1607 RF final

JULY 2016 RSA R30.00 

JULY 2016 

MOTOGP 

VS WSBK 

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE? 

CRADLE 

OF BIKE KIND 

SIX BIKE MULTI-TEST 

11-PAGE 

MEGA TEST

RECORD-BREAKER - Michael Dunlop does the double with Superbike 

and Senior TT win, setting a new record lap of 133.962mph. 

1002 RIDEFAST MAGAZINE JULY 2016

THAT WINNING 

FEELING COMES 

FREE WITH EVERY 

SET OF DUNLOP TYRES. 

RACETRACK PERFORMANCE. 

PERFECTLY ADAPTED FOR THE ROAD. 

Dunlop Tyres reaffirmed its status as the most successful tyre manufacturer in the history of the Isle of 

Man TT, leaving the Island with three victories; Superbike, TT Zero and Senior TT and two race records. 

• Dunlop creates 133mph Club 

• Wins across Superbike, TT Zero and Senior TT 

• Secures 13th consecutive Senior TT win 

• Provides first sub 17 minute lap 

• Takes absolute IOMTT Mountain course record 

• Four Dunlop-shod riders in the top six 

• Tyres of choice on nine different makes of bike 

• 40 of 72 Senior TT riders on Dunlop tyres 

RIDEFAST MAGAZINE JULY 2016 1

W E L C O M E THE TEAM: 

As I type this I have just finished watching the Assen 

MotoGP race. What an incredible race. The wet 

weather sure does make things interesting. You 

have to take your hat off to these guys, riding a 

MotoGP bike in those conditions must be one of 

the hardest things on the planet to do. It’s crazy, and 

just proves what gladiators these guys really are. 

What an incredible ride from Jack Miller, who 

proved all his doubters, are there are loads out 

there, wrong by winning his first ever MotoGP race, 

and comfortably it must be said. He came from 

nowhere and to be honest I was, and I’m sure not 

the only one, waiting for him to make a mistake 

and crash out, as he has done many times before. 

But, it never happened and he cruised home for a 

historic win. 

A big, uncharacteristic mistake from Rossi who 

was looking so comfortable and on course to close 

the gap on Marquez at the top of the standings. It 

was not to be and you could see by his reaction 

that he knows that was probably the end of his title 

challenge. Although, if there is anyone that can pull 

off a miracle it’s THE DOCTOR! 

Speaking of The G.O.A.T, we have a review of 

his new game in this issue - Valentino Rossi: The 

Game, as well as an exclusive competition where 

you could win one of 5 copies of the game. Full 

details on page 17. 

As for our hero, Brad Binder, well he once again 

showed that he is the man to beat in the Moto3 

class. Yes he had bad luck and ran off track to only 

finish in 12th place but he was lucky to stay on the 

bike. What a huge moment and I could hear the 

whole of SA gasp as it happened. It was a minor 

setback but despite that he still managed to extend 

his lead in the championship by a few extra points. 

I was lucky enough to meet up with Brad and 

Darryn on their brief visit back to SA. Always love 

chatting and catching up with these 2 superstars, 

who have plenty of gossip and inside news. All off 

the record of course so unfortunately I can’t spill 

the beans. What I can tell you is that I did ask him 

about his future plans, which are looking very good 

indeed. He had some great offers on the table, but 

in the end I think he made the best decision. He will 

out his plans in the near future and has promised us 

exclusive so keep a look out on our Facebook page. 

We have an exclusive Q&A in this 

issue with Brad, who tells us a bit more 

about his training and race day routines. 

I am also happy to announce that 

RideFast has signed an exclusive 

license with Brad and his manager to 

do all Brad Binder merchandise. Some 

exciting designs coming soon, from 

caps to sticker kits, for men, ladies and 

kids so look out! 

It’s very exciting times for SA riders 

overseas, and we have a page in our 

paddock news filling you in of some of 

the top performers. This has without 

a doubt put a huge spark in the SA motorcycling 

industry. Everyone seems to be buzzing and 

despite going through tough times, seems to be 

on the up. 

The all-new, re-vamped Kyalami Grand Prix 

circuit held the first ever South Africa Bike Festival 

from 27-29 May. What an amazing event it was. 

Thousands upon thousands of motorcyclists 

flooded to the track, making it one of the best 

ever biking events ever seen here in SA. I even 

managed to get out on track and do a few laps 

on the circuit testing new Michelin tyres (full story 

in next montsh issue), which I can tell you is 

absolutely world class! Toby Venter and his team 

have done a great job, not only with the change of 

layout, but the facilities as well. Felt like I was at a 

world GP circuit never mind in JHB. 

A big thanks to all who came and not only 

supported the event, but also our stand that we 

had there. We just about sold out of all the Brad 

Binder merch we had on sale, and it’s always 

great chatting to our passionate readers. The 

response to what we are doing here at RideFast 

was phenomenal, and I can assure you that we will 

do everything to keep up the high standard that we 

have set. 

One of those passionate readers, Mr Wayne van 

Tonder, has even come onboard and will be helping 

us out with some articles. He covers the SA Bike 

Festival as well as the Isle of Man TT event for us in 

this issue. Check out his blog for some other great 

articles - wayneswordblog.wordpress.com. 

Our hidden identity freak, The Singh, is back 

once again for part 3 of our Sportsbike road test, 

this time on the gorgeous Ducati Panigale 1299 

S. He also helps us out on our main feature in this 

issue - the 6 bike Multi test, where we take bikes 

that don’t always get the spotlight and put them 

through their paces on some famous breakfast run 

roads here in SA. 

So, I’m done and time to pack as I am off to 

World Ducati Week, an event that I have always 

dreamed of going to and finally will be. 

Cheers for now, 

EDITOR 

Rob Portman 

EDITOR & DESIGN: 

Rob Portman 

rob@ridefast.co.za 

082 782 8240 

ADVERTISING: 

Zenon Birkby 

zenon@ridefast.co.za 

074 104 1074 

ACCOUNTS & 

SUBSCRIPTIONS: 

Anette 

anette.acc@mweb.co.za 

011 979 1363 

CONTRIBUTORS: 

Sheridan Morais 

Brad Binder 

Darryn Binder 

Cam Petersen 

Richard Knowles 

Gerrit Erasmus 

Clive Strugnell 

TO SUBSCRIBE 

CALL 011 979 1363 OR EMAIL 

anette.acc@mweb.co.za 

Digital or print copy. 

DECALS BY 

TEL: CHRIS 082 602 1836 

TONY 083 770 2400 


ducati.com 

Official Sponsor Developed with 

Powered by 

The new Ducati XDiavel S. 

Are you ready to change position? 

DRP 

DUCATI RIDE PLAN 

Ducati 

174 Bram Fischer Drive, Randburg - 011 919 1600 - sales@ducati.co.za - www.ducati.co.za 

Ducati South Africa Official @DucatiRSA Ducati_SA 


Contents JULY 2016 

16: REVIEW: ROSSI THE GAME 

24: ROAD TEST: PART 3: DUCATI 1299 

22: Q&A: JULIEN WELSCH 

34: FEATURE: MOTOGP VS WORLD SBK 

52: RACING: ISLE OF MAN TT 

38: BIG TEST: 6 BIKE MULTI TEST 

60: SA RACING: SUPERGP REVIEW 


Excellent fuel effi ciency 

Easy handling 

Excellent build quality 

Excellent throttle response for smart acceleration 

The only colours available in South Africa: Red or white models 

The all-new CB125F 

Contact your nearest dealer today

NEWS 

Find us on Facebook: 

RideFast Sportsbike Magazine 

AUDI DOESN’T PLAN TO SELL 

DUCATI DESPITE DIESELGATE 

Audi has no intentions to sell Ducati, not now, and not for the 

mid-term future, Volkswagen Group CEO Matthias Mueller says. 

Ducati is, for VW AG, a jewel, he adds, and the rumours that it 

would be sold are, well, false. 

Over the last month, rumours emerged online mentioned that the Volkswagen 

Group would be allegedly looking for a buyer willing to pay what they demanded 

in exchange for Ducati. Such a move was, reportedly, motivated by the need to 

reduce the massive impact of the “Dieselgate.” 

We remind you that Volkswagen was confronted with evidence that they had 

altered the emissions results for a large number of cars, and are now forced to pay 

billions to fix the issue. 

Financial sources estimate that the VW Group could get as much as one billion 

Euro (a trillion rand) if they sold Ducati, as the money invested by Audi in the Italian 

maker led to an increase in the company’s performance. 

From a maker suffocated by debts that reached several hundred million Euro to a 

company that started breaking economic records never thought possible in nine 

decades, Ducati evolved into a valuable asset for the VW Group. 

Thanks to the business plans laid out by Ducati and Audi, and using the financial 

support of the German company, Borgo Panigale appears to grow stronger by the 

year as more and more models are added to the range. 

Also, Ducati recently started to open up to the younger demographic, shifting a bit 

their position in the market to reach more customers. However, even with a sale 

value of one billion euros, this money would be rather insignificant in the big VW 

Group picture, as the German giant is valued at 213 billion euros (a gazzillion rand), 

so selling it would not exactly mean a huge step up in the books. 

And with over 700 million euros (and growing) annual revenue from Ducati, selling 

the company doesn’t make too much sense. Mueller also mentioned that Ducati 

will remain in the Germans’ portofolio, with even better prospects for the future, 

and the employees have nothing to fear. 

GARETH LAVERICK TO JOIN 

TEAM HYGENICA YAMAHA 

RACING IN SUPER GP FOR 

THE REMAINDER OF 2016. 

The newly formed Team Hygenica Yamaha Racing 

was created in the early parts of 2016 with the view 

of running SA’s International Road Racer AJ Venter 

in the SuperGP Champions Trophy. Team Hygenica 

Yamaha Racing have joined forces with “up and 

coming” youngster Gareth Laverick to compete in the 

remaining 2016 SuperGP category. Gareth, the 2015 

Regional Formula Extreme Champion will be riding 

the teams second 2016 Yamaha R1 prepared by Ricky 

Morais from Emtek Racing. 

“I am pleased to announce the combination of Gareth 

and Team Hygenica Yamaha racing for the balance of 

the 2016 season. Gareth has not had an ideal start to 

his 2016 campaign due to unforeseen circumstances 

out of his control and now with the new team and an 

experienced rider in AJ Venter, the plan is to help turn 

the season around for the young 22-year old and get 

him to the front where he belongs” mentioned Gary 

van den Berg (Team Manager Team Hygenica Racing). 

Further news on Gareth and the team’s progress will 

be updated within the next few weeks building up to 

the next SuperGP Round at Redstar Raceway on the 

30th July. 

“I would just like to thank all those who are involved 

in Team Hyenica Racing for this great opportunity. I 

am really humbled and honored to be chosen to join 

such a #Lekka team. I cannot wait to give my all to 

my new team and my racing career. I hope to be able 

to represent the team at their level of expectation 

and excel passed it. It is an honor and privilege 

to be teamed up with AJ Venter. I see it as a great 

opportunity to learn from him, with all his years and 

experience as an international racer there is no better 

mentor I could ask for. A big thank you to the team 

for having the confidence in me to get the job done. 

A further thank you to We Sell Parts for helping and 

supporting me from the start of my racing career to 

making this opportunity possible.” – Gareth Laverick 

Hygenica Racing Yamaha would like to thank all the 

sponsors involved with the team who make it possible 

for all involved to be able to compete in 2016. 


NEWS 

Find us on Facebook: 

RideFast Sportsbike Magazine 

New Lock up bike garage 

Dyno By Quint have seperate lock up garages now available for your 

motorcycle. If finding a place to park your bike is a problem this could very 

well be the solution. They are fully waterproof and lockable. Available now at 

R20,000 each. Call 011 609 9275. 

Batt Holdings lightweight, compact antigravity 

batteries - Superbikes, motards…etc 

Anti gravity batteries are with extremely powerful and lightweight lithium 

cells but with the case moulded as tightly as possible to make for the most 

compact motorcycle batteries available. 

Though great for everyday use, they are often chosen by those seeking the 

most compact fit and lightest weight possible. The compact fit allows for 

more room in the battery tray for electronics like Power Commander, while 

the extremely light weight helps with handling, braking, acceleration and 

even mileage. They tell us that these batteries deliver huge cranking power 

and that they do not require a trickle charge even after standing for long 

periods. We’ll try it for ourselves soon. 

These are a Universal-fit battery that come with adhesive backed foam for 

installation. They offer a one bolt top-mount low profile terminals. 

Yamaha R3 now available in 

Rossi replica colours 

Bred from the ground up using Yamaha R Series DNA, 

the Yamaha R3 features a punchy 320cc, liquid-cooled, 

in-line two-cyclinder fuel injected motor, delivering 

decent amounts of power and performance. 

The styling of the bike stays true to the racy R series, 

and now even more so with the addition of the Rossi 

MotoGP race colours, which are now available in SA. 

If you were lucky enough to make it to the SA Bike 

Festival held at Kyalami at the end of May, you would 

have caught a glimpse of this stunning new replica on 

the Yamaha stand. 

Yamaha dealers through-out the country have been 

stocked up with the new Rossi inspired R3 models, 

and priced at only R64,999, we can’t see them staying 

on showroom floors for very long so make sure you 

don’t miss out. 

(011) 205-0216. www.battholdings.co.za Test rides and new Thruxton R 

available at Centurion Lifestyle 

WIN 

The premium Kawasaki, Triumph and SYM dealer out 

in Centurion, Pretoria, recently held a demo ride day 

where customers and potential buyers got to take 

various models out for a ride. One of the favourite 

ONE OF FIVE 

VALENTINO ROSSI: THE GAME 

XBOX ONE GAMES 

DETAILS ON PAGE 17 

was the all-new Triumph Thruxton R, which has 

just landed in SA and is now available at Centurion 

Lifestyle. To book a test ride, or to see the full line-up 

of Triumph, Kawasaki and SYM scooters, call them on 

0861 460 460. 


PADDOCK NEWS 

Brought 

to you by 

SA RACERS CONTINUE TO SHINE 

All across the world in various championships, SA riders showing their worth 

It’s been a great year so far for SA riders 

racing in overseas championships, and the 

great results just keep coming in. 

Not only is Brad binder dominating in 

the Moto3 class, but the likes of Steven 

Odendaal, Dorren Lourerio, Byron Bester, 

Troy Bezuidenhout and Mathew Scholtz, have 

all proved what world class riders they are 

picking up great results at the highest level. 

Steven Odendaal (#40), racing in the Spanish 

Moto2 championship, went into round 

two after picking up his first ever win in the 

category at round one in Valencia. 

Odendaal would once again stamp his 

authority in round two by taking a clean sweep 

- pole position and 2 race wins. 

That put the current SA 600cc champion top 

of the pile in the points standing heading into 

round three at Catalunya. 

Steven managed another front row start 

but unfortunately luck was not on his side 

as he suffered a puncture to his rear tyre in 

the opening stages of race 1. He bounced 

back in race two and was stood back on the 

podium, where he finished in third position, 

extending his championship lead to 39 points 

from Alan Techer. 

Moving over to America where current SA 

SuperGP championship leader, Mathew 

Scholtz (#720), filled in for the injured Shez 

Morais (Shez tells all in his exclusive column 

later on in this issue). 

Mathew’s first outing was at road America 

where he managed to qualify 2nd fastest 

Superstock bike. He managed a thrilling 

3rd place finish in race one. After another 

intense battle in race two, he was 

unfortunately hit off track by another rider 

pretty much ending his race. 

Mathew then travelled to Barber Motorsports 

park and under the expert guidance of Shez 

and Ricky Morais once again impressed, 

picking up another podium finish in race one. 

He managed to back that up with a 5th place 

in race two. Those great results secured 

Scholtz a ride in the Westby/Yamahalube 

team for the remainder of the season. His first 

race for the new team was at Utah and again 

Mathew impressed, picking up 2nd place in 

the superstock class in both races. 

Cam Petersen also had another good race 

weekend by picking up two 4th place finishes 

in the supersport class. 

