawasaki) who had, prior to this event, never been beaten in a SuperGP SuperPole, could not match Harran’s time and had to be content with second place, just five one hundredths of a second behind. Mathew Scholtz (Emtek Racing / Nashua Yamaha R1) completed the front row of the grid. Isaacs headed the second row with Nicholas Kershaw (Tsunami Beach Bar / BMW Motorrad S1000RR) and Brandon Goode (Emtek Racing / Nashua Yamaha R1) alongside him.
When the lights went out to signal the start of the first race it was Harran that took the hole shot into turn one. Isaacs got away well and was harrying Seller though the first couple of corners but, before half a lap had been completed, it was certain that the fight at the head of the field was going to be between Harran and Seller. Harran led for the first couple of laps but once Seller got through he was content to bide his time and sit in the defending champion’s wheel tracks. On the penultimate lap Harran made his move and retook the lead, hanging on to win by just two tenths of a second.
Isaacs had a lonely race in third while behind him Anthony Shelley (Kawasaki ZX10) just won the battle for fourth from Scholtz. Goode and Kershaw finished in sixth and seventh respectively.
With the rain that had been threatening most of the afternoon finally beginning to fall the race officials declared the second heat a wet race. As the riders made their way onto the grid the rain began to fall harder prompting some who had taken the gamble to stay on dry weather tyres to make hasty changes.
Isaacs spent a couple of laps finding out where the grip was before opening up a substantial lead, going on to win by just over ten seconds. Behind him Scholtz was the man on the move, using all his European wet weather experience to move through the field. He crossed the line in second. Seller, who admits he doesn’t like racing in the rain, hung on to finish third despite a fall with 3 laps to go. Goode, Kershaw and Harran completed the top six.
Isaacs’ big win in the second race gave him the advantage he needed to claim the overall win for the day. Scholtz finished as runner-up with Seller in the final podium position.
Super600
Steven Odendaal set the fastest time on his new Neolife Racing Yamaha R6 during the Super600 qualifying session but his time was disallowed due to a technical infringement. This left him at the back of the grid and promoted Adolf Boshoff (Toy Store / Indy Oil Kawasaki ZX6) at the head of the grid. He was followed by Michael White (Consortium Shipping / AERO Cannon Kawasaki ZX6) and Blaze Baker (Russell Wood / Muscle & Fitness Gym Kawasaki ZX6). Allan-jon Venter (Triumph SA / AJ Venter Racing Triumph 675) was fourth with Dylan Barnard (Kawasaki ZX6) and Nicole van Aswegen (Triumph SA / Women in Motorsport Triumph 675) rounding out the top six.
The first lap was all action with Baker making an off-track excursion that dropped him to the back of the field and Odendaal flying though the field to be third behind Boshoff and White by the time they crossed the line for the first time. Odendaal waited for a couple of laps before working his way to the head of the field. White also got past Boshoff and hung on to Odendaal, taking the chequered flag just fifteen hundredths of a second behind the defending champion. Boshoff lost contact with the leading duo and had to settle for third about five seconds back. Venter spent much of the race in a battle with Malcolm Rudman eventually losing out to the Kawasaki mounted rider. Stablemate van Aswegen finished sixth behind Venter.
For much of the second race there was a four-way battle at the head of the field. Baker had the early lead from White, Odendaal and Boshoff but Odendaal was looking for the double on the day. Once he moved to the front he slowly opened up a gap and, while he was not able to run away at the head of the field, he did take the flag comfortably ahead of the trio behind him. That three-way battle lasted the entire race with Boshoff emerging at the head of it. A move late in the race saw Baker deny White his second podium of the day. The Rudman / Venter battle continued where it left off in the first race, round two also going to Rudman who crossed the line in fifth, just over half a second ahead of Venter.
Two wins on the day made sure that overall victory went to Odendaal with White and Boshoff in second and third.
SuperJunior
Branden Staffen took pole position for the first SuperJunior race but with less than a second covering the top six he was going to have to work to convert it into a win. Work he did, although he was helped when William Friend’s bike suffered fuel problems and he was force to retire. Friend’s woes allowed Lance Marais to take second from Tyreece Roberts. Luca Coccioni, Dominic Doyle and Reinhald Joubert rounded out the top six.
Staffen showed his first heat win was no fluke when he held off a determined Friend to take the win in the second race. Roberts was again third with Marais in fourth. Coccioni and Joubert were fifth and sixth respectively.
SuperM
SuperM championship leader Beau Levey (SBR Rentals / Motos KTM RC8) was pipped to pole position by Themba Khumalo (Adrenalin Academy Honda) but he didn’t let it worry him in the race, going on to take a comfortable win. Neil van Loggerenberg (SBR Rentals / Purewealth / Motos KTM RC8) took the final podium position.
The final result of the second race was identical to that of the first but that is where the similarity ends. Khumalo and Levey had a race-long battle until Khumalo fell on the last lap allowing Levey to take the win. Khumalo was able to re-mount and crossed the line in second on his battered Honda. Van Loggerenberg again claimed the final podium spot.
The DEOD SuperGP Champions Trophy heads to sea level for its next outing with the teams and riders making their way down to Cape Town for the next round at Killarney Raceway on 17 May 2015.
