Nobody will be getting a free pass at Round 3 of the Mike Hopkins Motorcycles regional series, to be run at Cape Town’s Killarney circuit this Saturday. With two races for the Superbikes classes and two more for Classic and Powersport competitors, everybody will be out there banging elbows this weekend.
In the absence of Ronald Slamet and his Mike Hopkins ZX-10R, Class A will be fought out between Trevor Westman on the Walker Brothers S1000RR and Aran van Niekerk’s Stunt SA/DMR ZX-10R.
With these experienced riders now on truly competitive machinery for the first time, each is coming into his own as a top contender in regional racing. They have known each other since their debut on the short circuit a decade ago, know each other’s riding style and, more importantly, trust each other not to do anything silly that bring both down.
DARK HORSE
If there is a dark horse, however, it is reigning 600 Challenge champion Gerrit Visser, who has moved up to the litre-class ranks this season on the well-sorted Competition Bikes CBR1000RR. He was less than two seconds off the pace in his previous outing - only his second on this bike - and managed an impressive fourth in Race 2 on the day.
Should either of the fancied runners make a mistake, he’ll be ready to take advantage, as will the Simon brothers Zane and Tyran, each on a Kawasaki ZX-10R, and David Bolding on the PJ One ZX-10R.
Of the 600 Challenge ‘brat pack’ the one to watch is Nicholas van der Merwe (DMR CBR600RR), who won the class and finished sixth overall for the day last time out, but don’t write off MX Clean GSX-R600 rider Brandon Haupt, now fully fit after some personal structural repairs in the close season.
Leroy Malan (Honda CBR1000RR), Mike Wilhelmi (Fast Fence ZX-10R) and Shaun de Jager (Honda CBR1000RR) are the form riders in Class B, but the may encounter an unexpected threat in the form of Shakir ‘Shrek’ Smith, whose Entity CBR1000RR, affectionately known as Donkey, is back in one piece after a huge crash at the February meeting and could just possibly cause an upset.
Class C looks like a straight fight between Vossie Vosloo on the Omega R1 and Wayne Arendse’s privateer Honda CBR600
POWERSPORT/CLASSICS
With Carl Liebenberg, who has dominated Powersport racing for so long, taking a judicial bye, the class is wide open. Warren Gauntario, however, is entered on the Calberg ER6 and will do battle with the similar bikes of Trevor Westman and Andrew Liebenberg, as well as Hayden Jonas, Graeme Green and Brandon Storey, each on Suzuki SV650.
Tony Jones will be out again on his superb Ducati 1000 Paul Smart Replica, fending off the Suzuki GSX-R750’s of Lourens Rossouw and born-again racer Peter Beldekeno for Vintage Superbike honours.
The biggest cheers in the Clubman Class, however, will be reserved for Mandy Peake, back on her big yellow Fast by Fran VTR1000 after not one but two major crashes at the April meeting.