Round 3 of the 2022 Killarney Power Series presented by Wingfield Motors on Saturday 14 May 2022 delivered all the excitement fans were hoping for. As well as a few spectacular mishaps – including one that ended with the car on its roof!
The Thermo Fires Clubmans Saloons looked all set for an epic confrontation between Shane du Toit’s giant-killing Skilpadvlei Wine Farm Golf MK1, Raaziegh Harris, back with a new Panic Plumbers Golf Mk1, Steven Heydenrych (Auto/FAT Racing Jetta Mk3), newly promoted to Class B on the strength of two superb runs in April, and on-form Shane Smith in the Truckport Logistics BMW E46.
And that’s what happened during the first half of Race 1 until Heydenrych went out while leading on lap six. Then Du Toit’s golf slowed and stopped, leaving Harris to fight off a late challenge from Smith, with Willem Swart (WFS Motors Jetta CLi) a distant third.
Du Toit was back for Race 2, taking no prisoners as he and Harris battled it out all the way to the line.They finished in that order just 0.058sec apart. Heydenrych was a distant third, less than half a second ahead of Smith.
Arch-rivals, Jurie ‘Umpie’ Swart in the Summit Polo 6 and Marco Busi (Automan Polo) gave the fans exactly what they came for with two superb dices at the front of the Alert Engine Parts GTi Challenge races. While class stalwart Colin Meder Jr in the International Tube Technology Polo, fought it out with Dillon Joubert (Powder Coating World/TAC Steel/Euroblitz Polo 6) for third in Race 1. Swart finished less than a quarter of a second ahead of Harris, and Meder held off a late charge from Joubert to take third by 0.302sec.
After a scrappy start, Race 2 produced a big surprise as Class B runners Tate Bishop (Angri Racing Jetta) and Ian Kapp (Hydracor Polo 6) chased after Joubert and Meder in the fight for third. Swart took the flag 3.736 seconds clear of Busi, followed by Joubert, Meder, Kai van Zyl (Unlimited Auto Angri Polo) Tate and Kaap.
Then Swart, Joubert and Van Zyl were all handed a 30-second penalty for jumping the start, handing the win to Busi ahead of Meder, Swart, Bishop, Kapp and Joubert.
There was another surprise in the combined Laude Classic Cars & Bejo Trustees Fine Cars races. As class leader Franco Donadio’s previously all-conquering Ford Escort had no answer for rotary legend Dave Kopke and his equally notorious Mazda R100. Michael Hitchcock (CrossCape Forklift Services Mustang) finished a strong third in Race 1. Just ahead of Charles Arton and his indecently quick Datsun 240Z. Eric van der Merwe’s Lynx Porsche 944T was less than two seconds further adrift.
Theo Claassen in the Yesterday’s Heroes Skyline led the Fine Cars charge, ahead of Rodney Green’s Piri Piri MGB and Natasha Tischendorf’s Volkswagen Jetta CLi.
Kopke zoom-zoomed away to win the second outing by four seconds from Donadio, with Arton, Hitchcock and Van der Merwe in hot pursuit, while Claassen, Coenraad Matthee (Porsche 928) and Ms Tischendorf starred for the Fine Cars.
Defending champion Malcolm Rapson and his Racebase GSX-R1000 made the day their own in difficult conditions, winning both South Superbike Series races in fine style against very strong opposition.
Rapson, who is not noted as a hot starter, got a perfect launch at the start of Race 1. He finished lap one narrowly ahead of pre-race favourites Trevor Westman (Team Wayward Project Sixty60 ZX-10R) and Ronald Slamet on the Vault Markets/True Vine ZX-10R. Then he put his head down and concentrated on turning smooth, consistent laps while his hotshot rivals carved each other up. He came home six seconds ahead of Slamet, while Westman fell victim to a late charge from former Powersport champion JP Friederich (GR Tax/Johnny Fox R1). Friederich is rapidly coming to terms with the transition from 65 to 200 horsepower!
Kewyn Snyman’s Missile Motorcycles CBR600 was the first 600 home in eighth overall. While Michael du Toit (Danie Maritz Racing/Quick Pos R1) took line honours in the second-tier Superbike Challenge, in 10th overall.
Slamet pulled a superb start in Race 2 to lead from Rapson and Snyman, while Westman sputtered round at the back of the field after his Kawasaki cut out on the start line. On lap two, however, he pulled up, switched the bike off and switched it on again – and took off like a rocket. Slicing through the field and making up 10 places in five laps to finish seventh.
Rapson, meanwhile, passed Slamet on lap six to win by 2.5 seconds, while Snyman closed in to finish less than a second behind the Namibian, who was seen shaking his right hand fiercely on the cooldown lap in an attempt to clear an obvious case of arm-pump.
Du Toit improved by one position over his earlier outing, leading the Challenge riders home in ninth overall. Mention must be made, however, of Jacques Ackermann, running his Project Sixty60/Barker/Stepp Durbanville ZX-10R on the thinnest of shoestring budgets with borrowed, used tyres and mix-and-match brake pad. He, still managed a best lap of 1min15.006sec to finish seventh in Race 1 and sixth in Race 2.
