Race report by Deon vdl.
Photos by Deon vdl Photography and Blackie Swart
Round 3 of the MSA Short Circuit GP took place on the technical Formula K layout.
With the championship beginning to take shape and the series continuing to grow, the riders arrived ready for battle and delivered some excellent racing throughout the day.
Clubmans
Heat 1
The Clubmans class got race day underway. The riders lined up on the grid, the lights went out and they were off. #277 Dalmain van Rooyen quickly took control of the race. #44 Liam Steele and newcomer #50 Tjaden Tromp enjoyed a brief battle before a mistake saw Steele crash out of second place. Van Rooyen crossed the line in first, Tromp secured second, and #43 Rudolph Uys completed the podium in third.
Heat 2
Van Rooyen once again grabbed the holeshot and quickly established a comfortable lead. Steele and Tromp resumed their battle for second place. Van Rooyen claimed another victory, with Tromp second and Uys once again finishing third.
Heat 3
Carrying his momentum into the final race, Van Rooyen completed a perfect day with a third consecutive victory. Uys enjoyed a strong ride to second place, while Tromp rounded out the podium in third.
Overall Results
1st #277 Dalmain van Rooyen
2nd #50 Tjaden Tromp
3rd #43 Rudolph Uys
Junior Supermoto
Heat 1
Next up were the Junior Supermoto riders. With a puff of two-stroke smoke, the race was underway.
#1 Ethan de Freitas took the lead with the pack close behind. De Freitas and #27 Kiros Taliotes battled fiercely for victory, while behind them #550 Marnitz Otten and #17 Liam Bronkhorst fought over third place. At the chequered flag, De Freitas narrowly secured the win, Taliotes finished a close second, and Otten took third.
Heat 2
In the second heat, De Freitas managed to pull clear of the chasing pack, creating just enough breathing room. Otten and Taliotes went head-to-head in the battle for second. De Freitas rode to another victory, Otten finished second and Taliotes completed the podium in third.
Heat 3
With De Freitas once again leading the way, Otten and Taliotes continued their rivalry into the final race of the day. De Freitas completed a perfect scorecard, Otten secured second place and Taliotes finished third.
Overall Results
1st #1 Ethan de Freitas
2nd #550 Marnitz Otten
3rd #27 Kiros Taliotes
150 Junior & Senior
(Combined Results)
Heat 1
The roar of the 150cc engines echoed around the circuit as the riders launched off the line.
Just two laps into the race, #41 Jason van Breda crashed while running second, bringing out the red flag. Fortunately, Van Breda was able to get to his feet and walk back to the pits, although his race was over.
Following the restart, #13 Ryan van Nieuwkerk led the field with #57 Diego de Ponte in pursuit. Van Nieuwkerk took the win, De Ponte finished second and #22 Cayden Robert claimed third.
Heat 2
Van Nieuwkerk once again found himself out front and steadily increased his advantage. Further back, there were several close encounters and plenty of elbow-to-elbow racing. Van Nieuwkerk stormed to another victory, De Ponte took second and #69 Tyler Morgan finished third.
Heat 3
The final 150cc race of the day was undoubtedly one of the highlights of the meeting. The battles intensified, with overtakes coming thick and fast.
De Ponte and Van Nieuwkerk traded positions throughout the race, while Van Breda and Robert rubbed fairings on several occasions. The action kept spectators thoroughly entertained. In the end, Van Nieuwkerk snatched the victory, De Ponte crossed the line in second, and Van Breda edged out Robert by just 0.3 seconds.
Overall Results
150 Junior
1st #74 Tristan Andalaft
2nd #711 Tristan Swart
3rd #40 Lorenzo de Ponte
150 Senior
1st #13 Ryan van Nieuwkerk
2nd #57 Diego de Ponte
3rd #69 Tyler Morgan
NSF100
Heat 1
The riders from the South African Motorcycle Racing Academy took centre stage aboard their Honda NSF100 machines. The grid featured a mix of experienced NSF competitors and riders making their racing debut.
#17 Liam Bronkhorst rode to victory, with #24 James Nijmeijer finishing second and #14 Zian Andalaft third.
Heat 2
Bronkhorst launched into the lead and never looked back, while Nijmeijer and Andalaft battled hard for second place. Bronkhorst claimed another win, Andalaft secured second and Nijmeijer finished third.
Heat 3
Bronkhorst repeated the performance once again to complete a clean sweep of victories. Nijmeijer was running second before selecting the wrong gear and losing momentum. Andalaft capitalised to take second place, while #143 Tsebo Mafokate claimed third.
Overall Results
1st #17 Liam Bronkhorst
2nd #14 Zian Andalaft
3rd #24 James Nijmeijer
Supermoto
Heat 1
Although only three riders took their places on the grid, the racing remained highly entertaining.
#13 Ryan van Nieuwkerk dominated the opening heat while #3 Thabang Keswa and #18 Hunter Dreyer battled over second place. Van Nieuwkerk took the victory, Keswa finished second and Dreyer third.
Heat 2
Dreyer and Keswa resumed their fight, with positions changing hands several times during the race. Van Nieuwkerk crossed the line first, Dreyer secured second and Keswa followed closely in third.
Heat 3
The final race of the day proved much closer than the previous two. Van Nieuwkerk was unable to break away from his rivals and had to work hard for the victory. On the final lap he secured first place, with Keswa finishing second and Dreyer close behind in third.
Overall Results
1st #13 Ryan van Nieuwkerk
2nd #3 Thabang Keswa
3rd #18 Hunter Dreyer
The MSA Short Circuit GP now heads to Redstar Raceway for Round 4 on 2 August.
Eds comment: So – in case you were wondering there are now two short circuit series, one that started years ago and has been running very successfully and now – this MSA Short Circuit format. The field is split. Numbers are down across the board. Is it worth trying to run two separate series from the same pool of riders?
We guess that time will tell…
