Penultimate Round of South African Short Circuit Series, Formula K

Race report & photos by Deon vdl Photography.

Round 7 of the SASCS was nothing short of thrilling, with a cold, cloudy start giving way to a warm, sunny, action-packed race day. Formula K consistently delivers outstanding racing with its technical layout, full of twists and turns.

PW50.
Heat 1.

The little riders lined up on the grid, ready for action. The lights went out and they were off… #39 Ajay Venter took the lead with #218 Tyler Purificati hot on his heels. #34 Erik Ferreira and #143 Tsebo Mafokate were elbow to elbow, battling for third. Venter crossed the line in 1st, Purificati claimed 2nd, and Mafokate secured 3rd.

Heat 2.
Venter got the holeshot once again, with Purificati in pursuit. Mafokate and Ferreira resumed their battle, while #238 Liam Smith put in a stronger performance this time. Venter took the win, followed by Purificati. Smith and Mafokate exited the final corner side by side, with Smith snatching 3rd by the narrowest of margins.

Heat 3.
The day belonged to Venter, who stormed through the laps to take a comfortable win. Purificati secured 2nd place. Mafokate and Smith thrilled the crowd with a close contest for the final podium spot. Mafokate crossed in 3rd, with Smith right behind in 4th.

Overall Results.

1st #39 Ajay Venter

2nd #218 Tyler Purificati

3rd #143 Tsebo Mafokate

SM Junior 65cc & 85cc
#134 Joe Louw was the sole rider in the 85cc class and took 1st overall.

Heat 1
#26 Ethan de Freitas experienced brake issues during qualifying and failed to complete a lap, meaning he started from the back of the grid. #550 Marnitz Otten secured pole, alongside #27 Kiros Taliotes and #100 Tanner Oosthuizen.
By lap three, De Freitas was leading the 65cc class. Taliotes, Otten and Oosthuizen were locked in a three-way battle for third. De Freitas took 1st place. Taliotes crossed the line in 2nd but received a 10-second penalty for a jump start. Otten claimed 2nd and Oosthuizen was promoted to 3rd.

Heat 2
De Freitas was a little too eager at the start and jumped the gun, earning a 10-second penalty. Otten took an early lead, but De Freitas soon passed him to take the lead. Otten, Taliotes and Oosthuizen kept the racing entertaining. Despite his penalty, De Freitas still secured the win. Taliotes was 2nd, with Otten in 3rd.

Heat 3
This time it was Oosthuizen who jumped the start. Taliotes had a great run and broke away from the pack. His pace was enough to carry him to 1st place. Otten finished 2nd, followed closely by De Freitas in 3rd. The results were enough for De Freitas to not only secure 1st overall but also to clinch the 2025 SM Junior 65cc Championship.

Overall Results.

SM Junior 85cc.

1st #134 Joe Louw

SM Junior 65cc.

1st #26 Ethan de Freitas – 2025 Champion

2nd #27 Kiros Taliotes

3rd #550 Marnitz Otten

150cc Junior Cup & 150cc Senior Cup
(combined race report)

Heat 1
Twelve riders lined up on the grid, but #69 Tyler Morgan was unable to start following a heavy crash in the SM1S qualifying round.
The riders charged cleanly into the first corner. #13 Ryan van Nieuwkerk quickly pulled away. #22 Blake Robert and #40 Lorenzo de Ponte put on an entertaining show as they contested third place. Van Nieuwkerk took the win, #110 Bohlale Mafokate finished 2nd, with Robert just clinching 3rd.

Heat 2
The race featured several thrilling battles, including the Analaft Team’s #21x Nicole Purificati and #74 Tristan Andalaft, as well as #17 Jarrod Geypen, #711 Tristan Swart, Robert and Mafokate fighting hard for second place. Van Nieuwkerk took another win, Robert was 2nd and Mafokate claimed 3rd.

Heat 3
Van Nieuwkerk was in dominant form, determined to finish the day undefeated. He was simply too quick, taking the win and securing 1st overall. Robert came home in 2nd. Mafokate, Purificati and Andalaft were separated by just 0.6 seconds at the line, with 3rd place going to Mafokate.

Overall Results

150cc Junior Cup

1st #22 Blake Robert

2nd #110 Bohlale Mafokate

3rd #74 Tristan Andalaft

150cc Senior Cup

1st #13 Ryan van Nieuwkerk

2nd #21x Nicole Purificati

3rd #98 Arno Erasmus

Clubmans, SM Masters & SM Grand Masters
(combined race report)

Heat 1
This combined grid produced some great racing. #41 Wian Erasmus and #134 Michael Louw were battling at the front. In the midfield, #83 Joe Louw and #469 Fritz Lebherz were having their own contest. As the chequered flag dropped, Erasmus took 1st, M. Louw followed closely in 2nd. #32 Raube Ferreira missed out on 3rd due to a jump start penalty, handing the position to J. Louw.