Mathew will continue to also race here in SA 

for Team Emtek/Nashua Yamaha, where he is 

looking to win the SuperGP title. 

In the European Junior Cup, Dorren Lourerio 

(#20), Troy Bezuidenhout and Byron Bester 

(#12) continue to improve. 

The three youngsters were once again in 

action at the Donnington round of the WSBK 

championship. Dorren managed his best race 

result in his two year EJC campaign finishing 

5th overall and just over a second from the 

winner (Perez). Dorren was involved in a six 

way battle for the lead for the entire race and 

was as high as second position at one stage. 

Byron went into race one recovering from a 

big crash in the Friday practice session and 

had a poor start to the race and fell back 

to 23rd position in the first lap, making it 

difficult to fight back on this evenly matched 

machinery. He did however manage to gain 

a few positions and finished 18th overall for 

the day. Troy was forced wide in the Fogarty 

Esses (turn 9) by another competitor resulting 

in a crash on lap 2 of the race. That would 

see him miss the next round at Misano, 

leaving Dorren and Byron to fly the SA flag. 

Dorren was on form all weekend and again 

qualified fifth as he did in the previous round 

in Donnington, UK, but a crash on lap 3 of 

the race ruled him out of another top points 

scoring position. Byron struggled getting 

to terms with the circuit and managed a 

sixteenth place qualification. His race start and 

some determined manoeuvres gained him 

track position and a ninth place finish overall, 

his first top ten in the championship. 


Pic by GP-Fever.de 

DEVELOPED 

BY THE BEST. 

Official MotoGP tyre supplier 

MICHELIN Power SuperSport 

MICHELIN Power Slick Evo 

Available at your nearest dealer

PADDOCK NEWS 

Brought 

to you by 

LORENZO GOING ALONE 

Jorge Lorenzo’s Crew Will Not Follow Him at Ducati 

It’s off to a new start for Jorge Lorenzo at the post-race test in 

Valencia when he will ride a Desmosedici GP bike for the first 

time as an official Ducati factory pilot. Still, there’s more than 

the motorcycle that will introduce the novelty factor - the entire 

team, save for one single man, will also be new. 

That is, only one member of his current crew will follow the 

2015 MotoGP World Champion from Yamaha at Ducati. The 

guy who will exchange the racing blue livery with the Ducati red 

one is Juan Llansa Hernandez, his trustworthy mechanic with 

whom Lorenzo worked from day one in Grand Prix racing. 

Juan Llansa worked with Lorenzo from his debut in the 125cc 

class through Moto2 and MotoGP, and he said that he will 

follow the Mallorcan wherever he might go. And thinking that 

he is willing to leave from one of the best teams in MotoGP... 

As we said, Llansa is the only Yamaha crew member who 

will follow Lorenzo at Ducati. The chief mechanic Ramon 

Forcada, alongside Wilco Zeelenberg, electronics specialist 

Davide Marelli and mechanics Javier Ullate, Ian Gilpin and Juri 

Pellegrini will all stay with Yamaha. 

Forcada, who has been on Lorenzo’s team since his arrival in 

the premier class in 2008, already said that he will take over 

the same role in Maverick Vinales’ outfit. 

Jorge Lorenzo managed to hide his disappointment and 

replied: “It is a choice that I respect, it is not that easy to leave 

a team such as Yamaha.” 

It’s still a bit of a mystery how all the decisions were made 

because Spanish magazines also mention that the significant 

differences between the two motorcycles and the fact that 

Ducati was not too happy to lay off people also weighed a lot. 

Either way, both Ducati and Lorenzo have a lot of work ahead, 

and until they set off on a new adventure together, we’re curious 

to see who will be the new crew chief. It looks like the two 

names tipped for the position are those of Christian Gabarrini, 

who worked with Casey Stoner, and Daniele Romagnoli, 

currently working for Danilo Petrucci at Pramac Ducati. 

MOTOGP MUSICAL CHAIRS 

Rins to Suzuki, Espargaro brothers also on the move 

There was some big news confirmed before and at the Assen 

round of the 2016 MotoGP championship. The biggest being that 

of Moto2 rider Alex Rins, who signed a two-year deal with the 

factory Suzuki team. That defined the Team Suzuki MotoGP rider 

line-up for 2017 and 2018 with Rins alongside Andrea Iannone 

aboard the factory GSX-RR. A really impressive duo who are sure 

to shine on the ever improving Suzuki machine. 

That move pretty much pushed a not so happy Aleix Espargaro 

out the door at Suzuki. Not soon after the Rins news broke, 

rumours surfaced that Aleix was in talks with Aprilia, and not too 

long after that the Italian manufacturer confirmed he would be 

riding for them in 2017 alongside Sam Lowes. Aleix Espargaro 

had offers from both Kawasaki and Yamaha to join their respective 

teams in World Superbike. Also, in MotoGP, Aspar Ducati wanted 

him but Aleix sought a factory team. Espargaro signed a two-year 

deal with Aprilia, with the option to end the contract after one year 

in case either part will be unhappy with the results. 

No news yet about the plans of Stefan Bradl and Alvaro Bautista, 

only rumours about a possible Aprilia satellite team that would 

retain the two. We hope to see them move to WSBK to give the 

likes of Rea, Sykes and Davies a good run for their money... 

Pol Espargaro, younger brother to Aleix, was also on the move as 

he stepped out of the Tech3 Yamaha team for 2017 and into the 

newly formed KTM Factory team. He joins a familiar face in the 

team, Bradley smith, who has been his team-mate in the Tech3 

Yamaha team for the past 2 years. 


Tuono V4 1100 

RSV4 RF 

Tuono V4 1100 Tuono V4 1100 

Factory 

RSV4 RF 

RSV4 RR 

(Donington Blue) 

R257 999* R225 999* R314 999* 

R257 999* 

Follow us! 

Aprilia South Africa 

Officially Imported & Distributed by Cayenne 

Aprilia South Africa 

Tel: 011 244 1900 

Web: www.aprilia-sa.com 

Location: 127 River Road, Riverside Business Park, Kyalami, Midrand. 

* Price subject to fluctuations in exchange rate

360FLY ACTION CAMERA: Now available in SA 

Imagine riding your motorbike on your favourite stretch of road and filming the riders alongside 

you as well as the passing scenery. That is now possible with the new 360Fly action camera. 

The 360Fly action camera is somewhere between a small tennis ball 

or big squash ball. It can be hand held or mounted to your bike 

or helmet, although it might create a bit of aero resistance. Its 

field of view is 360 degrees horizontally and 240 degrees 

vertically, which the company, EyeSee360, claims is the 

widest viewing camera in the world. Video is captured 

at a resolution of 1500 x1500px at 30 frames a second. 

The camera weighs only 120g and is waterproof up to 

5m, so creek crossings are definitely possible! 

The entry level action camera has 16GB of memory 

which can record two hours of video. There are expected 

to be more expensive models with more memory capacity. 

The 360Fly is now available in SA, being imported by 

Langston Motorsports. Available at leading motorcycle 

stores nation-wide. Retail: R9,000, 32 gig HD. 

SHEZ MORAIS: Hoods and Shirts 

We here at RideFast Magazine do everything we can to support 

our SA racing heros. We recently did a range of Brad Binder 

shirts and hoods and will be doing a new full range in the near 

future after having been given the exclusive rights. Our 

other rider that we are doing merch for is Shez Morais. 

We have a awesome printed, high quality hoodie 

and shirt available in sizes from small 

right up to 2xl. The new gear is now 

available at Randburg Motorcycles 

in, well, Randburg. If you buy a 

shirt or hood from them you 

go into the draw to win a 

exclusive signed one of a 

kind Shez Morais Arai RX- 

7GP helmet! Shirt are R215 

and Hoodies are R375. Only 

While stocks, don’t miss out! 

Call 011 792 6829 or visit their 

store at 3 Rabie Street, Randburg. 

MICRO START: Jump Starters 

Batt Holdings has secured the sole rights for 

the USA brand Anti-Gravity Batteries and the 

Micro Jump Starters. 

We looked at the Micro-Start XP-1 from Batt 

racing. The zipped pouch that it comes in is 

no bigger than a biggish calculator. Inside is 

a mad array of adapters for charging various 

electronic devices from phones to laptops, 

and a ridiculously lightweight (15 ounces), 

225-amp-hour lithium/ion battery, just one 

by three by six inches, which, incidentally, 

can also be used to jump-start your BAKKIE. 

What? It’s true. The pouch includes a set 

of battery-post clamps, and the company 

claims the power pack will start a V8-engined 

vehicle—not once, but several times. 

Could this mean the end of jumper cables? 

We’ve always hated those things, and 

especially hate what happens when we play 

good Samaritan to jump some poor bloke’s 

dead ATV, Bakkie, superbike or SXS. And 

then – they take off with your jumper cables. 

With the Micro-Start you are in complete 

control of the situation. And of course if 

your own vehicle becomes stranded you 

are completely removed from the need for a 

donor vehicle—handy if you are in the middle 

of nowhere. 

So how well does the XP-1 work? 

We disconnected Bruces’ Batt Racings 

Bakkie Battery (That’s lots of B’s) to give it 

a try by clamping the leads directly to the 

battery cables. Hit the starter and it sounded 

just like the bakkies standard battery was 

swinging things. Ain’t technology grand? This 

little job will slip into your bumbag or even 

your jacket pocket. What a pleasure. 

Stock arrives at Batt Holdings soon. Trade 

enquiries are welcome. 

FROM: BATT Holdings 

WEBSITE: www.battholdings.co.za 

TEL: (011) 205-0216 


G A M E R E V I E W 


Features: 

• Rossi Story – Experience the career of 

Valentino from his perspective in 20 challenges 

from 1996 to 2015 

• Career – Start from the VR|46 Academy and 

work your way up to World Championship under 

the guidance of Valentino 

• Game Modes – Test your racing skills in 

several different race types: Flat Track, Rally, 

Drift, and R1M-only races 

• Online – Prove yourself in the toughest of 

environments, facing off against up to 12 players 

• Roster – Includes all official riders from 

MotoGP 2016 

• 18 official tracks from 2016 season + 5 

historical tracks 

Milestone has built a reputation for 

creating interesting racing games over the 

last decade, from taking over development 

of the MotoGP games in 2007, to the 

more hardcore simulation of its SBK series, 

proving that it is a developer capable of 

breathing new life into the motorcycle subgenre 

of racing games. 

When Milestone took over the WRC 

series in 2010, and particularly when it 

returned to the series with WRC 2 in 2011, 

it began to build a robust career mode that 

included building a rally team and bringing 

in new mechanics and other team members 

to help grow the brand and keep the player 

competitive as they moved up from an 

amateur driver, all the way up to a potential 

WRC champion. In Valentino Rossi: The 

Game, the developer has brought that same 

energy into the world of motorcycle racing. 

Instead of creating your own team however, 

the focus is shifted to a more personal level 

as you’re tasked with creating your own 

rider with the aim of taking them to the top 

level of MotoGP racing. 

With Valentino Rossi, one of the 

biggest names ever to grace the world 

of motorcycle racing, your rider will 

be guided through the various sports 

on offer in this new game. He will be 

with you when you start your career, 

competing at his MotorRanch track 

and learning how to handle a bike. 

The odd thing about this opening race 

is that it’s not actually on a traditional 

circuit, instead focusing on the new 

Flat Track style which is essentially dirt 

bikes, handling very differently to the 

Moto 3 bikes you’ll be racing on initially. 

It throws you in at the deep end, trying to 

teach you how the handling model works 

and how shifting weight around quickly can 

throw the bike off-balance through twisting 

chicanes, but it doesn’t punish the player 

for not winning. It is designed as a tutorial of 

sorts, and once you’ve completed that race 

you’re free to explore in any way you see fit. 

There is plenty to explore here, too. 

There is the full career mode mentioned 

earlier, in which you move from the lower 

Moto3 class all the way up to MotoGP; 

there is the standard MotoGP mode in 

which you can run a championship at the 

top level right from the off, based on the 

current 2016 season; the VR46 mode 

allows you to take part in the various Riders’ 

Academy events, such as the Flat Track 

races and even rally and drifting events. 

On top of these modes, there are even 

historical challenges in which you will be 

taken back to various points in Valentino 

Rossi’s career, and tasked with recreating 

those events in-game. It sounds tedious 

and is definitely a bit too much of an advert 

for the titular rider, but it adds an extra layer 

to an already generous amount of content in 

the game. 

The handling here is incredibly realistic 

but, much like its four-wheeled counterparts 

in the Forza Motorsport and F1 series, can 

be tailored to suit almost any player. Braking 

and steering assists can aid new players, 

along with a racing line to help them learn 

how to ride each track, and a realistic 

physics option can be applied for the 

more hardcore player, recreating the more 

punishing style of Milestone’s SBK series. 

This game also introduces something 

that all racing game studios could learn 

from: a guided set-up for tweaking the 

handling during practice runs. Just tell the 

mechanics how the bike is behaving, via 

a simple menu, and they’ll tweak the bike 

accordingly. 

Racing itself is great fun, even on lower 

difficulties it can offer some exciting and 

tense races against over 30 opponents, 


thanks to its full grids. The AI is a bit too 

aggressive though, as it rigidly sticks to 

the racing line like in a PS2 game, no 

matter who is in its way. It doesn’t stop 

the game from being fun, but it’s definitely 

frustrating when you’re on a qualifying lap 

and a slow rider just blocks your path. 

Luckily, the rewind feature made popular 

by other games enables you to correct 

these mistakes – or mistakes of your own, 

as you inevitably take a spill off your bike 

during your career. 

Visually it has some nice lighting and 

some sharp textures, but trackside detail 

is lacking a tad, making it look like a game 

that was developed for the PS4/Xbox One 

launch, rather than a game released over 

two years into their lifespan. It is detailed 

in places and night races or wet races 

look very nice, plus the framerate is silky 

smooth, but perhaps it will take another 

release in 2017 to get things 100% right. 

Overall, the breadth of content available 

in Valentino Rossi: The Game is astonishing, 

and will keep players going for months at 

least. New players are finally welcomed 

properly, only time will tell if they’ll stick 

around, but the hefty career mode and 

its friendly nature will be a big help in that 

department. Maybe it’s time for twowheeled 

racers to make a comeback. 

Rating: It’s a game about Rossi, THE 

G.O.A.T - of course we are going to give it 

a hugh score. 8/10 

Available from leading game stores now 

for PC | PS4 | PS3 | Xbox One | Xbox 360 

platforms. 

WIN 

ONE OF FIVE 


XBOX ONE GAMES 

To stand a chance of winning 1 of 5 Valentino Rossi: The Game Xbox 

One games - go like the RideFast Magazine Facebook page, then post 

a picture of yourself or loved one best showing off how much you love 

RideFast Magazine on your timeline and tag RideFast Magazine. 

Winners will be randomly selected. Competition ends July 31st 2016. 


2 0 1 6 S O U T H A F R I C A B I K E F E S T I V A L 

A HUGE SUCCESS! 

The inaugural South Africa Bike Festival celebrated huge success at the all new Kyalami Grand 

Prix Circuit. Words: Wayne van Tonder - wayneswordblog.wordpress.com and Rob Pics: SA Bike Festival, Rob and Zenon 

This weekend of the 27-29th of May 

saw the South Africa Bike Festival 

hit a newly renovated Kyalami 

Grand Prix Circuit, and what an amazing 

job they have done with the place. 

I remember coming to these bike 

weekends with my Dad and brother when I 

was younger, watching them go out of the 

pits onto the track for a ride around, going 

through the pit garages seeing all the latest 

models from the top manufactures, seeing 

all the latest accessories and all the while 

having a great day out with friends and 

family with plenty to keep you engaged 

and some really great food too from the 

food trucks and stalls. 

The Singh posing with Julien 

They did a fantastic job reignighting 

those memories from years gone by, 

and made it even better with great 

entertainment, live music on each day 

echoing through the pits while the sound 

of motorcycles flying down the pit straight 

brought a real feeling of excitement. 

