1701 RF final

JANUARY 2017 RSA R30.00 

JANUARY 2017 

// WORLD LAUNCH TEST 

NEW 

BEAST! 

2017 KTM 1290 

SUPERDUKE R 

9 772075 405004 

17001 

ENDURANCE RACING 

• RSR RSR 24 24 HOUR HOUR && MAD MAD MACS MACS 88 HOUR HOUR 

PLUS: 2006 SUPERBIKES / TOY RUN 2016 

/ ROSSI CUSTOM FORD VEHICLES 

/ SA RIDERS RACING ABROAD 

/ SMALL BIKES & MORE

1 

BIKE SA 24 

HOUR 2016 

WINNERS 

“We did 9 

hours on a set 

of tyres - they 

were brilliant!” 

Ricky Morais 

SmartZone App on your phone 

dunloptyres.co.za 

DunlopTyresSA DunlopTyresSA @JohnBoydSA 

DunlopTyresSA DunlopTyresSA 

1002 RIDEFAST MAGAZINE JANUARY 2017

THE DOMINANCE 

CONTINUES... 

Team RideFast wins Bike SA 24 Hour using Dunlop tyres! 

D211 GP PRO 

D212 GP PRO 

Q3 

RIDEFAST MAGAZINE JANUARY 2017 1

W E L C O M E THE TEAM: 

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 5035 

Talk about a busy end to the year. My 

2016 was great, and what a great to end it 

off by winning my 4th 24 Hour race out of 

5, and 2nd in a row with Team RideFast. 

Full coverage in this issue. Big thanks 

to Kawasaki SA, Dunlop SA, Dynamic 

Express Services, Galfer, Fourways MC, 

Evolve Nutrition, R&G brake lever guards, 

EmTek Racing, Tj’s Liquors, Superbike 

Solutions and the team for making this 

years event so special. 

A week after the 24 hour and it was 

more endurance racing for me, this time 

down in Cape Town for the Mad Macs 8 

Hour. This was even tougher than the 24 

hour. Really is a great event though and 

we also cover this event in this issue. 

The week before all of this, Brad Binder 

arrived back in SA. Was great seeing the 

response from all who attended the airport, and to 

see all the TV coverage he got was special. The 

night he landed, RideFast along with RAD Moto 

hosted an exclusive meet and greet with the new 

Moto3 champ. The event was held at Ridgeway 

Racebar and what a huge success it was. Brad 

was a true hero on the night and I don’t think he 

has worked that hard ever in his life. Big thanks to 

him for taking the time out to meet the over 300 

readers and RAD Moto customers who came out. 

It was great spending sometime with Brad, and 

having Shez there on the night as well made even 

more special. Really am so lucky and honoured to 

call them my mates. 

The January issue is always a tough one to put 

together, as there is not much happening in the 

world of motorcycling, but we have managed to put 

out a really cool issue, packed with great articles 

as always - including the World Launch of the new 

KTM 1290 Superduke R. We, unfortunately, never 

cracked the nod to the world launch but we strive 

to bring our readers all the news first, so I contact 

my good mates over at Ultimate Motorcycling in the 

US and they very happily sent along their feature. 

It’s a great read as usual from that bunch and I’m 

sure you will enjoy it. 

Another great article in this issue is from Wayne 

van Tonder, who covers all the SA riders who raced 

in overseas championship last year. There is a 

host of them and Wayne goes through each and 

everyone, so you now will know who raced where. 

I am really excited for 2017, and am keen to get 

going. We will continue to work hard to bring our 

readers a publication that is world class. 

I thank you all for your continued support and 

wish you all the best for 2017! 

Cheers for 

now, 

EDITOR 

Rob Portman 

CONTRIBUTORS: 

Sheridan Morais 

Brad Binder 

Darryn Binder 

Cam Petersen 

Richard Knowles 

Gerrit Erasmus 

Clive Strugnell 

TO SUBSCRIBE 

CALL 011 979 5035 OR EMAIL 

anette.acc@mweb.co.za 

Digital or print copy. 

DECALS BY 

TEL: CHRIS 082 602 1836 

TONY 083 770 2400 


www.kiska.com 

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Photo: H. Mitterbauer 

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Contents JANUARY 2017 

6: NEWS: ROSSI CUSTOM FORDS 

22: COVER STORY: 2017 KTM 1290 SUPERDUKE R 

30: FEATURE: 2006 SUPERBIKES 

34: FEATURE: 2016 RSR 24 HOUR 

56: FEATURE: MAD MACS 8 HOUR 

42: FEATURE: SA RIDERS RACING ABROAD 

62: FEATURE: SMALL BIKES 


NEWS 

Custom Valentino Rossi 

Cars Up For Grabs 

The merchandising game is strong with Italian racing 

superstar Valentino Rossi, and I don’t think the collection is 

missing something. Oh wait... branded cars. But now you 

can have such a thing if you live in Europe as the first custom 

models are rolling in. 

