World-class two-wheel racing comes to Zwartkops Raceway in the form of the Monster Energy SuperGP Champions Trophy
Round six of the eight-round inaugural Monster Energy SuperGP Champions Trophy, the new-look motorcycles-only national championship, sees the first visit of the country’s top two-wheel racers to the tight and twisty 2,4 kilometre Zwartkops Raceway west of Pretoria this weekend (September 14).
After visiting the Free State, Mpumalanga, Western Cape, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, the two national championships and national challenge that make up Sunday’s race programme of six races are finely poised to deliver close and exciting racing and a down-to-the-wire finish to what has been a highly successful inaugural competition so far.
The headline act is the Monster Energy SuperGP, a unique South African national championship category for 1 000 cc base-level evo rules machines with limited modifications.
The support categories include Super600, like SuperGP a national championship for base-level 600 cc evo rules bikes with less modifications than the previous Supersport category. Rounding out the menu is the new SuperM, which carries challenge status and covers entries from Super600M, which is equivalent to the Supersport category for modified machines; Superbikes, the existing category for modified 1 000 cc machines; SuperMasters, for SuperGP riders aged over 35 on 1 000 cc bikes complying with the Superbikes technical regulations.
All rounds follow the format of the FIM Superbike World Championship, with practice and qualifying on Saturday and racing on Sunday.
Clint Seller (Portable Shade Race! Kawasaki ZX10R), the 2013 national Superbike champion, heads the SuperGP title chase with seven wins from 10 races. His closest rivals are Lance Isaacs and Brent Harran on Black Swan Energy BMW S1000RR machines, who are second and third respectively with each having a race win to their credit to date.
Brandon Goode (CJ Auto/Network Blue Kawasaki ZX10R), Garrick Vlok (Pre-Empt Fire and Security Kawasaki ZX10R) and Ronald Slamet (Novel Ford/Mike Hopkins ZX10) are all podium contenders, as are Dylan White (PS Race! Kawasaki ZX10R), already a winner on his Portable Shade Race! Kawasaki Z10R, and Ivan van Niekerk (Recon Racing Kawasaki ZX10R).
Steven Odendaal (PS Race! Kawasaki ZX6R) has a firm grip on the Super600 championship after claiming six wins and three runner-up finishes. His chief pursuers are Matthew Scholtz (Portable Shade Race! Kawasaki ZX6R), who won both races in KwaZulu-Natal and is second in the championship, and Dean Vos (Emtek/Brother Yamaha R6), who has five podiums to his credit and two runner-up finishes in rounds two and four.
Others to watch out for include Anthony Shelley (Fercor Construction Kawasaki ZX6), Blaze Baker (Russell Wood/Muscle and Fitness Gym Kawasaki ZX6R) and reigning Supersport champion Cameron Petersen (Emtek/Brother Yamaha R6).
Kyle Robinson (Fantech Kawasaki ZX10) heads the SuperM Challenge but was upstaged by Chris Leeson, SA Supersport champion in 2007 and runner-up to Clint Seller in last year’s Superbike championship, in Durban with Leeson taking both wins with ease on his first appearance this season on a Pride Bulk Logistics/Cazzmania/Emtek Racing Kawasaki ZX10R.
Darien Kayser underlined his promise with second place in both races on the Uncle Andy Racing/DNA Motorcycles Kawasaki ZX600R, the highest-placed 600 cc machine in a category dominated by 1 000 cc machines. Beau Levey (Motos KTM Klerksdorp KTM RC8), Justin Gillesen (Portable Shade Kawasaki ZX10) and lone female rider in this category, Janine Davies (More Money, Enbridge Torque-Sure BMW S1000RR), can also be expected to be prominent this weekend.