I really enjoyed the day out, going 

through on Sunday, the final day of the 

event. I never ended up going around 

on the track, which was a pity (there is 

always next year), however I did meet up 

with someone who did, and that someone 

was Rob Portman, editor of this great 

magazine, who has been a massive 

influence for me starting my blog and 

writing about the things I am passionate 

about. The passion and amount of work 

he puts into RideFast Magazine is truly 

inspiring. It really is a quality magazine and 

I never miss an issue. Thank you Rob! 

While visting the RideFast stall I picked 

up a Brad Binder shirt, Go Brad! Rob and 

Ridefast are now also the official supplier 

of Brad Binder merchandise, which is really 

great because Brad is doing South Africa 

proud and we need to get behind him and 

support him. I spoke to Rob about Brad 

and he says that Brad is truly determined 

to win the championship and that riders 

like Valentino Rossi are big fans of Brad, 

that along with what he has achieved so 


far shows what a bright future he has. “At 

20 he has the world at his feet”, said Rob. 

I mentioned that all first as that was a 

true highlight of my day, however before 

that point I had gone through the pit 

garages having a look at some of the latest 

motorcycles. The new 959 Ducati Panigale 

being one that really caught my eye, the 

first time I’ve seen it in person, what a 

beautiful machine! (getting a picture of it 

proving a difficult task as it was clearly a 

favourite at the festival). 

Suzuki and Yamaha had MotoGP 

race replicas on show, that exciting me 

obviously, not hesitating for a second to 

get a picture with both. Yamaha had the 

Valentino Rossi colours, while Suzuki going 

with the Aleix Espargaro colours for their 

replica, that brining me to another point. 

The Suzuki paint scheme for their 2016 

bikes is absolutely stunning, the MotoGP 

colours now on their road bike and what 

a great choice that is as those Suzuki 

MotoGP bikes are beautiful! 

The other two bikes to catch my 

attention were from Honda and Yamaha. 

The Honda Fireblade, as old as 

it may be now in comparison to the 

latest technology filled bikes from their 

competitors, to me is still one of the best 

looking around, especially in that beautiful 

HRC finish. 

Of course I can’t not mention the new 

R1. What a stunner! Yamaha had the 60th 

anniversary model on show and while 

having a look at the one on display, the one 

out on track came screaming down the 

main straight of Kyalami, what a gorgeous 

sound that MotoGP inspired machine 

produces! 


As for the venue itself, it looks incredible! An all new 

modern design. I truly hope that with a circuit that looks 

this good we will see both national and international racing 

here soon, there is no doubt I will be there to watch the 

racing. How great would it be to see Valentino Rossi race 

at Kyalami before he retires? Not only that but how great 

it would be to see Brad Binder and Darryn Binder race 

around Kyalami in MotoGP? 

In the end it was a fantastic day out and I can already 

feel the vibe of a race weekend flowing around the place, 

not only that but it was a really friendly environment. Well 

done to the organisers of the event, you did a stellar job 

and I am confident that all who attended would agree. 

The South African bike industry seems to have plenty 

support and with a number of South African riders racing 

in different series around the world, things look good for 

the future of motorcycles in this country. With guys like Rob 

Portman in the industry doing great things and Brad Binder 

showing the world how it’s done, it’s in good hands. 


EDITORS NOTES: 

After what has been a tough past 5 or so years, the SA 

motorcycle industry got a much needed boost with the 

South Africa Bike Festival, at the re-vamped Kyalami 

Grand Prix Circuit. Over 24 000 visitors, 124 industry 

related exhibitors, 16 motorcycle manufacturers, 20 

of Joburg’s finest food trucks and 13 of South Africa’s 

favourite bands, all had the unique opportunity to 

experience the brand new circuit facilities at the newly 

refurbished and much anticipated re-opening of Kyalami 

Grand Prix Circuit. 

The highlight for 2016, apart from the RideFast Magazine 

stand, was undoubtedly the Michelin SuperBike 

School Circuit Test Rides on offer from participating 

manufacturers BMW, Triumph, Kawasaki, Polaris, 

Linhai, Suzuki, Yamaha, Honda, SYM, KTM, Can-Am, 

Husqvarna, Victory, Indian, Ducati, and Harley Davidson 

showcasing their latest models throughout the weekend. 

Those with a motorcycle license had the opportunity to 

test the new circuit on a total of 74 models to choose 

from. More than 2500 visitor test rides took place over 

the three days, from cruisers to cutting-edge sports bikes 

and more. The festival also hosted a variety of stunts and 

jumps with International Stunt & Wheelie Champion, Julien 

“RazorBack” Welsch entertaining viewers with his amazing 

freestyle tricks on a Triumph Street Triple R (exclusive Q&A 

interview coming up on next couple of pages). 

Mass rides, mini-motos, supermotards, anything and 

everything to do with motorcycling was on display at what 

can only be described as a very successful event. 

A big shout out to Jan Schoeman, one of our many 

passionate readers who rode his Yamaha R1 all the way 

from Piketberg (1458km away), to come enjoy the festival 

and visit our stand. Thanks Jan! 

Jan and his “Lady” as he calls it... 


THE WELSCH 

Wizard 

One of the main acts at this years South Africa Bike Festival was 

world renowned stunt rider - Julien Welsch. The Singh managed to 

catch up with the Triumph stunt rider at Centurion Lifestyle for an 

exclusive one on one interview. 

Words: The Singh Pics: The Singh and SA Bike Festival 

When I inadvertently stopped for my weekly 

cup of coffee at Centurion Lifestyle or 

Triumph centurion, I tend to get confused. 

Theunis mentioned that Julien Welsh would be 

performing at the Kyalami Bike Festival. I squinted 

a bit and innocently asked who? To which I got a 

tirade of expletives and finally an explanation as to 

who this guy is. In short, a few months back there 

was an XDL video that was exploding its way across 

social media with a maniac who was using an R6 as 

one would use a Frisbee. YES. That’s the guy. Julien 

“Razorback” Welsch. 

I arrived slightly early for the interview and one can 

imagine my surprise when Theunis introduced me to 

this charming French stunt rider. Who, was as humble 

as the Dalai Lama at a peace prize ceremony. He 

came complete with a French 

accent and a friendly disposition. 

He shook my hand firmly and 

went back to tinkering with his 

bike. I politely stepped back and 

watched in amazement as he 

wheelied the bike in the distance 

it would take the average person 

to open a door. 

I must add the only time I get the 

front wheel off the ground is by mistake 

and apart from my cousin who lifted a ZX14 R 

up Long Tom Pass in the wet, most of the people I 

know, have no idea what it looks like when a 

professional does it. 

Please check out www.julienwelsch.com. 

He then placed it down gently 

and smiled happily in my direction. His 

accolades are pretty impressive with 

multiple podium finishes across the 

world and as a Test rider for Triumph 

International; this young inspiring fellow is 

easy to talk to and even offered me a few 

stunt lessons which I declined. Due mostly, 

to a lack of courage and fear of injury on 

my part. 

I asked him a series of questions that 

we at Ride Fast hope the reader finds 

entertaining and informative. 

Q: How did you become a test rider for 

triumph? 

Two years ago I was the international 

stunt rider for Triumph and proposed 

to them that I could assist with on 

road testing of their new products and 

with press launches of their products 

internationally. 

The Singh posing with Julien 

Q: What does testing a bike entail? 

I am not the factory test rider, I ride the 

finished product and make sure the 

press understands the bike and answer 

any questions around it. 


Q: How many people test a bike before it is 

released to the public? 

10 -15 professional riders work on the 

bikes before us. There are various stages 

of testing like the ABS, Traction Control, 

Handling. Engineers work with these testers 

every step of the way. 

Q: Is it good money? 

I get paid per event, so it is not a 

traditional monthly salary. I am also 

paid by Triumph for the press 

launches, So, it is per project. 

Q: How many hours do you 

practice? 

I train for 2 hours every 

day on fitness, normally 

from 10-12 after I have 

communicated with 

me sponsors and 

employers. I then train 

on the motorbike in the 

parking lot close 

to my home for 

2-3 hours or as 

needed. But I 

train every day, 

rain, shine, snow. I 

still train. 

Q: What’s the worst injury you’ve 

sustained in stunting? 

I have many injuries, the most 

severe one was a knee injury that 

dislocated my patella and because I cannot 

earn if I do not ride I continued riding with 

it broken knee cap. After 6 dislocations 

I could not walk for 6 months, but I still 

practiced as I was helped to get onto the 

bike by loved ones. 

Q: Do you fear anything when you stunt? 

A dissatisfied crowd. 

Q: How many years have you been riding? 

16 years, pro for 6. 

Q: What goes into your bike prep? 

Crash bars, big sprockets, rear brake 

button like GP riders and lots of callipers on 

back wheel. Rear pressure, 3.5 and Front 

2.0. 

Q: How do you choose what stunt to 

attempt? 

We have various routines and we work from 

there. 

Q: It is said no one else can do the 360 

rotation that you do, what inspired you to 

attempt it? 

It was discovered by mistake but only 4 

people in the world can do it. 

Q: What’s your favourite race track? 

It is national race track in France, lots of 

elevation changes. 

Q: How easy is it to learn to wheelie? 

Very easy, it is coming down safely that is 

the problem. If you want to wheelie, known 

that at some point you will crash. So once 

you make peace with that, It is easy. 

Q: What s your advice to anyone who 

would like to become a professional stunt 

rider? 

Practice , practice, and have no fear, If you 

want to make money rather play football. I 

do this for passion not money. 

Q: What do you do in your spare time? 

Wife, kid and music. 

Q: Any pets? 

Dogs – jack Russell, who is hyperactive like 

me. 

Q: Favourite movie? 

The wolf of wall street 

Q: Favourite book? 

Harry Potter. 

Q: Who is your role model? 

Tom Paguet and Usain Bolt. 

Q: Favourite bike for everyday use? 

Tiger 800XC. 


Some say that Lego made a 

minifig of him but could not 

match his skin tone. Others say 

that Chuck Norris asks him for 

riding advice, we don’t know 

about that but what we do know 

is that “The Singh” will test bikes 

for us no matter the weather... 


DUCATI 

ROAD TEST 

PANIGALE 1299 S 

In Part 3 of our Sportsbike road test, “The Singh” takes the red hot Ducati 

Panigale 1299 S out on test in the freezing cold. 

The Ducati 1199 was one of the most 

spellbinding bikes that had ever been 

conceived. From its smouldering 

press launch to its chess based 

campaign it truly promised an exhilarating 

experience. It oozed sexuality like a superstar 

at an audition for a local drama. It bespoke 

volumes about its unexplored potential and 

whether you loved the brand or hated it, you 

were enthralled from the first moment that 

you glimpsed this spectacle. 

Unfortunately, apart from its looks and 

sound, it was a terribly disappointing bike 

for me. It was wildly erratic, unpredictable 

and an uncomfortable ride, the poor folk 

that forked out 289K for these bikes were 

not the most satisfied customers in the 

biking world at that stage. I know many a 

disgruntled owner that was offered ridiculous 

trade in values when trying to upgrade. 

The brand though, appeals to a more 

discerning customer who may not balk at 

losing a 100k after only a 1000km of use. 

For me personally, I would have a complete 

breakdown if my bike lost value like that. But 

I am just the average guy on the street, and 

most of us mortals still have to finance our 

toys, so it is by far an interesting model to 

watch going further. 

Like a pre-ordered game that failed to 

even satisfy one deliverable, the 1199 was 

bought and rapidly sold at large losses. Yes, 

there were die-hard Ducati fans who testified 

to its grand character and poise, but even 

they would not be caught riding it for longer 

than the occasional ego-trip to a cafe. 

Then Ducati did an amazing thing and 

released the 1299, bigger engine, more 

torque, an upgraded suspension system, 

higher screen and a comfier seat are some of 

the big improvements on the previous model. 

It also has been graced with auto blip and 

cornering ABS, which could mostly prevent 

those unwanted low sides. 

My scenic ride on the Ducati 1299 S at 

Red Star had me immediately fall in love 

with this bike. The 1299 is a huge and 

evolutionary step forward from the much 

ignored 1199. The new bike feels lighter, 

more responsive and much more predictable 

than the old model. 


For the little while that I had the bike, I was fortunate to 

ride it in frigid temperatures’ where the engine heat was 

very welcome to my frozen anatomy. Without heated grips, 

the 4 degree odd ride was managed by the voluminous 

induction noise and the whip like crack of the quick shifter, 

which made me forget the cold. 

Whether I could do it every day just because of the 

orgasmic sounds the bike creates, is a discussion for 

another time. Suffice to say, the gunshots and backfire the 

Akrapovics generate will not only turn heads, but will even 

wake up the dead from any nearby cemeteries, you may 

happen to traverse on your ride. YES. It is that f%$#ing 

loud, but oh so satisfying. 

The screen and electronics menus are easy to navigate, 

although the position of the indicators and switches could 

have been simpler. The different modes are precise and 

definite in what they present. Rain mode really keeps 

you slow and race is as rigid as a bucking bronco. Sport 

was used for the test and would probably be the most 

convenient mode to navigate corners and traffic with. 

The twin accelerates you like the proverbial bat 

out of hell and keeps going till the 11k limit where you 

realize there is gleefully another gear to go. The power is 

relentless and the bikes fueling with the full system on is 

superfluous. 

The test bike is a year old and being a demo, I do not 

think it receives the level of care that a privately owned 

bike will. I am saying this because the paintwork and the 

some of the levers etc look tired. Nothing some TLC will 

not remedy but it will be interesting to see what a regularly 

used bike looks like after 20000 km. 

Add the sex appeal, new power delivery and comfort of 

the 1299 S and you have a truly versatile and under-rated 

bike. The fact that Ducati SA will not increase the price 

(R274,400) for now is another great benefit in considering 

this bike as a unique and over-looked weekend cruiser 

and commuter. 

RATINGS: PANIGALE 1299 S 

Heat 10 (winter) - 4 

Steering 9 

Fuel 6 (hard to ride slowly) 

Acceleration 9 (never stops accelerating) 

Throttle 8 (twist, hold on) 

Traffic 7 (they will stop, just to stare) 

Servicing 4 (it’s a Ducati, better use DRP) 

Lights 10 (it’s so pretty, like a rainbow) 

Wind 8 (not for taller rider’s - works for Rob) 

New Rider 3 (if you are suicidal, then yes) 

Total: 74/100 (winter test) - 68/100 

Remember this rating applies to the bike as a commuter 


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www.langstonmotorsports.co.za

EXCLUSIVE RACE COLUMN 

SHERIDAN MORAIS: WORLD ENDURANCE & MOTOAMERICA 

It has been a really long time 

since I have had the pleasure 

of writing to you all, and I 

am ecstatic that I finally have 

something to write about. 

It has been a tough year so far 

to say the least, so let me break 

it down from where I was first 

declared unfit to ride for you. 

At the New Jersey Motorsports 

round of the MotoAmerica 

championship I took a tumble and 

smashed my head into the earth 

while tumbling, which had me 

asking weird things to the assisting 

marshals, and as it turned out, 

not only did I have a concussion 

but also bad whiplash. Due to the 

concussion, I was immediately 

put onto the “Unfit” list. I guess 

that flying back all the way to the 

mother land never helped my 

cause, but I came back home 

for one week and managed to 

get out to Redstar Raceway and 

get in a few laps to test not only 

myself, but also some setup for my 

MotoAmerica Yamaha R1. 

It was then onto Virginia 

Raceway where we were on form 

from the get go and setting fast 

lap times on a brand new track 

for me. Then it happened again, I 

took a massive blow to my head 

and was stumbling around like a 

fool after what was a huge high 

speed crash. Concussed for the 

2nd time in 2 weeks, I was once 

again put onto the “Unfit” list and 

Dr Rossi (no, not Valentino) was 

concerned for my safety after 

taking two big blows to the head, 

and so close together. I had 2 full 

weeks of unwanted rest after that 

and then went to Donnington Park 

for World Superbikes, for Team 

Grillini Kawasaki, who I had just 

signed for. 

