Round 6 of the Mike Hopkins Motorcycles Regional series, this Saturday at Cape Town’s Killarney circuit, falls on the day after National Women’s Day, and the Western Province Motor Club will be celebrating the occasion with free entry for all lady spectators - what better time to persuade the Queen of the House to come along and see for herself just why you enjoy watching bikes and cars going round in small circles.
As always at a Regional meeting, access to the pits is free for all spectators, so invite the lady to come and meet some of the personable young men inside the crash helmets.
And not all the racers are men - about halfway down pit lane you’ll find a bright yellow Honda VTR1000 and its rider, Mandy Peake from Durbanville. A keen rider on the road and at track days since 1998, Peake won the Ladies’ Race at the January 2012 All Bike Race Day and began competing in the Clubman (Clubperson?) class of the Regional series in May of that year.
However, as many riders including 2000 Word Superbike champion Colin Edwards have discovered, the oil feed to the VTR’s clutch - while perfectly adequate for fast street riding - is marginal for full-throttle racing starts, causing the plates to spin dry and converting the clutch into an on/off switch, resulting in either huge wheelies or embarrassing start-line stalls.
So husband Grant has offered to sell his Honda CBR1000RR to fund the purchase of a lighter, more agile CBR600RR for the 2014 season – even though that will mean having to find a sponsor to cover the preparation and running costs of racing a modern, fuel-injected machine. As the only lady racing a motorcycle in Regionals, Peake enjoys a high profile; if your business could use some reflected glory, speak to them on Saturday.
SUPERBIKE SHOOTOUT
At the halfway point of the season Namibian hotshot Ronald Slamet (Mike Hopkins ZX-10R) leads Aran van Niekerk, who is the first to admit he is having the season of his career on the StuntSA/DMR ZX-10R, in the Superbike category by a scant eight points, 124 to 116, with Class B front-runner Leroy Malan (Honda CB1000RR) third overall on 109.
With 15 points on offer for a race win, anything could happen, but the smart money says the form riders will battle it out for line honours in yet another clash of the titans – between them they have won nine out of 10 races so far this season – with Gerrit Visser on the Competition Bikes CBR1000RR chasing them all the way to the line, harried by 600 Challenge front-runners Nicholas van der Walt (DMR CBR600RR), fast but erratic Sharl Wasserfall on the Berlux ZX-10R and MX Clean’s Brandon Haupt.
Just two points (116 to 114) separate the first two at the top of the Challenge standings, so each has a lot to lose and even more to gain.
Class B is likely to be a Leroy Malan benefit, unless veteran Mike Wilhelmi on the Fast Fence ZX-10R, Shaun de Jager (Honda CBR1000RR) have a say in matters, with Shakir ‘Shrek’ Smith and Donkey, his well-used Entity CBR1000RR, the dark horse as always. Class C, on the evidence, will be fought out between Wayne Arendse’s Honda CBR600RR and the Competition Bikes R1 of Vossie Vosloo.
POWERSPORT
Warren Guantario and the Calberg Hydraulics ER-6 are the combination to beat in the 650cc category, with Graeme Green and Hayden Jonas on fast but fragile Suzuki SV650’s heeling him honest, while Alan Kessell (Honda RVF400) sets the pace in the 250/400 category.
Lourens Rossouw (Suzuki GSX-R750) is likely to have the legs of Kavin Spratley’s Yamaha RZ350R in the Vintage Superbike segment, with Wessell Kruger (Honda CBR600F3) and Mandy Peake leading the Clubman Class charge.
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