To achieve this, Rossi has continued his 

partnership with Ford and their newest 

creation can be seen in the shape of 

the VR46 Ford Transit and the VR46 

Ford Ranger, both coming with custom 

bodywork, racing oriented interior and the 

well-known “46” logo. 

The Transit Tourneo will be limited to just 

460 units available throughout Europe 

and the UK. The van will feature an allblack 

theme, big multispoke rims, VR46 

inscriptions, and stitchings on the seats 

along with a new steering wheel and 

leather upholstery. 

Mechanically, the super-van comes with a 

modified suspension as well as a sportier 

exhaust. The rims I was talking about are 

provided by OZ, and they seem to fit the 

whole setup pretty good. 

Moving on to the Ford Ranger, the custom 

pickup truck will be available in the same 

460 limited units number scattered 

throughout dealers in Europe and the UK. 

It’s interior follows the same leather and 

stitching recipe while the exterior gets a 

matte black them along with the “46” logos 

and beefy off-road rims. However, it does 

come with more eye-candy than the van. 

Look closely and you’ll spot it has more 

aggressive bumpers, a bash plate up front, 

flared wheel arches with huge mud guards 

and even a LED light rack on the roof. 

The suspension looks to be modded 

too with the Ranger 

here sitting higher 

than a standard 

one. Moreover, the 

extended wheel 

arches notify that the 

front and rear track 

have been widened to 

provide more stability 

in off-road situations. 

There is no price 

information at the 

moment, but we 

expect them to go on 

sale for at least sixty 

grand more over the 

stock versions. 


NEWS 

Pure & Crafted Festival 

and massive success! 

We were invited along to the first Pure & Crafted Festival 

ever to be held in Africa. It was a festival hosted by BMW 

Motorrad SA and our Zenon went along to check it out. 

The Pure & Crafted SA Festival took 

place at Ground in Muldersdrift, on 

Saturday, 26 November and Sunday, 

27 November. Thousands of people 

went to experience the best in 

motorcycling, music, food, drinks, and 

the outdoors. 

BMW and e.tv hosted the first Pure & 

Crafted SA Festival. 

The two-day event brought together 

people from all walks of life, riders 

and non-riders alike, as there was so 

much on offer. Even a bout of rain on 

Saturday didn’t dampen any spirits as 

many people partied into the night. 

Presented by BMW Motorrad, 

motorcycling and its associated 

lifestyle was a big part of the festival 

and was on display in many forms. 

Festival-goers got to see live stunts by 

French stunt rider Big Jim, who flew 

to South Africa especially to perform 

at the festival. Riders got to test ride 

new BMW motorcycles, enjoy some 

off-road riding and participate in out 

rides through the scenic Muldersdrift 

countryside. Both new and vintage 

BMW motorcycles were on display, with 

some festival-goers even purchasing 

new motorcycles at the festival. 

Other highlights included live music 

performances across the Main Stage, 

Forest stage, and Munich Garden 

Stage. Local acts who performed at the 

festival included Mi Casa, Rubber Duc, 

Goodluck, The Parlotones, Prime Circle, 

Dean Fuel, and Abby Nurock. 

Fallen Heroes’ live tattooing station 

was fully booked as people got inked, 

while Freedom Hair made sure the 

male festival-goers were well-trimmed. 

Children were kept entertained at the 

dedicated children’s area that boasted 

face-painting, jumping castles, and rides. 

A Guinness World Record was made 

at Pure & Crafted SA. Gaviscon was 

awarded the honour after achieving 

the world record for ‘The Most 

Consecutive Crossings of a Pool of 

Non-Newtonian Fluid’. 


NEWS 

Bikers show they have 

big hearts once again! 

The end of November 2016 meant it was time for the 

annual Toy Run, and once again thousands of bikers 

saddled up along with a gift for this great cause. 

Holy cow bikers have big hearts! 

We attended the Toy Run Finish point 

in Benoni this year on the 27th of Nov. 

This year there were two end points, 

one in Pretoria and the one we were 

at in Benoni. Purely to host the sheer 

volume of motorcyclists attending this 

annual charity event. 

It started off pretty early for us as we 

set up our RidFast/Brad & Darryn 

Binder official merchandise stand, as 

we were begged to have the clothing 

range on sale on the day. Popular boy 

old Brad, we set up “shop” and all was 

going OK, until Rob sent me back to 

the office to fetch our secret weapon, 

the H2 Kawasaki, to put up close and 

in front of our stand. Oh boy did all hell 

break loose. When I arrived people 

scattered, one scruffy old real biker 

even dropped to his knees as I rolled in 

on the H2. 