I was pretty fast on day 1 but 

never felt right on the bike. Ran off 

track a couple of times due to lack 

of concentration and even had a 

small tip over on the 3rd mistake in 

the gravel (my short legs once again 

not helping). I put it down to jet lag 

from all the travelling I had done in 

the weeks leading up to the race. 

Because of my reports from the 

MotoAmerica Dr Rossi to WSBK’s 

doctors, I had to perform a test to 

be passed riding fit to take part in 

the weekends racing. 

The following day I went out for 

the morning session and after just 

2 laps I was off track again and 

not feeling good at all. I was dizzy 

and overwhelmed, which had me 

confused as to what the hell was 

going on. I went to the doctors and 

was again declared unfit to ride for 

30 days, or until they had received 

my MRI scans. Finally, our great 

friend Paul Pacheco, arranged 

for me to have the MRI done in 

Portugal. It took 10 days to receive 

the results, but when we did get 

the report it showed that all of my 

fluids and functions were normal 

but there was a little swelling from 

trauma. I then missed a further 2 

race meeting in MotoAmerica, and 

arranged Mathew Scholtz to fill in 

for me along with my pops to come 

along and help. They did a great 

job with my Team Rabid Transit 

Yamaha R1 and developed the bike 

really well. My team arranged for 

me to take an R6 to a track day to 

test. I felt really rusty but none of 

my previous issues showed up and 

by the end of the day I was on the 

gas and churning out some fast 

times. This had me ready to give 

Miller Motorsport Park a go, and 

man I am happy I did. 

Understandably, I was rusty after 

not having ridden for 2 months 

but by the end of the weekend I 

managed to fight at the front of 

the group and collected decent 

championship points with 2 top 6 

finishes in the superstock class. 

The support I received from 

everyone has been overwhelming 

and I am too happy to be back. 

Unfortunately, because I was 

forced to miss the Misano WSBK 

race, the Grillini team decided to 

go with another rider for the rest 

of the season. That leaves me 

to concentrate fully on getting 

some wins in the MotoAmerica 

championship. 

Now it’s onto Laguna Seca 

where I have no doubt that we are 

ready to pick up some race wins! 

Shez #32 (86) 

C 

M 

Y 

CM 

MY 

CY 

CMY 

K 


RSR Landscape A5 Advert for July PRESS.pdf 1 2016/06/08 9:43 AM 

Pics by Corey Coulter

EXCLUSIVE RACE COLUMN 

BRAD BINDER: MOTO3 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 

We think it’s safe to say that Brad Binder 

is the talk of the town at the moment. His 

world class, mature, skilful rides so far this 

season have earned him top spot on the 

Moto3 standings and favourite to become 

world champion. 

We have followed and supported Brad’s 

career from day one, releasing his first race 

column back when he was just 14 racing 

in the RedBull rookies Cup. Since then we 

have watched him grow into the insanely 

fast rider he is today. 

We managed to catch up with him and 

ask him some questions. We even got a 

couple of our readers to post questions on 

our Facebook page that they would like 

answered. 

Q: What is your training program and 

diet like? 

It’s actually quite simple. The first thing I 

do in the morning after I wake up is go get 

some cardio done, 90% of the time I go 

cycling, otherwise I go for a run. Then in the 

afternoon it’s time to hit the gym, which I do 

4 days of the week. Then I also try and get 

some supermotard riding in at least once or 

twice a week. 

As for my diet, I follow a strict eating plan 

that Adelene Morais (wife of Shez) did up 

for me. Just try to eat as clean as possible 

and as much protein as I can. 

Q. How do you prepare for a race? 

What do you eat and drink on race day 

and how do you warm up or stretch? 

First thing I do as I get to the track is have 

a bit of breakfast. Then before I head out 

on the bike I do a bit of stretching, and 

something my old Italian trainer use to call 

mobility. It’s a bit weird, I look a bit strange 

when I’m doing it, I have to swing my arms 

and legs around like a ballerina. 

Then just before the race I go to Arai to 

drop my helmet off for a quick service. 

Then I head off to what we call the RedBull 

Energy Station for some white pasta, 

always have white pasta an hour before 

the race. Then 30 minutes before the race 

I have half a can of RedBull, just to give me 

some sugar and caffeine. Obviously I drink 

water as well leading up to the race to keep 

me hydrated. 

Q: Do you get along with all the other 

riders in the paddock? 

Yes, I feel like I get along with everyone I 

ever meet. Obviously there are a few of us 

that don’t talk that much, but 90% of us in 

Moto3 and Moto2 are all good mates. 

Q: Is there a lot of drama in the 

paddock? 

No, well, basically I feel the media do blow 

things up a bit bigger than they actually are. 

Everything in the paddock actually seems 

super chilled. 

Q: We notice that you don’t do the leg 

out riding style that most do these 

days. Have you tried doing it or just 

don’t feel the need too? 

Yes I have tried the leg out riding style 

before, but I feel like on a Moto3 bike they 

are so light and easy to manoeuvre it really 

doesn’t change much, and you don’t 

gain an advantage by it. I feel a lot more 

comfortable with my toes on the pegs. I do 

think that when I get onto the bigger bikes 

it might be a different story. 

Q: Most riders here in SA don’t use 

back brake. Do you, and if so how 

much and when? 

This was the biggest thing I had to learn 

when riding a GP bike. Everyone in the 

MotoGP championship uses the back 

brake. It’s one of those things that can 

definitely help you. Besides just the 

stopping power, it helps keep the bike 

more stable, and it makes it easier for you 

to enter the corners. The correct time to 

use your back brake is just after you have 

finished down shifting through the gears 

and entering the apex, it helps keep the 

bike in line and allows you to pull the front 

brake a bit harder. Also helps you to brake 

that little bit later. 

I also tend to drag the back brake until the 

moment I touch the throttle, that’s when I 

release all pressure on the back brake. 

Q: What are your future plans? Did you 

get any offers for MotoGP? 

My future plans are not 100% decided 

yet but definitely with the better results I 

have been getting lately I have a few good 

options on the table. At this stage I am just 

trying to stay focussed on the job in Moto3 

so that hopefully next time I come home it 

will be with the number one plate. 

Q: So you might be moving up to Moto2 

next year. One of our readers, Kewyn 

Snyman, would like to know what your 

thoughts were after testing Zarco‘s 

Moto2 bike? How different is it to the 

600’s you have ridden in the past? 

When I tested Zarco’s bike at Valencia it 

was really strange. The engine had a lot 

more power than a normal 600, but the big 

difference was how rigid the Moto2 bikes 

chassis is. It was a great experience and I 

loved every lap on the bike. 

Q: Aldo Rollandi would like to know 

could you plot the best possible path for 

a young South African to make his way 

up to MotoGP... From literally 3 years 

old, what form of bike racing to take up 

and how to progress if possible? 

The best advice for any young rider is just 

to practise as much as possible, and then 

once you are winning on the local scene 

try and apply for the RedBull Rookies, 

because when you get into the RedBull 

Rookies Cup you get to travel and race 

with the MotoGP guys, so you get to 

expose your talent to potential teams in 

Moto3. That’s the way I went. 

Q: Trisha Moolman “Are you aware of 

your South African fan base & do you 

see all our posts about you?” 

Yes I do and its overwhelming to see the 

amount of support I get. I do see and read 

all the messages on Facebook but it would 

take me days to reply to them all. I really do 

appreciate all the messages and support, 

it definitely helps motivate me and get me 

through the hard times. 

30 RIDEFAST MAGAZINE JUNE 2016

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SPORTBIKE MAGAZINE 

RF magazine play.indd 1006 

2014/12/27 8:44 AM

IANNONE & LORENZO 

CATALUNYA 2016

MOTOGP WSBK 

A definitive guide towards the differences between WSBK and MotoGP race bikes. 

Many race fans out their are still quite 

unaware of the differences between 

the race bikes in WSBK (world Superbike 

Championship) against their MotoGP 

counterparts. 

The short answer is that MotoGP bikes 

are in fact purpose built prototype race 

machines while WSBK machines are series 

production road bikes that have been 

specially tuned for racing. 

In relation to the world of car racing, 

think of MotoGP as the two-wheeled 

equivalent to Formula 1 while WSBK is the 

two-wheeled equivalent of GT cars. 

Still don’t get it? Well, don’t worry because 

here comes our version of the long answer. 

VS 

Words: Thoriq Azmi - www.bikesrepublic.com 

To make things easier, we’ve separated our 

guides into key sections accompanied with a 

detailed explanation with it. 

Construction 

MotoGP and WSBK conform to different 

sets of technical regulations set by Dorna, 

the commercial rights holder of both 

championships, and the FIM ruling body. 

These regulations are designed to keep 

competition as fair as possible in each 

respective class. 

A quick overview reveals that MotoGP 

benefits from lesser restrictions, giving 

manufacturers more flexibility towards 

engine construction and chassis designs. 

What’s the difference? 

This also explains the extensive use of 

lightweight and exotic materials like carbon 

fibre, titanium and magnesium alloys in 

building a modern GP bike. 

WSBK, on the other hand, is much 

more restricted. All bikes must retain their 

original production chassis constructions 

and designs whilst the use of carbon fibre, 

titanium and magnesium alloys are limited. 

Notably, the FIM has banned carbon 

fibre wheels in both classes. Carbon brake 

rotors are banned in WSBK, along with 

the use of titanium when constructing the 

chassis, front forks, handlebars,swingarms, 

the swingarm spindles and the wheel 

spindles as well. 


Minimum weight 

Both classes have minimum weight figures to meet. While 

MotoGP’s stands at 157kg, WSBK’s minimum figure stands a 

little heavier at 168kg instead. Interestingly, both classes employ 

competition ballast as a means to counter the varied sizes and 

weights of its riders too. 

Engines 

MotoGP’s ruling in this area quite simple. Designs are 

open so as long the displacement doesn’t exceed 

1,000cc, the bore figure can be no greater than 81mm 

and have a maximum of four cylinders. Since 2012, twostroke 

engines are banned and most teams today use a V4 

cylinder arrangement design. 

The story is a little more complicated in WSBK though. 

Again, two-stroke engines are banned here. The class 

welcomes production-based three- and four-cylinder 

engines with a minimum capacity of 750cc and 

maximum of 1,000cc. Also permitted are productionbased 

four-stroke two-cylinder engines with a 

minimum capacity of 850cc and maximum of 

1,200cc. 

While some engine types have their own 

respective advantages over the other, the 

competition is again kept levelled thanks to 

the use of competition air restrictors. The air 

restrictor’s sizes are then adjusted by FIM 

officials depending on engine type and or the 

bike’s performance in the championship season. 

The beauty of WSBK’s ruling is the greater 

variation in bikes and engine types that line up 

the grid. Highlights here include the V4 engine 


On the left is the 2016 Pata Yamaha R1 

World SBK machine dash along with 

all the Playstation buttons, and on the 

right is the 2016 Ducati MotoGP 

bike dash and buttons. 

found in Aprilia RSV4, the V-twin mill 

powering the Ducati Panigale R, in-line 

fours from Yamaha, Honda and MV Agusta. 

Equalisers – Spec ECU and tuning 

restrictions 

The starkest difference between the two lies 

in their ‘great equalisers’. MotoGP keeps 

its playing field levelled thanks to its newly 

introduced standardised onboard electronics 

and software or ‘Spec ECU’ ruling. 

Starting this year, all MotoGP bikes 

have had their powertrains and 

electronics paired with the Magentti 

Marelli-supplied ECU and software that 

acts as a digital power cap. Together with 

the minimum weight ruling, it theoretically 

keeps all MotoGP bikes equal in 

performance despite the varied engine and 

powertrain designs. 

WSBK, on the other hand, restricts 

the amount of changes or modifications 

allowed in the top part of the bike’s stock 

engine, and displacement increases are 

banned as well. This explains why the 

hardware in WSBK race bikes closely mirror 

what is already available in their 

road-going base bikes 

too. 

A clear example of this is the Ducati 

WSBK machine based on the current Ducati 

Panigale R model. When the improved 

new Ducati 1299 Panigale road bike was 

launched, it succeeded the previous 1199 

Panigale model with a new and larger 

1,285cc V-twin. Only the Panigale R variant 

retained the previous bike’s 1,198cc V-twin 

engine, allowing Ducati to use it as the basis 

of its WSBK machine. 

Never before has MotoGP and WSBK technology featured so prominently in production based 

motorcycles that are available to the public. Bikes such as the Ducati Panigale R, Yamaha R1 and R1M 

and Aprilia’s 2016 RSV4 R-FW, which is basically a 230hp+ MotoGP Bike, are now available to buy at 

ridiculous amounts of money. 


CRADLE OF 

BIKE KIND 

S I X B I K E M U L T I T E S T 

We take 6 very underated, and different motorcycles on one of JHB’s most famous breakfast runs. 

Words: The Sing & Clive Strugnell Pics: Kyle Lawrenson & others 


Since we managed to convince Rob that 

there is life after Redstar, he has begun 

his sojourn in the hopes of becoming a real 

biker and not a race track rock-star. 

Cold frigid winds, crappy roads, push 

starting bikes and even the occasional 

run-away native are all becoming part of his 

evolving bike repertoire. 

We chose a stable of bikes from the 

thundering S1000XR to the ferociously 

under-rated Kawasaki Versys. These 

machines have certain sport blood lines in 

their genetics and like cross breeds in the 

equine kingdom show moments of genius 

coupled with stages of practicality. 

The six bikes we tested were BMW’s S 

1000XR, a bike that at its launch was slated 

as the next “superbike” killer. Straddled 

with a detuned S1000RR engine and 

the comfort levels of the over-sold BMW 

1200GS, it promised incredible performance 

with solid practicality. 

The all new KTM 1290 GT which, love it 

or hate it, is a conversation starter with its 

vulture like looks and bright orange paintjob. 

It was dismally launched at the Kyalami Bike 

Festival where the “privileged press” were 

given one slippery, skittish lap around the 

new circuit at a pace that would have made 

a tortoise blush and then we were sent on 

our way wondering about the overload of 

electronic options on the new bike. 

A beautifully rendered Ducati 1200S 

Multistrada, which with the advent of the new 

Enduro Model, is scheduled to take on the 

BMW dominated adventure market soon. 

The strangely alien looking Honda 800 

Cross Runner, which apparently has sold 

less models than the Helen Zille’s biography 

and who I had not even known existed. 

The revised and updated 3 cylinder 

Yamaha Tracer MT09, which in the previous 

incarnation received much critism for its 

wallowy suspension and irregular fueling 

system. The new model looks like the 

lovechild of an angry Multistrada and a 

PMSing XR. 

And finally the guest bike of the test, 

the new and improved bumblebee 

yellow Kawasaki Versys 650. A bike that 

I thought was similar to the NC700, but, 

was I so wrong. 

With bike tests, like when filming a movie 

it’s all about location, location, location. 

RIDEFAST MAGAZINE JULY 2016 3 9

And, as we had six bikes to test and not much time to travel, we 

chose the closest road with a few twisties. This was represented 

in the form of the nature reserve and wildlife infested Kromdraai. 

I felt we cannot compare all the bikes on the same level as 

the “Big” three were not only double the price of the others but 

also double the performance. Realistically buyers in this segment 

would either be looking at bike over 180K or wondering how 

much fuel they can conserve with the other three. 

BMW was clever enough to lend us an XR that had not been 

run in, so it was annoyingly limited to 9000rpm or 203km/h. 

Clad with an Akrapovic slip on, auto blipping and all the usual 

bells and whistles, the BMW was the brutal go to bike during the 

test. Relentless power, razor-sharp handling and butter smooth 

gearbox, The XR delivered (although restricted) flawlessly on all 

fronts. It’s a high bike so if you cannot change a room’s lighbulb 

without a ladder I would look at other options. 

The Multistrada with 10000km on it and river sand in the air 

box, felt clunky and aged in comparison. Like a boxer who has 

taken one too many head shots or perhaps a demo bike with 

one too many cold starts. The Ducati is fast, aggressive and 

turns with precision. The challenge I had was that this particular 

bike felt ragged and abused. As journalists our impressions 

and emotions are normally transferred to text, so it makes me 

wonder whether the dealers care or our opinion might as well be 

like political promises. Of no substance. 