Heat 2
Erasmus and M. Louw went toe-to-toe once again, swapping positions throughout the race. In the end, M. Louw claimed the win, Erasmus was 2nd, and J. Louw fended off Ferreira to finish 3rd.

Heat 3
It was entertainment to the very end. Erasmus and M. Louw continued their day-long duel. This time, Erasmus had the final word, finishing 1st. M. Louw was 2nd and J. Louw took another solid 3rd.

Overall Results

Clubmans

1st #83 Joe Louw

2nd #32 Raube Ferreira

3rd #469 Fritz Lebherz

SM Masters

1st #134 Michael Louw

2nd #199 Jeremy Erasmus

SM Grand Masters

1st #41 Wian Erasmus

SM Junior 50cc
Heat 1
The youngsters lined up with #17 Liam Bronkhorst on pole position. Bronkhorst and #27 Kiros Taliotes had a fantastic dice throughout the heat. Further back, #4 James Nijmeijer and #Zian Andalaft were also impressive. Taliotes crossed the line in 1st, followed by Bronkhorst in 2nd, and #550 Marnitz Otten in 3rd.

Heat 2
Taliotes took an early lead, but on lap two, exiting Turn 4, a technical problem ended his race prematurely. Otten had mechanical issues too but managed to continue. Bronkhorst capitalised and took the win, Nijmeijer was 2nd, and Andalaft completed the podium in 3rd.

Heat 3
On his way to the grid, Taliotes’ bike broke down again and he unfortunately did not start. This benefited Otten, with just seven points separating them going into the final round, the title will be decided in Vereeniging.
Otten, Bronkhorst and Nijmeijer battled it out for victory. Otten crossed the line in 1st, Bronkhorst 2nd, and Nijmeijer in 3rd.

Overall Results

1st #17 Liam Bronkhorst

2nd #550 Marnitz Otten

3rd #4 James Nijmeijer

Girls Development Cup
Heat 1
From the outset, #1 Jessica Oosthuizen surged to the front and never looked back. #35 Macayla Smit had her hands full with #43 Naledi Ntwari close behind. Oosthuizen claimed the win, Smit took 2nd, and Ntwari 3rd.

Heat 2
Oosthuizen showed exactly why she wears the #1 plate, flying off the line and quickly pulling away. Smit and #93 Emily Wilson fought hard for 3rd. At the flag, Oosthuizen was 1st, Ntwari 2nd, and Smit just held on for 3rd.

Heat 3
Another flawless ride from Oosthuizen secured her 1st overall and the 2025 Championship, making it back-to-back titles. Ntwari crossed in 2nd, Smit in 3rd, with Wilson right behind in 4th.

Overall Results

1st #1 Jessica Oosthuizen – 2025 Champion

2nd #43 Naledi Ntwari

3rd #35 Macayla Smit

SM1, SM1S & SM2
(combined race report)

Heat 1
Lights on, lights out and with a huge roar, the race was underway.
Thirteen bikes charged into Turn 1 with no incident, and #13 Ryan van Nieuwkerk led the way. As the field spread out, Van Nieuwkerk kept his composure and claimed the win. #63 Thabang Keswa finished 2nd, and #1 Aston Nesbitt took 3rd.

Heat 2
On the opening lap, #33 Mitch Mortimer crashed on the racing line. #52 Troy Tonking was unable to avoid him and also went down. Both riders remounted and completed the race.
Nesbitt and Keswa were fighting hard. On the final corner of lap five, Keswa dived inside and collided with Nesbitt, sending him sliding into the tyre wall. Nesbitt quickly remounted and continued. Van Nieuwkerk took another win, Keswa 2nd, and Nesbitt still managed 3rd place.

Heat 3
The final race of the day was full of action. Van Nieuwkerk led early, but Nesbitt soon overtook him. Nesbitt held a strong defensive line until he ran wide, clipped the grass and almost lost control. Van Nieuwkerk seized the opportunity, retook the lead, and sprinted to the finish to secure not only the race win but also the 2025 SM1S Championship. Nesbitt came home in a close 2nd, and Keswa completed the podium in 3rd.

Overall Results

SM1

1st #1 Aston Nesbitt

2nd #52 Troy Tonking

3rd #33 Mitch Mortimer