Cape Town – With nothing but pride at stake, David McFadden signed off his championship year at the final round of the 2017 Mike Hopkins Motorcycle Regional series in fine style, with a brace of emphatic wins.
Which is not to say that he had it all his own way.
Trevor Westman led the first two laps of Race 1, until the Mad Mac’s ZX-10R picked up an electrical gremlin, forcing him into the pits and leaving McFadden to romp home 11 seconds clear of a race-long three-way fight for second between Andre Calvert (KC Transport Panigale), Gerrit Visser’s Samurai Racing R1 and the Suzuki South GSX-R1000 of Alex van den Berg, which ended in that order - with all three crossing the line within 0.327s.
Brandon Staffen on the ex-Hayden Jonas AJH Cooling ZX-6R was the first 600 Challenge rider home in both races. Picture: Dave Abrahams
In Race 1 Staffen came home ahead of Karl Schultz (ASAP World ZX-6R) and Gareth Gehlig (Formula Autos ZX-6R), while Mike du Toit (VanBros ZX-10R) took Class B honours ahead of Michael du Toit (RPM R1) and Jan Nytomt (ASAP World S1000RR).
McFadden got a very slow start in Race 2, fifth into Turn 1 and third at the end of lap one behind Westman and Calvert. On lap three, however, he moved into the lead, and pulled steadily away to win by six seconds from Westman, himself well clear of a six-way battle for third that resolved itself into a showdown between Calvert, Van den Berg and Visser, who finished in that order with little more than a second covering all three.
Staffen, Gehlig and Schultz did much the same at the top of the 600 Challenge, while Mike du Toit aced Class B with an eight-second advantage.
CLUBMANS/CLASSICS
Willem Binedell took the overall Clubman honours for the day on the Dog Box GSX-R600. Picture: Dave Abrahams
Chris Williams, out for the first time on a freshly rebuilt Ducati 1299, took pole by nearly a second from Willem Binedell on the Dog Box GSX-R600, but the bike developed an electrical gremlin and didn’t start Race 1. That became a four-way battle between Binedell, Owen Francis (Toolbag S1000RR), Derek Hendricks and Johan Maritz (Bakgat CBR1000RR).
Hendricks dropped back in the closing stages but Binedell, Francis and Maritz vcame home in that order, covered by less than a second.
Williams’ Ducati was ready for Race 2 and, after a conservative start, he pulled the pin on lap two and walked away at more than a second a lap to win by 11 seconds from Binedell, himself well clear of a three-way bunfight for third between Maritz, Hendricks and Francis, which ended in that order, covered by little more than a second.
POWERSPORTS
Nobody in the 650 Twin Powersport Class A had an answer for British visitor Jonny Towers' RST ER650. Picture: Dave Abrahams)
Towers was was well ahead of class champion JP Friederich (GR Tax SV650) and Chris Williams (Trac Mac ER650) in Race 1 when Class B runners Peter Hill and Samurai racing’s Jason Linaker (each on a KTM RC390) clashed going in to Turn 1 at the start of lap five. Linaker was soon up - and in fact made the re-start - but Hill was briefly knocked out by the fall, bringing out the red flags, and ruled out of racing for the day.
Towers walked away from the re-start to win by 22 seconds on aggregate times from Friederich and Williams, while Kewyn Snyman (Hillbilly RC390) and Sam Lochoff (Samurai ZX300) fought it out for Class B bragging rights, with the honours going to Snyman by 2.4 seconds on aggregate times.
Race 2 was another Towers benefit, with a 14.267s advantage over Friederich and Williams. All the excitement, in fact was in Class B, where Lochoff and Snyman swopped places at least once a lap on every lap, with Lochoff in front by just 0.123s when it counted.
After the race, however, Snyman was excluded for unsportsmanlike conduct, promoting Bernard Haupt (Kawasaki ZX300) and tiny Zante Otto (Otto Racing R3) to second and third in Class B respectively.
Here Zante Otto (Otto Racing R3) chases Bernard Haupt (ASAP World ZX300) in the first Powersport race, with Andrew Thompson (MHM ER650) in close attendance. Picture: Dave Abrahams
150cc INVITATIONAL
Whenever the 150cc short-circuit machines are let loose on the main circuit the result is some of the closest racing of the season. Picture: Dave Abrahams
Jonny Towers (who is out here from his home in the UK to race the RST CBR150 in the Eight Hours on 16 December) battled it out with arch-rivals Snyman and Lochoff throughout both races.
But the winner of Race 1 was Samurai Racing crew chief Wesley Jones, ahead of Snyman, Towers, Lochoff and Staffen - all of whom finished within less than two seconds.
Snyman and Lochoff took up in Race 2 where they’d left off in the first outing, swopping places all over the circuit until Snyman fell on lap three. Lochoff led every lap of the race after that to finish 0.071s ahead of his ‘mechanic’, with Towers third, 0.089s further adrift.
BREAKFAST RUN GRAND PRIX
Romano di Leva completely dominated the all-comers races with his Aprilia RSV4 RF. Picture: Dave Abrahams
Di Leva qualifyed on pole and led every lap of both races to win the first by 12.75s from Shamier Alexander (Yamaha R6) and Zobair Adams (Suzuki GSX-R750).
He cruised home to win Race 2 by 10.6s, only to be penalised 30 seconds for jumping the start, handing the win (and overall honours for the day) to Alexander, with Nathier Taliep (Suzuki GSX-R750) and Adams second and third respectively in Race 2, although Di Leva took home the trophy for second on the day, with Adams third overall.
RESULTS – Race 1
AND THESE LADIES SHOWED THE MEN HOW IT'S DONE...
Given that she is riding a 300cc Yamaha twin, this picture shows just how tiny teenager Zante Otto is. Picture: Dave Abrahams
Zandri-MariUys (Suzuki GSX-R600) and...
Shante de Beer (Kawasaki ER6F) kept the woman-power flag flying high in the Breakfast Run Grand Prix. Pictures: Dave Abrahams