The KTM 1290 GT is an impressive little vixen that bares its 

teeth at the merest feathering of the throttle and is relentless in 

its acceleration. Dynamically stable at speed, the bike displays 

odd stability characteristics at very slow speeds. It’s has a new 

fully electronic suspension system so perhaps it’s demonstrating 

some ghosts in that new machine. Its looks shorter than the 

“I LOVED EVERY SECOND 

IN THE SADDLE. THE SEAT MIGHT NOT BE 

AS COMFY, BUT WHILST ON THE BACK WHEEL ITS 

THE LAST THING ON YOUR MIND. THE GT IS MORE OF 

A SUPERBIKE AND IS WAY MORE AGGRESSIVE THAN 

OTHER SPORTS TOURERS. BUT IN THE RIGHT HANDS 

IT CAN DO WHEELIES FROM ROBOT TO ROBOT 

AND STILL BE A BIKE THAT YOU CAN TOUR 

DOWN THE 22 IN STYLE.” Kyle 


other bikes but is in itself quiet tall as well. Its possibly the 

predatory long beak that makes it appear lower than the others. 

The Honda Cross Runner was not a successful bike four years 

ago when the original model was launched and it continues its 

desolate sales figures. With this bike, Honda also tried to tackle 

the half sports/half adventure market and unlike Ducati and BMW 

failed to make much of an impact. There is nothing distinctly 

critical or adversely complementary about the Cross Runner as it 

stands. It is well assembled, easy to ride, not harsh on the eye and 

comfortable. So why is it that I have not seen one on the road. 

The Yamaha is sporty, fun and just different enough to attract 

some casual interest at a parking lot. It’s a bike that you can 

commute on and ride the odd corner here and there without too 

much effort. With three power modes which felt like they only 

needed two. A set of brightly lit headlights and smoothly restful 

riding position, the Tracer was rapid and pulled very strongly for 

a three cylinder. 

The bike that impressed me the most in the class for sheer 

performance and value for money was the Kawasaki Versys. An 

under-rated and under-priced motorcycle, this little fire-cracker 

joined the test by sheer co-incidence as the Miss Singh had 

pillioned with me to the venue and then felt that she also needed 

to ride. Do not get me wrong, it is a simple bike, no electronics, 

no power modes and nothing to make you feel more skilful than 

you are. Like a good home cooked meal the Versys delivers a 

skilful, well built and cost effective bike that can easily fulfil the 

role of the sports tourer, adventure bike for half, and sometimes 

a third, of the cost. You will not beat anybody or set a new lap 

record at the Isle of Man but if you saving R120K does it matter? 

As a road test you have two trinities within this group, The 

BMW, Ducati and KTM followed by the Honda, Yamaha and 

Kawasaki. For the daily grind of traffic riding there is nothing 

in it between the top three apart from the god-awful seat of 

the KTM and ineffectual heated grips of the XR. Twist the 

throttle and all these Sports bikes will leave most things in the 

dust, including the infamous GS, Tenere and Africa Twin. I say 

most things because in a flat race these bikes will more than 

hold their own against most current superbikes. Up to about 

175km/h after that, well, it’s pretty much over. 

That, is the advantage of straight line acceleration, any half-wit 

can open the throttle, hold on and the bike will do the rest. 

The true test of riding combines cornering, acceleration and 

braking. The high positions of these bikes handle bars and 

the incredible grip that these machines offer implies that as a 

superbike rider you will have to work pretty hard to keep up with 

these three rides in the right hands. I say right hands because 

these top three bikes have ballistic speed and wrist-wrenching 

And here we thought 

The Singh was the tallest 

animal on the planet... 

Editors Notes 

So once again I have discovered that there is life outside 

the track. Really enjoyed this test, not only the bikes and 

the riding but also hanging out and having a big laugh with 

mates. Froze my heinie off but did enjoy it. 

This test was really more about bikes that don’t get enough 

attention in the market. Bikes that are never the brides but 

rather always the bridesmaids. In fact, they are more like 

that couple that you were forced to invite to the wedding so 

you put them at the table right at the back by the kitchen. 

So we decided to give them some time in the spotlight 

and they really did shine. Each bike represents strong 

characteristics and have great selling points. From 

performance, build quality to price, they are bikes that 

should seriously be considered. 

So many times I have seen models come into SA and 

wonder whether or not they can actually work in our brutal 

motorcycling market, where only the big bad wolfs seem 

to survive. 

The 6 bikes we have on test here are a good blend of 

performance and comfort, which is really what we are all 

looking for in a motorcycle. Oh yes, and they won’t leave you 

eating beans and soup for the rest of your life. 

This test opened my eyes to a new spectrum of motorcycles 

that can be enjoyed, even by a horse power, performance, 

sportsbike junky like myself. It was one big love affair for 

me, jumper from lover to lover. Each bike impressed me in 

their own little way, but the BMW and the Yamaha really did 

leave me with the biggest smile on my face. 


Editors Notes 

You can’t help but be impressed with KTM and Ducati. 

Even though they are not as BIG as the Japanese and German 

manufacturers, they still manages to produce exquisite motorcycles. 

KTM’s all-new Superduke GT is a great blend of everything you 

could ask for in a road motorcycle. It will take you a couple of rides 

to fully understand the phenomenal electronics package on the GT. 

There is so much available in terms of adjustment, and it is so easy 

to operate and use. And finally, KTM have put a quick-shifter on their 

road bike. It needs a little fine tuning but at least it’s there. 

Also featured for the first time is the new semi-active WP 

electronic suspension. It’s a good first attempt by KTM and WP, but 

just like the shifter it could use a tweak here and there. 

The 2-cylinder, 4-stroke, V 75° 1301 cm³ LC8 motor still produces 

huge amounts of power, maybe even a bit more than you actually need 

on a bike like this, but you have to admire KTM pushing the limits. 

Although I do think it’s a bit long in the tooth now, having been used in 

previous models like the RC8 and 1290 Superduke naked. I suppose 

they went with the old “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it” expression, and 

I really do think now that they are back in MotoGP it’s only a matter 

of time before we see a new “mind blowing” motor come out of the 

Austrian factory. Exciting times ahead for the big oranges... 

The Ducati is a gorgeous piece of art, and it goes just as good as 

it looks. The same can pretty much be said for all the bikes on test 

here. They all have a cheeky sporty side to them just waiting to come 

out at a split seconds notice for the odd thrash, while still offering that 

comfortable, satisfactory joyride that you need on a 400km plus ride 

such as the one we did. 

It amazes me that we do not see more of these models out on our 

roads. Especially the BMW S1000XR. What a machine! While cruising 

on the BMW my mind would often wonder, to me thrashing it around 

the 22. Let me tell you, this bike would makes some of the best 

sportsbikes on the market today blush. Zie Germans have done an 

incredible job with the XR. 

I have always been a huge admirer of 3-cyclinder engines, so it 

was no huge surprise that I loved the Yamaha Tracer. That sound the 

engines produces is sexual, and the aggressive, yet easy to handle 

throttle gets the heart racing every time. 

It’s a thrilling ride in every sense of the word, and was no slouch 

against the 3 bigger dogs in this test, like an annoying Jack Russell 

that thinks he is bigger than he actually is trying to take on dogs twice 

his size. You just got to love the attitude of the bike. 

thrust. Coupled with plenty of 

horsepower and it is mighty 

easy to get it wrong. So, from a 

cautionary point of view handle 

these monsters with care. 

The other three in the utopian 

idealist world of commuting, would 

be right up there with the BMW 

3 series that represents a hint of 

the M4 but not the real deal. They 

are all practical, reasonably priced 

and fun to ride. (I am still trying to 

remember if I have ever seen a 

Cross Runner on the roads). 

But this is a road test of 

adrenaline and forbidden 

performance that would make 

a traffic cop blanch. The BMW 

stands confidently above the rest. 

It growls and can be flung around 

like an experienced pole dancer, 

never flinching, always inviting you, 

tempting you be harder, faster and 

take absolute control. It was so 

popular in fact that one of the other 

testers, who has been riding bikes 

since Moses was discovered in 

the reeds, had to be pried off the 

XR, inch by painful inch (will hear 

what Clive “The Relic” has to say a 

bit later). The Ducati on the other 

hand is like the 1st princess, quick, 

pretty and will still turn heads, but 

unfortunately she never gets to 

wear the crown. She will always be 

the bike that could have been, but 

never quiet had it all. 

“IN AT NUMBER THREE FOR ME IS THE HONDA. 

YIP YOUR EYES ARE NOT DECEIVING YOU, ITS A 

STRAIGHT FORWARD NO-NONSENSE BIKE. NOW I 

RIDE ON AVERAGE 5HRS A DAY ON A MOTORCYCLE 

SO I TACKLE HIGHWAYS PEAK HOUR TRAFFIC AND 

SUBURBAN BACK ROADS. THE ONLY ELECTRONICS 

IS THE TRACTION CONTROL, SO IN A WAY, LESS IS 

MORE IT JUST DID EVERYTHING THE WAY I WANTED 

IT TO FOR THE RIDING I DO. OH! AND THE FRONT 

HEADLIGHTS LOOKED SO PRETTY.” Zenon 


MASSIVE 

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Chanette: 078 177 4240 Andrew: 073 402 4607

As you can see, the 

brakes on the Versys 

do work... 

The KTM needs to be judged on its 

own merits, take the 1290 Adventure and 

combine it with a healthy dollop of the 

Super-duke 1290R and voila you have the 

1290GT. Brilliant, dominant but just missing a 

little something. Perhaps the next update will 

fill those almost perfect gaps in its appeal. 

The top three are all within a pinstripe of 

each other but my vote goes in favour of the 

BMW 1000XR. 

The other three hybrid commuters have 

to be looked at for what they represent 

and after gathering my information of retail 

cost and servicing I must re-evaluate my 

initial choice of bike. Sadly the Versys 

has to give way to the Yamaha Tracer 

as the choice of bike for first place here. 

This particular market is an odd segment 

considering the price variances. A few 

months ago the older Versys was 79K, 

now it’s above a hundred. That’s a massive 

jump not only in affordability but in choice. 

For the Yamaha the thrust of the 

three cylinders and the hostile lights 

just give it the edge over the other two. 

The Honda, although exceptional just 

feels lackadaisical and lacklustre when 

one places it near the other two. The 

Versys in its bright canary yellow paint is 

physically not the most attractive of the 

bunch but is good value for money. 

Editors Notes 

I can’t really rave or fault the Honda CrossRunner 

or Kawasaki Versys. Both bikes are, well, nice, nothing 

more and nothing less, just nice. The Honda’s 4-stroke 

16-valve DOHC 90° V-4 engine is tried and tested over 

many years, and a legend for many. Again, it’s just nice 

for me. It could use a couple of extra ponies but then 

again it’s not aimed at horsepower addicts. The same 

can be said for the 4-stroke, four valves per cylinder 

parallel twin 649cc Versys. The engines power will far 

from rip your arms out their sockets. 

Both bikes are simplistic but enjoyable, good for 

the odd thrash, or, kind of thrash. Their oddly attractive 

styling do somewhat paint a different picture, as they 

do look a lot faster and sporty than they actually are. 

Whilst 200hp, or close to, motorcycles are still my 

preferred choice, I have come to enjoy and appreciate 

the lighter side of biking, and these two machines 

played a big part in that. 

Here are the approximate running costs of these bikes over a standard two year cycle: 

BIKE PRICE AS TESTED SERVICE 1 SERVICE 2 SERVICE 3 COST PER KM 

BMW S1000XR 

R247 090 

1000km R1600 

10 000km R2100 

20 000km R2100 

R12.64/km including retail value 

DUCATI MULTISTRADA 1200 

R231 500 

1000km R2500 

15 000km R2500 

30 000km R10 000 


KTM 1290 SUPERDUKE GT 

R230 000 

1000km R1500 

15 000km R2000 

30 000km R5000 


YAMAHA TRACER 

R139 950 

1000km R1000 

10 000km R1800 

20 000km R2800 


HONDA CROSS RUNNER 

R150 000 

1000km R1200 

12 000km R1800 

24 000km R3500 


KAWASAKI VERYS 650 

R105 995 

1000km R1300 

6000km R2800 

12 000km R3000 


ONTO THE RATINGS: Heat - The amount of physical heat the bike generates in traffic. Does the fan help, is the heat diffused reasonably well. The higher the number the better the 

heat management. Steering - The lightness of the bike in turning in tight situations, the higher the number the quicker it turns. Fuel Consumption - The higher the number the better the 

consumption. Acceleration - The physical power of the bike. Throttle response - How light and progressive the throttle is, a high number hear signifies quick light throttle. Traffic Comfort 

- Sometimes it bumper to bumper for 50km, the high number signifies a more comfortable ride related rider position, foot pegs, weight on wrists. Servicing Costs - The costs of servicing, 

tyres, etc... Lights - Day time visibility of the bike and night time visibility for the rider. Wind protection - For the Rider. New Rider - Ease of bike for a new rider to use. 

RATINGS: BMW 

Heat 10 

Steering 9 

Fuel 8 

Acceleration 9 

Throttle 9 

Traffic 8 

Servicing 7 

Lights 6 

Wind 9 

New Rider 7 

Total: 82/100 

RATINGS: DUCATI 

Heat 10 

Steering 9 

Fuel 6 


Throttle 8 

Traffic 8 

Servicing 4 

Lights 9 

Wind 9 

New Rider 7 

Total: 79/100 

RATINGS: KTM 

Heat 10 

Steering 9 

Fuel 7 


Throttle 8 

Traffic 8 

Servicing 6 

Lights 7 

Wind 7 

New Rider 7 

Total: 78/100 

RATINGS: YAMAHA 

Heat 10 

Steering 8 

Fuel 8 


Throttle 7 

Traffic 9 

Servicing 6 

Lights 9 

Wind 8 

New Rider 9 

Total: 80/100 

RATINGS: HONDA 

Heat 10 

Steering 8 

Fuel 8 


Throttle 5 

Traffic 7 

Servicing 6 

Lights 6 

Wind 8 

New Rider 9 

Total: 73/100 

RATINGS: KAWASAKI 

Heat 10 

Steering 8 

Fuel 10 


Throttle 5 

Traffic 10 

Servicing 6 

Lights 6 

Wind 8 

New Rider 10 

Total: 77/100 


WHAT THEY SAY: 

WHAT OUR OTHER 4 MASTER 

TESTERS HAVE TO SAY: 

Clive “The Classic” Strugnell says: 

It is always fascinating to compare the 

conclusions each person in a group of 

riders reach after riding the same bikes 

on the same day over exactly the same 

route. There are times when some of 

the impressions are totally different. This 

was one of those times. If it is difficult 

for a small group of us to agree on the 

merits and feel of a particular bike how 

do the manufacturers ever manage to 

successfully cope with the thousands of 

riders worldwide form who they design and 

develop that particular model? 

Let’s start with what was the most 

contentious bike in this group, the Honda 

800 Cross Tourer. Most of us agreed that 

it was one of the best looking bikes in the 

bunch….but we only realized this when we 

parked them all together for group picture. 

Have a look and see what you think. 

The Honda delivers exactly what it 

promises.. excellent design, superb 

engineering, careful finish and attention 

to detail, and a very capable package 

designed to provide everything a sports 

touring rider could ask for. Firstly this 

bike has an absolute gem of an engine. It 

starts instantly at the touch of the button, 

and won’t stop until the rider switches it 

off. No matter if it is held on the red line 

all the way to Cape Town for 12 hours, or 

lugged through the heaviest traffic, this 

engine never gets hot, and simply purrs 

along. Talking about running at the red 

line, this occurs at just over 11 000 rpm, 

and winding it through the silky smooth 

gearbox at full bore hurls the bike forward 

with a thrilling V4 shriek. The ergonomics 

are great, the seat is continent crossingly 

comfortable, it will stop on a dime with no 

fuss thanks to the linked brakes and ABS. 