Then it was all systems go, the 

thousands of bikes had been parked, 

the toy truck filled to the brim, and 

everyone then cruised around seeing 

all the cool biker stuff on sale, while 

enjoying the good music on stage. A 

very successful event once again and 

well done to all who attended and 

donated to a very worthwhile cause. 


NEWS 

Spirit Motorcycle 

Accessories Rebranding 

Spirit Motorcycle Accessories are proud to 

announce the launch of their new company 

logo as part of the ongoing evolution of the 

brand. 

The company has grown and evolved over 

the past 7 years and have decided it was 

time for a change. This rebranding has 

brought with it an exciting new logo and 

emblem to compliment the sporty and 

quality products that Spirit offers. 

The new logo allows the products to reflect 

who they are as an elite brand who supply 

the South African market with trendsetting 

protective motorcycle gear and apparel. 

Available at your nearest local dealership! 

Visit www.spiritmotorcycles.co.za to view 

the full range or contact 021-551-7767 

The World’s most ultimate 

trackday machine 

Affordable, limited-edition, 240hp, 1000cc, V4, MotoGP-based 

replica coming from KTM. 

FIRE IT UP together with 

Ignition TV donate 500 balls 

and scooters 

FIRE IT UP’s Craig Langton and his team 

has decided to go without their Christmas 

end of the year function and will be using 

the complete allowance to purchase kids 

balls and scooters which they and Ignition 

TV will donate to the Salvation Army Homes 

for Christmas. 

“Balls made sense as one ball can make 

several kids happy. This year and maybe 

future years we will be doing this, other 

companies should follow suit, as the 

charities certainly need this more than the 

companies. It’s not a huge offer as we are 

a brand-new operation with very few staff 

members but it will surely help with making 

500 kids happier for Christmas. We also 

KTM chairman Stefan Pierer has confirmed 

to German publication Speedweek that 

the Austrian manufacturer will produce 

a 1000cc V4 replica of the new RC16 

machine it will be racing in MotoGP in 2017. 

Intended for circuit use only, the replica 

machine will join Ducati’s Desmosedici RR 

and Honda’s RC213V-S as ultimate race 

replica machines but the point of difference 

being the KTM won’t be road legal. 

“Next year we will be racing with the RC16, 

but a year later we will tackle it [the race 

replica],” Pierer told Speedweek.com. “We 

want to build at least 100 pieces and also 

offer this product at a very affordable price.” 

As for being a true race replica, the 

KTM differs from the Ducati and Honda 

with a no-holds-barred approach. “This 

motorcycle will not receive any road 

welcome Ignition TV on board as a joint 

sponsor,” said Craig Langton. 

Giving and social responsibility involvement 

has always been something that Craig 

supported over his years in business and 

FIRE IT UP recently set up a fund-raising 

program titled ‘Paying It Forward’ whereas 

each customer that purchases a motorcycle 

from them receives a R10 note and is asked 

approval – it is only intended for closed 

racetracks. We want it to be as close to 

the MotoGP bikes as possible.” 

To do this the machine won’t be a match 

for the factory racebike on power – to 

ensure better reliability presumably – but 

more importantly price will be a driving 

factor. “270hp it won’t be, more likely 

240hp. I definitely want to get a much 

lower price for this production racer than 

Honda offers. 

“I would like to see that we are heading 

towards €100,000 or €120,000 (R1,5M 

– R1,8M). Affordable riding is our 

philosophy.” 

Not to sure how affordable that is but there 

are many out there who would splash 

the cash on a MotoGP replica machine, 

including us, if we had it! 

to ‘Pay It Forward’ and donate the R10 to a 

charity of his or her choice. “We have seen 

some wonderful examples and initiatives from 

customers paying it forward, one customer 

donated his late model superbike at a total 

cost of R120 000 which was one of the 

largest donations we have ever had,” said 

Craig Langton. 

FIRE IT UP - 011 4670737 


Book your MotoGP trip today 

through EduSport 

We have had so many great comments on the article Rob did last 

month on his trip to the Valencia GP. Many asking where and how 

they cap book their MotoGP trips for 2017. 

Well, now you can, very easily. EduSport has a great variety of 

packages. As a specialist Sports Travel Agent they package travel 

arrangements and operate tours to some of the world’s most iconic 

sports events. They secure event tickets direct from source thus 

offering client’s peace of mind. Their quality packages are geared for 

individual travellers, or for groups: from hosted Supporter Tours’ to 

Hospitality & VIP packages, as well as customised sports tours for 

incentive groups – big or small! 

They have great packages available, starting from only R15,986pps. 

That includes flights, hotel and track tickets. 