Donovan Stevens’ Suzuki GSX-R1000 led the opening laps of the first Strato Technology Clubmans/Classic & Breakfast Run Motorcycles race, but faded after lap three to finish sixth. While Norman McFadden, on the same Kawasaki ZX-6R with which his son David ‘McFlash’ McFadden won the 2011 SA Supersport title, moved up to take the lead.
Meanwhile, veteran ‘Danie van Killarney’ Maritz, having entered his 1985 Western Province championship-winning Suzuki GSX-R Pre-Sling in the Classic category in honour of his late brother Francois, made up for a slow start with a storming finish. Closing to within 0.092sec of McFadden at the flag. Third, after a strong ride from 10th on lap one, was Jan Fourie (Motoflex ZX-10R), less than half a second ahead of Willem Binedell’s newly rebuilt Melkbos Motor Spares 675 Daytona. Shaun Harris and his BMW S1000RR were the first Breakfast Runners home in eighth overall.
Nasief Smart (Yamaha R1) got the best of the start in Race 2, which was marred by a first-corner collision when Nicho Venter lost the rear end of his Yamaha R1 and skittled Binedell’s Triumph. Neither was hurt, fortunately, but their race was over almost before it had begun.
Fourie moved up from sixth on lap one to take the lead on lap four – only to be outbraked a lap later by the oldest bike in the race. He and Maritz put up a superb battle for the lead until Fourie comprehensively outbraked himself into Hoal’s Hook and out of the race on lap seven. Leaving McFadden to chase a triumphant Maritz home, just ahead of Smart. Harris was again the first Breakfast Runner home, promoted to fifth overall by the premature exits of Venter, Binedell and Fourie
Reigning champion Slade van Niekerk (Project Sixty60 ER650) was battling for the holeshot with Tristin Pienaar on the KTM Paarl Kawasaki 650 at the start of the first Bridgestone STC 650/SSP 300 race when the rear tyre of his Project Sixty60 ER650 unexpectedly let go near the exit of Hoal’s Hook. That left Pienaar and Jason Linaker (RST Ninja 650) to battle it out for the lead – and what a battle it was, as the two swopped places on almost every lap, but it was the youngster from Paarl who was in front by a scant 0.095sec when it counted, with Lance Jonas (Samurai Racing/OneX/Magari Finance SV650) a distant third.
Nicholas Hutchings took the SSP300 class win in sixth overall, with no less than four STC 650 machines finishing behind him!
Van Niekerk was back for Race 2, starting from the back of his class on the grid and finishing lap one in fifth. A lap later he was third behind Pienaar and Linaker, but the leaders weren’t about to give up their advantage without a fight. It took another four laps before Van Niekerk was able to move into the lead and even then he wasn’t able to shake off his two challengers as he, Linaker and Pienaar finished in that order covered by little more than a second.
Hutchings delivered another giant-killing performance to finish seventh overall, three spots ahead of his nearest challenger, talented rookie Adrian Solomon (Pool King Ninja 300).
Reigning champion Fabio Tafani led every lap but one of the first Pirelli V8 Masters race, chased all the way by Sean Moore while Mark Ridgway, Carl Nel and Rui Campos debated third. They eventually finished in that order, covered by little more than two seconds.
Race 2 lasted less than one lap as Silver Class driver Sander Le Bon got it all wrong coming out of the first corner and spun his AP347is into the wall hard enough to flip it onto its roof. It says much for the original design by the late Owen Ashley that Le Bon walked away unhurt, but the car will need extensive surgery.
Rui Campos led from the restart, with Ridgway in hot pursuit until he went out on lap three, whereupon Barry Ingle took up the cudgels. He was later demoted by Carl Nel and Tafani, who came up from a poor start to finish third behind Campos and Nel.
The expected confrontation in the first Spitfire Furniture Sports & GT Car race between Harp Motorsports team-mates Steve Humble (Opel Mallock Mk14B) and Francis Carruthers’ Pilbeam MP84 was heating up nicely when Humble spun on oil dropped by Paul Beachy Head’s Audi R8 in Malmesbury Sweep and Carruthers swept through on the inside to take the lead.
Humble recovered quickly and stayed in second, but when Carruthers spun in the same spot a lap later he stalled and dropped back to seventh, while Humble romped away to win by eight seconds from Yanni Hatzi (Nissan S14/SX200), Clinton Thorne (Fulloutput Lotus 7) and Mike Verrier (RBR Racing/Aidcall 247 Shelby Canam).
Humble and Carruthers kept it all pointing the same way in Race 2, and enjoyed a splendid duel that ended with Humble in front by 1.406 seconds when it counted, well ahead of Thorne, Verrier and Hatzi.
Issued by Killarney International Raceway on behalf of the Western Province Motor Club.