The only bit of electronic trickery is three 

stage traction control, which is selected 

by one big button on the handlebar 

marked “T” It really is a versatile and 

satisfying bike which will top 200km/h at 

11 000rpm in 4th gear! 

The Ducati Multistrada is superb. It 

matches the big KTM for size, weight and 

performance, and is more comfortable. It 

has the best instrument panel of the bunch, 

and also has the most user friendly selector 

system for the state of the art electronic 

menu. It matches any bike 

on the road for performance 

delivered by the awesome 

90 degree four cam V twin 

motor derived from Ducati’s 

World Superbike race winning 

Panigale engine. The fit and 

finish and the quality of the 

components used on the bike 

match anything on the market 

as well. Here comes the 

clincher. This bike is beautiful, 

and full of very pleasing “Character” that 

only Italians can combine into a practical 

package. It’s the one bike you would park 

in your lounge when you aren’t riding it 

because it is so good to look at. 

The new KTM 1290 GT is a new kettle 

of fish in this market sector. It is derived 

from the KTM factory parts bin, and is 

an incredibly capable and satisfying bike 

to ride. It’s styling is, well, very orange, 

very aquiline and predatory, and if Cagiva 

hadn’t used the name “Raptor” long ago 

this would be ideal for this bike. Man 

is this thing fast! The 60 degree V twin 

matches the Ducati for grunt but makes 

a completely different noise. Like the 

Honda V 4 the KTM delivers an intoxicating 

induction roar that makes you want to keep 

the throttle WFO all the time. If you wanted 

to get somewhere far in a hurry this bike is 

the business. 

The new S1000XR BMW is so different 

from the tow big V twins in every way 

except it delivers pure performance on the 

road. In terms of handling, comfort and 

speed this bike in the right hands will easily 

keep the twins in it’s rear view mirrors. The 

in-line double cam four cylinder engine just 

pumps out fuel injected power from idle 

to eye watering red-line, and remains rock 

steady whilst doing so. It uses the now 

standard uber-electronic package of ABS, 

traction control and suspension adjustment, 

and adds a little more in the form of an 

electronic quick-shifter for those who need 

that millisecond faster rush through the very 

slick gearbox. With these superfast bikes, 

who cares if the windscreens are just a tad 

too high, or low, or the exhaust is a little 

ugly. Just find an open road, tuck in and 

blast off… 


The Yamaha Tracer triple seems a 

little overawed by this competition, and 

perhaps it is. However, not everyone can 

manage one of the maxi- sportsters, 

and on one of these you certainly won’t 

be left behind or out run on the twisties 

if that’s the kind of riding you enjoy. The 

styling is very Japanese and reminds one 

of those awesomely fierce Samurai suits 

of armour…it’s impressive in a martial art 

kind of way. This is accentuated by the 

impressive scowling headlight design. The 

three cylinder motor has it’s own charm, 

and certainly delivers a strong punch every 

time the throttle is twisted. What’s more it is 

nice and low and the stretch to the ground 

is less than any other bike in the group. 

In fact, when all is said and done, this is a 

great bike. 

No-one seems to know quite why the 

Kawasaki Versys ended up as part of this 

group, but it was welcomed along anyway, 

and added a certain bit of down to earth 

perspective. After all, it is an almost basic 

parallel twin four stroke commuter type of 

machine, It proved, however, that a good 

design and good packaging can get the job 

done well, and we all enjoyed it’s cheerful 

nature and willingness to chase anything in 

the group for all it’s worth. It was certainly 

not left far behind very often, and we were 

happy to have spent some time on it. 

Glenn “Roley” Foley says: 

I think that the Singh is quite right in 

dividing the bikes into two groups cost is 

a major factor when you consider any bike 

purchase... 

So the big 3: 

For me there was a social misfit in this 

group in the form of the KTM - and I’ll 

support this comment by saying that - of 

all the bikes on test, it felt the most to me 

like a true blue sports bike. All the others 

were sit-up and beg position, whilst you 

are in a proper sports bike crouch on the 

big Katoom. In saying this, KTM has made 

something really special in this bike - and 

I’d love to have one parked in my garage... 

massive power from the big twin, faultless 

handling and distinctive looks - a proper 

hooligan machine. 

Although the big Ducati had a lot of 

kilometres on the clock, it still ran like the 

stink and handled like a charm. In my 

opinion, it is the most comfortable for 

distance of the three big machines and 

really fits the sports tourer niche perfectly. A 

fantastic, fun to ride bike. PLEASE Mr bank 

manager can I get one... I reckon for me - 

this one would just edge out the Beemer for 

top honours and this is purely thanks to the 

beautiful twin cylinder donk. 

I had the pleasure of being invited for 

a 600 odd km ride on BMW’s XR when 

they launched it, so I kinda know the bike 

intimately. It is an amazing machine in no 

uncertain terms, and BMW has married 

their sports prowess with a bit of adventure 

quite seamlessly. But - perhaps, to me the 

bike is just a bit too perfect... make sense? 

A fantastic bike by all accounts - if you are 

a BMW aficionado, or even if you aren’t 

you’ll fall in love all over again. 

And for the smaller bikes: 

Once again, I have to comment that, 

perhaps the Versys was out of it’s depth in 

a test like this - but I was proved wrong. 

This is an honest no frills bike that you 

can use to work and back - and then 

you can head out on the weekend for a 

sedate breakfast run - or you can head out 

to ET for a bit of touring. It has the most 

comfortable seat on the group, a great 

faring that offers lots of protection and is 

very un-intimidating to ride. The price has 

escalated a lot in recent months but the 

simple fact is that old stock has run out 

and we are now buying bikes with a weaker 

rand. It would be great to compare this bike 

with the new NC750. 

This was the first time that I got to ride 

the VFR powered 800 X-Runner and the 

Singh is quite right - I have not seen 

too many of these things 

around. Honda has 

a knack of purpose 

building quality 

motorcycles and 

whilst I really enjoyed 

the V-4 motor 

and the excellent 

handling - for me 

the woody factor 

was missing. Its a 

great bike that does 

everything really well, 

but does it make sense to 

say that it lacks a little bit of 

personality? At 150k It’s good value 

in todays terms... 

The Yamaha Tracer. HMMM. Ask 

anyone who knows me and they will 

tell you how I extol the virtues of a big 

triple cylinder engine. The engine is 

then single outstanding feature on this 

motorcycle - seamless power all the way 

from the bottom to the top. Rider comfort 

is more than adequate and this bike sings 

along happily all day. Of the 3 smaller bikes, 

the 140k price tag seems spot on. This 

bike is less hooligan than her MT09 cousin 

- an incredibly well rounded, well thought 

out bike. 

Kyle “One wheel” Lawrenson says: 

2016 BMW S 1000XR - (The CEO). As an 

all round bike the BMW really is something 

special. The one we rode still had its rev 

limiter set at 9000rpm, quiet frankly I am 

nowhere near fast enough for anything 

more. I enjoyed the ergonomics of the bike, 

comfort was most definitely kept in mind. 

Smooth controllable power but an absolute 

blast once in the revs. 

2016 Ducati 1200 Multistrada - (The 

Supermodel). Having spent a week with the 

bike, I really got to grips with the Multistrada. 

The controls were very simple and easy to 

use whilst on the go. Flick of the thumb, 

there you have it. I did find the bike to be 

rather top heavy but having said that you 

don’t notice it hurling along the roads and 

sweeping bends. 

2016 KTM 1290 GT - (The Hooligan). 

I loved every second in the saddle. The seat 

might not be as comfy, but whilst on the 

back wheel its the last thing on your mind. 

The GT is more of a superbike and is way 

more aggressive than other sports tourers. 

But in the right hands it can do wheelies 

from robot to robot and still be a bike that 

you can tour down the 22 in style. 

C 

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Y 

CM 

MY 

CY 

CMY 

K 


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2016 Honda 800 X-Runner - (The 

Lawyer) Smooth, stylish and comfortable. 

You don’t see many of the on the road, but 

after riding the Honda you have to ask why. 

This bike just does everything well. There 

were even debates about whether this is the 

best looking or not. 

2016 Kawasaki 650 Versys - (The 

Teacher) I love this bike, most underrated 

motorcycle Kawasaki has ever made. Would 

I buy one? Yes. 

Woefully, I did not get to swing a leg over 

the Tracer. 

Zenon “Zenooobs” Birkby says: 

Ducati’s Multistrada was my favourite as it 

felt like a couch I could ride on the bike all 

day it was planted on the road and best 

of all, for the biggest bike on the test had 

the lowest seat height so turning the bike 

around during our photo shoots was a 

breeze. The throttle response was perfect 

as were the brakes in my books best sports 

tourer out there. 

Second for me was the BMW XR. I was 

lucky enough to go on the SA launch and 

the electronics package literally saved my 

life. Its a good all rounder just the seat height 

is a bit high and it feels a little heavy when 

balancing on your on your toes. Otherwise, 

its the best cross over between an all out 

sportsbike and tourer. 

In at number three for me is the Honda. 

Yip your eyes are not deceiving you, its a 

straight forward no-nonsense bike. Now I 

ride on average 5hrs a day on a motorcycle 

so I tackle highways peak hour traffic and 

suburban back roads. The only electronics 

is the traction control, so in a way, less is 

more it just did everything the way I wanted 

it to for the riding I do. Oh, and the front 

headlights looked so pretty. 

Number four and not far off the 

Honda was the Yamaha Tracer. Also not 

mountains of electronics which the 1000cc 

plus bikes can get away with and, in 

today’s world NEED. The styling alone just 

invites you to jump on and go for a ride. 

The second shortest in the group when it 

comes to ride height so that’s big browny 

points in my book. The only dislike are the 

hand guards. They did not quite cover my 

hands in the coldest day of the year when 

we did this test... 

Now I see a few frowns coming my way 

from the other testers, when I put the KTM 

GT so far down the list. Its not a bad bike at 

all in any way, I just think it wasn’t in the right 

class of motorcycle for this story. It’s actually 

the benchmark for the next generation of 

sports X tourer. This bike is sure to have 

your missus stabbing you in the sides when 

you grab a fist full of throttle. 

The baby Kawasaki Versys wasn’t last, 

it just was with the wrong bunch of bikes, 

the Versys should have been taking on the 

NC750 Honda and Yamaha MT07. It’s very 

tall for a 650 , so not many beginner or lady 

riders will swing a leg over this one. 

The styling has improved ten fold over 

the previous models, also a bike with no 

frills of thrills so as a pure commuter a very 

respectable thumbs up... 

Mieke “Miss Singh” Oelofson says: 

I can only comment on the Yamaha Tracer 

and ducati Multistrada as they were the only 

two bikes that I could comfortably touch 

both my tiny feet on the ground with. 

The Yamaha Tracer is a real hooligan tool 

in a middleweight package, full of character 

and with enough grunt to make the ride 

a thrill. Definitely one for a lady looking to 

broaden her horizons. 

Winking at you with big bug like eyes as 

you approach, the distinct Ducati rumble 

emphasizes its powerful capabilities, and 

once on the road, the acute handling 

makes you wish the road goes on forever. 

The only complaint was from my battered 

knee, which had been injured in a previous 

occasion and did not cope well with the 

aggressive riding position. 


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By Clive “The Classic” Strugnell 

T H E F U N P A R T O F 

THE BREAKFAST RUN 

If you live in Gauteng and anyone 

Smith or Jones so that they could have 

The one thing that hasn’t changed 

mentions the Breakfast Run it is 

bacon and eggs. That done everyone would though is how much fun it is to sit and tell 

immediately accepted that you mean race off as fast as they could to the hotel. biking stories with all your mates and their 

a motorcycle ride from anywhere on the 

Reef to somewhere around Hartebeespoort 

Dam. The funny thing about the Breakfast 

Run is that it started off as quite a formal 

thing… a bunch of guys who had bought 

the motorcycle that really changed the 

world, the original Honda CB 750, wanted 

somewhere to go where they could ride 

fast, and where there was hardly any traffic 

(or Spietcops). This was back in 1970, 

especially at 7am on a Sunday morning. 

Guys with the first real production superbike 

would meet at the old Bryanston Post Office, 

count how many people had pitched, and 

phone Mrs Gray at the old Hartebeespoort 

Hotel opposite the Zoo, (it’s now a steak 

house) to tell her how many s she should 

prepare. The Jewish guys left their 

yarmulkes at home and called themselves 

Breakfast was a great event, more for the 

rubbish that everyone talked than the food. 

It was just a laugh a minute from beginning 

to the end. It was also the place to show off 

anything new and was just so enjoyable. 

Over the years a lot has changed. The 

bikes are better and faster, there are lots 

more of them, the old Hotel is long gone 

but it has been replaced by literally dozens 

of really cool breakfast places. The roads 

have actually got worse and the traffic is 

hectic, partly because where this part of 

the Magaliesberg used to be a backward 

place where robbers and highwaymen hid 

from the cops it’s now one huge up-market 

suburb. So it’s now an ever better place to 

show off all the best biking stuff at trendy 

coffee spots. 

mates well - everyone’s mates. 

So when we recently decided to try out 

a collection of the latest super touring bikes 

we decided the only way to do this properly 

was to go on a Breakfast Run. Being a bit 

old school I thought this meant meeting 

at the designated spot at about 7 am. No 

way Jose’…this is 2016, we met at 10am. 

Frikadel….maybe we will be in time for 

lunch. Anyway, we eventually all managed 

to find our group, and after confusing each 

other properly trying to get photo’s with cell 

phones and a Go Pro, we decided to swop 

bikes. The idea was to ride each of them 

and then build up a story with everyone’s 

opinions combined. So we stopped at the 

Cradle where lots of guys in funny tights 

hissed past us on pedal bikes, and moved 

to the next bike. 


One of them was the new Ducati 

Multistrada, a bike full of electronic trickery, 

just like most of the others in the group. Of 

course being fast and sexy we all made a 

bee line for it. It was like a Le Mans start 

every time we swopped. Most of the time 

we would just leave the bikes in neutral with 

the engine running so that once aboard we 

could take off as fast as possible to stay in 

front. The big Duc was no exception, except 

that more than once the poor guy riding the 

bike pulled off only to grind to a halt a few 

meters later with a dead engine. The reason 

was that this bike has one more electronic 

gizmo than any of the others. It has a trick 

electronic key. You put it in your pocket and 

as long as you are on the bike or standing 

right next to it all you have to do is press 

the starter. Move away and it switches off 

completely. No idle, no light, no hooter. 

Nada. So what would happen in the rush to 

jump onto something new the Ducati rider 

would leap onto another bike and rush off 

with the electronic key still in his pocket. 

The new Ducati rider, especially those who 

didn’t know about the key yet, would be 

left standing, desperately trying to work 

out what had happened, which included 

trying to find the key slot….of 

course there isn’t 

one. Everyone else had hurtled off over the 

horizon by this time, and only kays away 

would they realise the Ducati was missing. 

Then the delinquent with the key had to go 

back in disgrace. When we eventually sat 

down for breakfast (at lunchtime) everyone 

hosed themselves at the expense of the 

guys left stranded. And so we got talking 

about mishaps that had befallen riders on 

other groups. There were many, each one 

funnier than the next. 

The story that topped them all though 

featured the famous Zenon Birkby, who 

works for Rob at RideFast. Zenoob as he is 

known, is that one guy that always seems 

to land in the worst situations. The story 

that had us cracking up on this particular 

breakfast was how, on a previous foray 

down to the Lowveld, the group stopped for 

lunch. As always happens just as everyone 

is finished eating, drinking, smoking and 

generally fussing about and is ready to 

saddle up and leave, someone needs the 

loo…invariably it’s The Great Zenoob. On 

this occasion no one noticed that he had 

gone to the crapper and everyone rode off, 

only to discover a while later that he was 

missing. So after waiting for a while and 

no sign of him, Rob got a bit worried, as 

one does (sometimes) and headed back 

to find him. When he got to the lunch spot 

Zenoob’s bike was still standing outside. 

After a quick look around Rob came to the 

only conclusion; He must have 

gone to the toilet, so off he 

went in search of the 

missing person. 

First thing he saw on entering the gents 

was a pair of bike boots behind a partly 

closed loo door. Peeking around the door 

there was Zenoob, lying on the floor groggily 

shaking his head. “Geez Zen, that must 

have been some dump” called Rob, only to 

be met by a gradually refocusing stare…. 

In the end it turned out that whilst sitting on 

the throne, with the door not quite closed 

because of a broken lock, someone had 

bashed it open in haste thinking the cubicle 

was empty. The door hit the Z flat on his 

bowed head, dropping him senseless 

on the spot. The offender dashed off in 

embarrassment not knowing the result of 

his rush to the toilet. Needless to say this 

story will become an urban legend and live 

forever, perfect fodder for many Breakfast 

run meals to come! 

But we digress. 200 odd kilometres for 

the day, from the East Rand, to the garage 

at the bottom of Krugersdorp hill and then 

off to the Cradle of Mankind to visit the 

friendly giraffe at the Rhino park restaurant. 

From there, a circular route around harties 

and back to the Oos. A great ride with lots 

to see, plenty of twisties and some really 

brilliant machines… 


2 0 1 6 I S L E O F M A N T T 

STREET BRAWL 

The 2016 TT was all about two gladiators, both on BMW S1000RR machines. 

Words: Wayne van Tonder - wayneswordblog.wordpress.com 

The Isle of Man called for late 

evenings and early mornings 

in order to catch the featured 

races that in fact were highlights. 

It’s unfortunate really that we have 

to watch the races like this. Watching 

live coverage would be amazing. I feel 

like more should be invested in getting 

live coverage of these races because 

in all honesty we are watching history 

being made every time these guys 

go around this historic track. Not only 

that but it is breathtaking racing! 

This years TT was the tale of two 

men, Ian Hutchinson and Michael 

Dunlop. 

Dunlop started it all off with a win 

in the Superbike race. Hutchinson 

then took three wins in a row with the 

Supersport and Superstock races 

going his way and by some distance 

too. Dunlop being disqualified from 

the first Supersport race with the use 

of a part deemed to be illegal. 

With Hutchinson dominating the 

mountain course it seemed Dunlop 

was out of it and all money was 

suddenly on Hutchinson to take the 

Senior as well. Dunlop however would 

have the final say, breaking every 

course record on the way to victory in 

the Senior TT. 

The post race interviews got 

heated when Hutchinson got his turn 

to speak, making note of what had 

taken place behind the scenes with 

Michael Dunlop and his team. A little 

Rossi, Marquez and Lorenzo moment 

going down at the Isle of Man. 

Hutchinson very surprisingly stating 

that it may take some convincing 

to get him back to the TT next year 

because of everything that happened. 

Let’s hope for the sake of the Isle of 

Man and the racing that he was just 

speaking out emotion. 

Back to the racing itself though 

and I will admit that the Supersport 



aces are my personal favourite. Watching these guys ride those 

600’s to the absolute limit is just extraordinary. Hearing the 

600cc engines scream their way around the mountain course, 

there is nothing else like it and in this particular race you can 

see why 600’s are still great bikes. Long live the 600 class! 

As for the Superbikes and Superstock races. The speed of 

those machines is unbelievable and in the hands of these guys 

it’s frankly scary to watch but at the same time you can’t take 

your eyes off the screen. 

As old as the Honda Fireblade may be in comparison to the 

new technological wonders, it still amazes and competes. It 

actually is still preferred ahead of the likes of the new Yamaha 

R1 by the top guys. Not only that but I still think it’s a beautiful 

bike. Honda got it right with that bike and with rumours from 

the commentators, backed up by McGuinness in the post race 

interviews, that Honda will have a new bike for next years race, 

they have a lot to live up to. 


The BMW’s though were supremely quick, especially 

in the hands of Hutchinson and Dunlop. 

As I expected the Honda RC213V of Bruce Anstey, 

sounded extraordinary. Maybe a new race could be 

born from it, (hint hint MotoGP manufacturers). The road 

replicas of course. How amazing would that be. What 

a beautiful soundtrack that would produce around the 

Isle. Unfortunately Anstey was not fully fit, however he 

did take a victory in the week, winning the Zero TT. 

One of the stories of the week though was 

undoubtedly Dean Harrison. The young gun having a 

great week. No doubt he will be one to watch next year 

and records may again be falling, look out Hutchinson 

and Dunlop. Even the commentators saying Harrison 

doesn’t know just how good he is yet. 

On the other end of the scale though, we may have 

seen the end to the reign of John McGuinness. He 

took no victories this year and it seems the younger 

guys now have his number. He however did say he 

will be back to ride the new Honda next year and with 

McGuinness you just never know. 

The Lightweight class was won by Ivan Lintin while 

the two sidecar races, not my cup of tea I have to say, 

went to John Holde and Andrew Winkle in race one. 

Race two going to brothers Ben and Tom Birchall. 

All in all it was another year of unbelievable racing. 

Next year already seems as though it will be a tasty 

one with new Honda’s set to line up and let’s not forget 

Suzuki’s new Gixxer will be out. Let’s hope one of the 

top guys will be on it and maybe the R1’s will make a 

better showing. Bike wise, it should be an interesting 

watch, rider wise it could be much closer. 

Hutchinson took the overall points win with Harrison 

second, Dunlop third. 

Sadly there were four deaths in the week with Paul 

Shoesmith, Andrew Soar, Dwight Bear and Ian Bell 


Great to see former SA champ 

Arushen Moodley back racing on his 

Dynamic Express services Kawasaki. 

Pic by Eugene’s Digital Images 

Words & Pics: Adriaan Venter—www.rainmakerbell.com 

Red Square Kawasaki ZX10R Masters: 

PARALLEL UNIVERSE 

CHAPTER FIVE: / You can take a picture 

of something you see/ In the future where 

will I be?/ You can climb a ladder up to the 

sun/ Or write a song nobody has sung/ Or 

do something that’s never been done/ … — 

Coldplay, Talk 

I stare at Bloubergstrand. The leadenblue 

sea has some kind of gravitational 

force, dragging me closer and closer to the 

water’s edge. The wind hits me mercilessly 

in my face. Through my watery eyes, I see 

Table Mountain in the backdrop. And as 

far as the eye can see, kitesurfers take to 

the wind, in all their glory, in all the colours 

of the rainbow. Their inexhaustible energy 

makes me want to stay. And it’s exactly 

what I did… 

Not far from here is Killarney racetrack, 

one of the first international racing circuits. 

If I’m finished here (with my deep stare into 

the dull blue), taking pictures, I would like 

to visit the old lady. Maybe, just maybe, 

there is thunder, something to grace her old 

coarse skin, giving her a voice again. 

I finally got to the main gate, and there 

is was … the bleak thunder. A mundane 

public track day, unfolding into something 

not very exciting, not very exhilarating at 

all. White collars, abusing their normal 

9-5-cars (without number plates), for a few 

thrilling rounds. Are they aware that the 

Extreme Festival plays host to this type of 

“genre”, the Extreme Supercars? There is 

a Lotus Exige, a yellow one, standing in 

the pit lane; a Mercedes V8 Bi-turbo GTS; 

an old Nissan Skyline; a very slow Nissan 

GTR, and about 20 common cars under 

three-hundred-thousand… 

As the thunder dissipates into turn one, 

I think of the Red Square Kawasaki ZX10R 

Masters in the silence. I wonder, how it all 

“plays” out. 

Seven-hundred-and-sixty-six-kilometres 

due east, lies Aldo Scribante. This weekend, 

the Kawasaki Masters will put the thunder 

properly back into the black. Two new 

faces are on the books: Wayne Spicer and 

Arushen Moodley—WELCOME! 

Eighteen superbikes riders, 18 Kawasaki 

ZX10R superbikes, 72 Bridgestone Battlax 

R10 tyres; Red Square Reload, Crabbie’s, 

Carlsberg, and Red Square colours, by the 

case load. And … they are ready to bring 

the sky down over Port Elizabeth. Without 

further ado, here they are: Arushen Moodley 

#21, Pieter de Vos #17, Sven Grüne #66, 

Kyle Robinson #18, Jaco Gous #43, Teddy 

Brooke #93, Johan Le Roux #44, Sanjiv 

Singh #12, Jason Joshua #76, Raymond 

Keel #33, Michael Smit #49, Russ Page 

#46, Abrie Marais #48, Henk Schuiling #69, 

Ian Harwood #24, Mike McSkimming #71, 

Etienne Louw #56, Wayne Spicer #90. 

The winter has finally shown her face. 

It is not a cruel one, just one that we all 

expected. My things are not packed. I still 

lie in bed, watching the ceiling, waiting for 

the damn white light to appear, and for 

some vague spectre to touch my feet. (This 

happens from time to time to me.) Port 

Elizabeth is not seeing me this year. It’s 

actually a pity. In some reluctant sense I do 


Kyle Robinson 

understand the Club’s decision. Sometimes 

we are left behind for the greater good, 

whatever that means. The Aliens never 

came, neither Judgement Day. Graeme Van 

Breda (#1), took a leave of absence, off to 

America, or somewhere exotic; and Bono 

(U2) sings: it’s a beautiful day. 

(For those who still don’t know me, my 

name is Adriaan Venter (abc@rainmakerbell. 

com)—creative/freestyle writer and 

photographer for the Red Square Kawasaki 

ZX10R Masters. Well, I try my utmost. 

Unfortunately, I’m useless, when it comes 

to writing unstimulating race-reports. That 

would just kill me, probably the Club too. 

Motorsport has more to it than you can 

ever imagine: there is a world within a world 

connecting us all, since the beginning of 

time. Remember the BIG BANG? And THIS 

is what I love to write about: the thunder, the 

thrills, the spills, the people; and the smell of 

race fuel in the morning. And many thanks 

to RideFast Magazine, for advancing my 

words/features, beyond further.) 

I can only assume that most of the 

wives, ladies, if you prefer, will remain 

behind. Just like me. To man the stove, 

doing dishes, darning a few socks, or 

even vacuum the carpets in a sensual/ 

provocative way. I never do dishes, or push 

anything with wheels, unless it’s a shopping 

cart. Keeping the “Atom Heart Mother”, 

from killing my wallet. Oh! This is going to 

hurt, the next time they see me. May God 

have mercy on me. 

Away in PE, we can entertain our 

thoughts, by believing, that they will work 

their hands to stumps. Wrong! Cooking 

shows make up their intrinsic, delicate 

characteristics, believe me; SuperSport 

8 (channel 208), 2Wheels (and other high 

octane channels), is what makes up our 

“true” alter egos. Will they ever understand 

us? Hmmm. No! 

Subject yourself to the ordinary, to the 

mundane in life, and old age will surely come 

looking for you. These Masters engage 

themselves in THIS genre: to test life’s limits, 

to defy the bump-and-grind of common 

life, to launch inspirational moments—to be 

the pinnacle, of what we take for granted. 

Great—Red Square—moments, define our 

lives (to some extend)… 

As the wind wells my eyes (and the 

thought of not being there), I can only image 

what it must be like at Aldo Scribante … 

The Internet is a great source of 

information, Lynette (Fourie) too: Practice 

session one, recorded Kyle Robinson, in 

top spot; second Sven Grüne; and in third, 

Teddy Brooke, racing a new 2016 Kawasaki 

ZX10R. Practice 2: Arushen Moodley, 

Sven, Kyle. Pieter De Vos, just missed 

third. Newcomer, Wayne Spicer, recorded 

a twelve place. Practice 3: #21, #66, #17. 

These results show potential, hoping Pieter, 

will capitalize on the absence of Graeme. 

(Pieter is an old hand of the track, not 

always realising his own greatness.) 

I can only imagine: I have never ridden 

a superbike in my life. How it must feel. 

The agony these riders must go through 

(except Johan Le Roux #44, he’s a machine 

in his own sense). From turn to turn, down 

the pit straight, lap after lap, keeping your 

senses, letting the muscle come 

through. White knuckles, as 

they turn full throttle, hitting the 

brakes, releasing the clutch-lever. 


Sven Grüne, Arushen 

Moodley (21), Kyle 

Robinson. 

Sustaining full composure for 12 laps. 

Reflect on this for a moment, next time 

you feel agitated with your life. There 

are people doing it for sport; these 

Masters, are doing it, to defy the laws of 

life. Rejuvenating the senses, we forgot 

we have. 

The parallel universe: “It is a 

hypothetical self-contained reality coexisting 

with one’s own.” That would 

be mine. On the west end of my reality 

lives my ego; on the east end of the 

tunnel, presumably it’s a tunnel, lives my 

alter ego—the Kawasaki Masters realm. 

The waves break over my feet, wetting 

my shoes. Kitesurfers take to the sky, 

living every moment. On the east end, 

Arushan Moodley takes a double 

chequered flag for the day, disrupting 

the order of things. Pieter took second 

in heat one. Congratulations, to the 

“Terrier”. Sven, just missed the second 

rung. How will this affect him, you may 

ask. Retaliation is the answer to most of 

our niggling problems. He (Sven) took 

second, in heat two, making space for 

the amazing Kyle Robinson. Johan Le 

Roux took the fourth place with the 

same expression as the Cheshire Cat. 

The “Terrier” ended up in fifth. Buoyant, 

Russ Page, recorded a 12 and 13 for 

the day. How does this affect the points 

standing: Season favourite Kyle, is in 

second, with 116, towered by Sven 

with 139. Third is Pieter (98). Fourth, 

tenacious Johan Le Roux (97), followed 

by Teddy Brooke (80). Closing the gate 

in sixth, Graeme Van Breda, with 75. 

The sun drags itself over the horizon 

with difficulty. I don’t want it to go, but 

that’s life. / So you run and you run to 

catch up with the sun but it’s sinking/ 

Racing around to come up behind you 

again/ The sun is the same in a relative 

way but you’re older/ Shorter of breath 

and one day closer to death/... 

It has become time to leave 

the beach behind. The kitesurfers 

detached themselves from what is wet 

and wonderful. On the east end, the 

flames lick the evening sky. Coolers 

flip open, the smell of matured steak 

fills the evening air. The day is over (for 

me), my parallel universe collapses, 

making way for new thoughts, for new 

moments. I was there. —Godspeed! 

[Upcoming Race Meetings: 9 July, 

BMSC (East London); 9 August, 

Zwartkops Raceway.] 

(ALCOHOL IS ADDICTIVE—Not for sale to 

anyone under the age of 18. SMOKING KILLS.) 

Pieter De Vos, 

Johan Le Roux. 

INSIDE MAN: ERIC COOK 

SUB 10 THUNDERBIKES 

This Season has had a lot of ups, and quite a few 

downs, but nevertheless it has been a great first half 

of the season and it has put a lot of good strain on 

the team. We are working harder on the bike and in 

the gym to get things better. 

The season started off quite badly with a crash 

on the second lap of the first heat. This puts a lot 

of doubt in ones head for the rest of the season, 

but we took good data away and looked forward 

to the next round. Through out the year we have 

tried a lot to get to the top, since we are backed 

by the NO.1 Sportbike Magazine in South Africa, 

Ridefast! We were trying to live up to their name and 

expectations. 

The season so far has been great, with great 

people by my side pushing me harder and after 

the last round at Zwartkops on the 21st of May, 

we are currently leading the Sub10 Superbike 

Championship, which is just going to make us work 

harder and push more to ensure that we bring home 

that No.1 plate! 

I just want to say a HUGE thank you to my sponsors 

to sticking with me during this season and I look 

forward to working with all of my amazing sponsors 

for the second half of the season! 

Thank you to; Burgess and Partners Plumbing, 

Brunational, B4 Plastics, Mic’s Barber Shop, 

Crusader Graphics and Signs, Kim 

Tiley Racing, Meric Distribution, 

Suga Chix and the No.1 Magazine 

in South Africa, Ridefast!

SA SBK RACING: 

SUPER GP NATIONALS: SEASON SO FAR 

THE STORY SO FAR 

The 2016 SuperGP National championship so far been nothing short of spectacular. World class racing from world 

class riders. The glory days might just be on their way back. Words: Rob Portman Pics: Eric Buijs / Eugene Liebenberg 

It pleases me to be writing positive stuff 

about our local SuperGP Championship. 

For long there was not much to get that 

excited about but the 2016 season has reignited 

the old flame. 

Packed grids and world class racing 

is what this season has been about so 

far, and I have been lucky enough to have 

the best seat in the house behind the 

microphone commentating on what has 

literally been throat tearing stuff. I have lost 

count on the amount of times I have lost my 

voice whilst commentating this year, good 

thing I have the voice of motorsport himself, 

Greg Moloney next to me to bail me out. 

The season got off to a bang at round 

one held at Redstar Raceway. New riders 

and new teams were out to do battle, and 

battle they did. 

It was familiar faces out front in the 

Super 600 category, with 2015 champ, 

Steven Odendaal, no longer with anassis 

Racing but rather his own private team, 

taking on young gun and new Anassis 

racing star, Adolf Boshoff. 

After banging elbows from the first 

corner to last it was Adolf that drew first 

blood, taking the win ahead of the number 

1 plate holder. Odendaal would get his 

revenge in race number two, stamping his 

authority on the race and showing why he 

is the champion. 

It was a welcome return to racing in SA 

for Suzuki, who under the Uncle Andy’s 

Racing banner, would run two GSXR600’s 

in the Super600 class and one GSXR1000 

in the SuperGP class. Durban hot shot, 


Blaze Baker was joined by 2014 Northern 

regions 600cc champion Darien Kayser. 

Baker would go on to pick up two 3rd 

place finishes for the Suzuki team, not bad 

for their first time back. 

In the SuperGP class it was all about the 

Clint Seller and Mathew Scholtz rivalry. The 

Yamaha R1 mounted riders would once 

again go at it, and it was Seller who had 

the upper-hand in the opening laps of race 

one, pulling out a 2.5 second lead in the 

first 3 laps. Pole man Scholtz had showed 

great pace through-out the practise 

sessions and started to recover after a not 

so good start and slowly closed the gap 

on the leader. Seller would then make the 

first big mistake of the season, crashing his 

Neo Life Yamaha big style going into the 

final turn. Seller admitted to just pushing to 

hard. That left Scholtz to go and take the 

flag and the first 25-points of the season. 

Anthony Shelley, who is sadly no longer 

with us, took a well deserved second place 

on his new Fercor construction Yamaha R1 

ahead of BMW mounted Daryn Upton, who 

surprised all with his great pace on his full 

return to National Superbike racing. 

Seller would suffer further 

disappointment as he was not able to 

make it out for race two as his bike was 

too badly damaged after the crash. That 

pretty much left Scholtz out front all on 

his lonesome, but the battle behind him 

was heating up. Newcomer to the 1000cc 

category for 2016 was 2015 600cc runnerup, 

Michael White, who had also opted to 

go with a Yamaha R1 for the 2016 season, 

backed by Consortium Shipping. 

Michael did not have much time on the 

bike leading up to the race, yet somehow 

still managed to find great pace after 

picking up a well deserved 4th place in 

race one first time out on the big bike. 

Race two and White was a little more 

comfortable on the bike and it showed. He 

was now right on the tail pipe of Shelley, 

pushing him every lap trying to force 

a mistake out of the 19-year old. That 

mistake never came and Shelley would 

pull a slight gap on White in the closing 

stages of the race, but a great ride from the 

newcomer. That was the first, and certainly 

not the last podium sweep for Yamaha so 

far this season. 

Round two moved onto Phakisa 

Freeway out in Welkom and after what was 

a sunny Friday practise, quickly turned 

into a nightmare as an overnight storm/ 

hurricane hit the small town pretty much 

destroying the track and its facilities. 

I arrived at the track bright and early 

on Saturday morning and what I saw 

was something out of a Zombie movie. 

Destroyed team gazebos were lying 

stranded everywhere while the pits were 

knee deep in water thanks to blocked 

drains. How all the teams managed to get 

everything sorted and go racing is still a 

mystery to me but as they say “The show 

must go on”, and on it went. 

4-time SA champ Clint Seller was 

determined to out what was a disastrous 

Redstar race meeting behind, and 

focussed on clawing back the 50-points he 

had lost to Scholtz. 

The SuperGP grid looked more like a 

World Superstock grid with big names like 

David McFadden, Greg Gildenhuys and 

Nicolas Grobler all making an appearance. 

Seller was out to prove a point and 

that he did by dominating the weekends 

racing, winning both races in style and 

somehow posting super fast lap times on 

the not ideal track. 

Scholtz would pick up 2nd place in race 

one and then disaster struck in race two 

when he crashed out in a freaky way. On 

the warm-up lap, Scholtz had dug his knee 

in the grass, ripping his knee slider off in the 

process. Little did he know how costly that 

would be as a couple of laps into the race 

that same knee slider was hit up by Seller 

and somehow found its way under the front 

wheel of Scholtz, who was sent down in a 

big heap of dust. No points for the leader 

who lost 30-points to his main rival. 

Michael White would go on to have 

another impressive weekend picking up 

a 4th place in race one, just behind 3rd 

place Lance Isaacs after a race long battle 

with the veteran, and another podium 

finish in race two, this time in 2nd. That put 

him just a couple of points behind Scholtz 

in the standings heading into the next 

round at Zwartkops. 

It was all action happened behind the 

leading pair. The fight for the final podium 

position was a nine-way struggle that saw 

the lead swap almost every lap. Isaacs 

eventually emerged on top taking third 

from Daryn Upton (Turnskill Engineering 

BMW S1000RR), Dean Vos (Trolan Bikes 

Kawasaki ZX10R) and Gildenhuys (~Kreepy 

Krauly Kawasaki) 




The Super600 class was once again all 

about Odendaal and Boshoff, and just like 

at Redstar, they would go onto to share the 

days spoils with a win and a second place 

each. Both riders displayed breathtaking 

bike skills and some of the passes they 

pulled off left me speechless, and that’s not 

an easy thing to do... 

Blaze baker would again go on to pick 

up two more podium finishes and getting 

more data out of his Suzuki GSXR600. 

Next up it was Zwartkops and it was 

great to see a massive crowd come to 

enjoy the days racing, even though it 

was freezing cold on raceday. The crowd 

certainly did get their moneys worth as 

the racing on track was nothing short of 

spectacular. Everyone quickly forgot about 

the cold conditions as the racing action 

was so hot it warmed the body and soul. 

By now things were really starting to get 

tasty between the Yamaha riders in both the 

SuperGP and Super600 championships. 

Seller has always been a hard man to beat, 

especially at the Zwartkops track where 

he seems to find that bit extra. It was up 

to Scholtz and White to try and stop Seller, 

who was determined to get himself back to 

the top of the standing and go for his 5th 

SA title in a row. 

The lap times set in practise and 

qualifying were simply outrageous, with 

both Seller and Scholtz going under the 

1,01 minute mark. Those kind of lap times 

have not been seen in a long time. 

Scholtz would take pole position, setting 

a unbelievable 1,01.2, ahead of Seller and 

Gildenhuys who made a welcomed return 

to the front row. Going into the Zwartkops 

race and there was a new contender for 

podium finishes. AJ Venter had started 

the season off on the Uncle Andy’s racing 

Suzuki GSXR1000, but parted ways with 

the team after Phakisa. He soon joined 

the new Hygenica Racing team on board 

another Yamaha R1. Venter would make an 

immediate impact picking up 3rd place in 

race one first time out on the new machine, 

showing what a talent he is and how good 

the R1 machine is. 

Seller dominated race one, after opting 

to go out on a new set of sticky Pirelli 

tyres while Scholtz opted to use his slightly 

used Pirelli tyres from qualifying, keeping 

his new set for race number two. That 

proved to be a big factor as Seller had to 

push hard at the start of race two to keep 

Scholtz at bay. The Emtek rider eventually 

making his way past after showing better 

pace. It was up to Seller to try and disrupt 

Scholtz’ rhythm, something he is very 

good at doing, trust me, I have been there. 

Disaster would strike the Neo Life Yamaha 

rider once again, this time brake fade 

heading into the very fast, and dangerous 

for me, turn number 4. Seller used all his 

experience and through his R1 machine to 

the ground to avoid hitting the wall head 

on. Seller went head over heals in a huge 

crash that looked very bad. Somehow he 


managed to walk away with only minor 

injuries but it was another 25-points lost 

to Scholtz who went on to win by miles. 

Behind him Isaacs had worked his 

way up to second on the road but a 

30 second penalty for jumping the 

start dropped the veteran down to 

tenth in the overall results. The battle 

for the remaining podium positions 

eventually came down to a two-way 

fight between Gildenhuys and White, 

with Gidenhuys just taking second. 

Venter recovered from a poor start to 

take fourth ahead of Dean Vos (Trolan 

Bikes Yamaha R1) with Brandon 

Goode not far behind in sixth. 

Boshoff was proving to be the 

master of Super600 qualifying as 

he took his third pole position of the 

season at Zwartkops. Watching this kid 

throw his Neo life Yamaha R6 into turn 

one really was a scary yet impressive 

sight. NO FEAR! Odendaal had to be 

content with second with Blaze Baker 

completing the front row. 

The opening race was not even a 

lap old when the red flags came out 

after Baker had a spectacular accident 

through turn 7. While he was not 

hurt the same cannot be said for his 

bike and he was forced to become a 

spectator. From the re-start it was all 

about Odendaal and Boshoff at the 

front of the field with the pair swapping 

positions, and paint, in 16 laps of 

thrilling racing. In the end it was Boshoff 

who was in front when it counted, 

taking the win by just 0.111 seconds. 

Behind the leading duo, the 

impressive Dylan Barnard had his best 

result of the season, taking third ahead 

of lady rider Nicole van Aswegen. 

Race two provided more thrilling 

action at the front with Odendaal and 

Boshoff again pulling away from the 

rest of the pack. Boshoff’s bike almost 

threw him off when the rear tyre started 

to lose grip and, when a back-marker 

caused him drop further back, he 

decided to settle for second. Baker’s 

pit crew had done an amazing job 

to get his bike back together for the 

second race although he was forced to 

start from pit lane after a problem with 

his bike on the grid. He didn’t let this 

worry him however, and fought his way 

through the field eventually joining the 

battle for the final podium spot, at that 

time being fought out between Barnard 

and van Aswegen, with a couple of 

laps to go. Baker was able to get past 

van Aswegen just ran out laps before 

he could find a way past Barnard and 

had to settle for fourth. Van Aswegen 

ended the race in fifth ahead of Jesse 

Boshoff (Kawasaki ZX6). 

The championship moved to the 

latest instalment of what had already 

been a mouth watering season. The 

Killarney track down in Cape Town 

hosted round 4, and this, without a 

doubt, had to be one of the best racing 

weekends I have seen in SA in a very 

long time, if not ever! 

From the KTM RC390 Junior Cup 

right up to the SuperGP class, the racing 

action was thrilling and intense. This is 

where my poor voice stood no chance! 

Seller got off to a great start in 

race one, barging his way through on 

Scholtz who had got the holeshot. 

Seller looked to have it in the bag after 

pulling out a comfortable lead in the 

opening laps. That was until Scholtz put 

in lap record after lap record. He closed 

the gap down to Seller, who looked to 

be struggling with arm pump. Seller, 

being the fighter he is, tried to fight 

back at Scholtz heading into the final 

turn but was forced to run wide and off 

track after going in just a little too fast. 

Maybe that feeling of having no brakes 

at Zwartkops came back to haunt him, 

something that happens to me very 

often after a similar incident happened 

to me back in 2013. Nasty feeling... 

That mistake dropped Seller down 

to 4th position behind White and 

Gildenhuys, who was starting to look 

really good on the new 2016 Kawasaki. 

That was more points for Scholtz 

who headed into race two with a 

comfortable lead over Seller and White 

in the overall standings. 

In race two it was White who led the 

way in the early stages with Seller and 

Scholtz chasing hard. White looked 

calm and comfortable out front and 

actually started to pull away from the 

rest. Slowly but surely both seller and 

Scholtz closed the gap to White, and 

close on half way through the race 

is when things really got heated. The 

leaders caught the back markers 




SUPER GP 

Championship points: 

Mathew Scholtz - 165 

Michael White - 118 

Clint Seller - 108 

and Seller used them to his advantage, 

muscling his way through on White who 

had been held up slightly by a back marker 

in turn one. One thing you need to know 

about Seller is that he don’t need no 

second invitation and if he sees a gap he 

takes it, and that he did, almost like a bully 

on the school playground stealing another 

kids candy. There was a big coming 

together between Seller and White, with 

coming out worst dropping down to fourth 

after having to run off track. That promoted 

Scholtz to the lead followed by the hard 

charging Seller and Gildenhuys, and that’s 

how it would finish. 

Although hard it was a good lesson for 

White who I’m sure will never let himself be 

bullied like that again. What doesn’t kill you 

makes you stronger hey... 

Once again Adolf Boshoff showed what 

an amazing talent he is by posting a time 

in qualifying that would have put him in 4th 

position on the 1000cc grid. A 1,11.4 on 

his 600cc machine. Incredible stuff. Clearly 

he was motivated by the fact that his 

closest rival, Steven Odendaal was away 

on international duties, and doing a great 

job mind you winning in the Spanish Moto2 

championship. You would think Adolf might 

sit back and take it easy, well if you did 

think that then you don’t know the man 

at all. Boshoff came out charging harder 

than ever and once again watching this 

guy in action in both frightening and super 

impressive at the same time. It’s amazing 

what he can do, in and out of corners. And 

yes, you guessed it, he took the double win 

on the day, but, it must be said that he did 

not have it all his own way in race number 

two especially. While he cruised home to 

a comfortable win in race one, race two 

was a different ball game. Suzuki’s Blaze 

Baker was sick of the sight of the Yamaha 

rider ahead of him and set out to get his, 

and Suzuki’s first win of the season. The 

GSXR600 was fast, really fast making up 

bike lengths down the two long straights. 

While Boshoff still hand the upper-hand 

SUPER 600 

Championship points: 

Adolf Boshoff - 185 

Steven Odendaal - 135 

Blaze Baker - 117 

under braking, Baker was becoming a big 

nuisance to the championship leader, who 

was having to ride harder and take more 

chances than he would have liked I’m sure. 

In the end it came right down to the 

wire, with Boshoff just taking the win ahead 

of Baker, and local man Hayden Jonas 

who was racing the Yamaha R6 vacated by 

Steven Odendaal for the weekend in hopes 

that the local lad would be able to take 

some points away from Boshoff. It was 

not to be but a great ride from Jonas none 

the less. The local riders always manage 

to shine down at Killarney and once again 

they did. Warren Guantario and Alex van 

den Berg both challenging right up at the 

sharp end of the field, and while Guantario 

did mange to get himself on the podium in 

both races, was entered as a regional rider 

so did not stand on the National podium. 

But, he did prove that he has what it takes 

to run at the front, as did van den Berg 

who picked up a podium finish himself. 

I must also give a mention to the riders 

in the KTM RC390 Cup. They really have 

put on a great show so far this year, 

especially at Killarney where it was similar 

to the Mugello Moto3 race that had 

happened the week before, and we all 

know how frantic that was, and yes, a KTM 

rider won that as well I believe, a certain Mr 

Brad Binder... you beauty! 

Well, these young riders are certainly 

on their way to becoming the next Brad 

Binder, the racing they put on in Cape town 

was world class. 6 riders dicing for top 

spot, and all 6 more often that not side by 

side rubbing fairing, elbows and whatever 

else. What’s even more impressive is how 

they still respect each other, both on and 

off the track. Really is great to see the 

future of SA racing in good hands. Now it’s 

just up to the rest of us to do as much as 

we can to help support them and get them 

to the world stage, where SA riders are 

proving they belong. 

A big thanks to all who come out and 

support our local racing. You really don’t 

know what a huge impact you have and 

I hope it continues. The crowd down in 

Cape Town always impress and we down 

here in JHB can learn a thing or two 

from them about supporting and being 

passionate about your local motorsport. 

Long may this hype surrounding 

two-wheeled motorcycle racing at the 

moment live! 


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1607 RF final

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