Do yourself a favour and go check out www.edusport.co.za for all 

available packages. It’s now time to finally tick a MotoGP trip off your 

bucket list! 

Isle of Man TT trip 

Is the famous Isle of Man TT on you bucket list? Join us on our 

exclusive guided 12 day trip to the incredible TT. On the way home 

we will also take in the Spanish MotoGP in Barcelona. 

Depart OR Tambo 2nd June return 13th June 2016. Included all 

return airfares, accommodation, entrance tickets and car hire. Only 

12 places available. 

For more information contact Clive - strugnell@yahoo.com

NEWS 

Brad Binder returns 

home to heroes welcome! 

2016 Moto3 world champion, Brad Binder, returned back 

home to SA at the end of November and was greeted by 

hundreds of fans at OR Tambo. 

C 

M 

Y 

CM 

MY 

OR Tambo airport in JHB was plastered 

with Brad Binder fans, all sporting their 

official Brad Binder shirt, caps and flags 

done by us here at RideFast. It was 

literally a sea of Binder shirts lined up at 

International arrivals all waiting for our 

hero to come out. 

When he did, he was greeted with 

a massive cheer. You could see he 

was surprised and humbled by the 

response. 

After greeting, signing, and posing for 

pics with all their, Brad was rushed 

off to a media conference held at the 

Southern Sun hotel based at the airport. 

Later that night, as Brad’s official 

media partner since 2009, we had the 

honour of hosting the first official meet 

and greet with the champ, where 340 

guests got to see the man in person. 

RAD Moto came on board to help us 

out with the event, which was held at 

Ridgeway Racebar in Greenstone and 

was a huge success. 

Hosted by the voice of Motorsport in 

SA, Greg Moloney, Brad was asked 

questions by the crowd and then posed 

for pictures with all present on the night. 

It really was a special night, and we 

cannot thank Brad for coming out and 

supporting us. We are honoured to 

have been apart of his journey from day 

one. To get your official Brad Binder 

merch, email rob@ridefast.co.za. 

CY 

CMY 

K 


PADDOCK NEWS 

Brought 

to you by 

CASEY STONER AS COACH 

FOR ALL DUCATI RIDERS 

All Ducati riders, both factory and non-factory, 

will benefit from the expertise of one of the most 

valuable names Borgo Panigale managed to 

hire this year, Casey Stoner. 

Already a test rider and brand ambassador, the Australian 

MotoGP Legend will be present at the side of the track and in 

the pits at the races, also take on guiding the Ducati riders to a 

brighter future. 

The primary goal is, naturally, putting as many Ducati riders as 

possible on the podium from 2017 onwards, with the ultimate 

endeavour being returning to winning races. Ducati has high 

hopes from the 2015 World Champion and believes that 

Lorenzo’s riding prowess will sync with the new Desmosedici 

GP prototype, providing Borgo Panigale with the longexpected 

upper hand necessary for the victory. 

Casey Stoner says that he thinks he knows what Lorenzo is 

looking for in a motorcycle and is ready to make his best to 

develop the right machine for him. On the other hand, Casey 

insisted that Ducati brings in Cristian Gabarini as the crew chief 

for Lorenzo. 

Gabarini and Stoner worked together and clawed the 

World Title in 2007, so it wasn’t exactly difficult to convince 

Gigi Dall’Igna to ask the Italian mechanical engineer to join 

Lorenzo’s team. Gabarini is calm and utterly rational, and could 

serve as the ideal buffer between the sometimes impetuous 

Jorge Lorenzo and the results-focused Ducati management. 

The very good relationship between the Italian and the 

Australian also caused the former to move from Ducati to 

Honda when the latter made the switch. With Stoner being 

both a coach and a development rider and Gabarini being 

Lorenzo’s crew chief, things could indeed speed up towards 

delivering a far more competitive motorcycle. 

Rossi can still win the 2016 title, Stoner believes 

Despite the fact that Yamaha star Valentino Rossi already 

recorded three DNFs, Stoner believes that the Italian can still 

win the 2016 Championship. The Oz-based rider declared this 

in Italy when he met with the Nolan officials and received his 

one-off X-Lite carbon fiber helmet. 

“Rossi is not too old to win the championship,” Stoner said. 

“There are people winning marathons at 40. He has a good 

team, and he is a true champion. The end of the season is still 

so far, and we must wait and see what happens. I am pretty 

sure that he has real chances of winning the 10th title of his 

career,” the MotoGP Legend added. 

PJ JACOBSEN SIGNS WITH MV 

AGUSTA FOR WORLD SUPERSPORT 

American Patrick “PJ” Jacobsen will get an equipment change 

for his 2017 bid in the World Supersport Championship, jumping 

ship from Honda to the MV Agusta Reparto Corse team. 

Jacobsen tested with MV Agusta 

at the recent WSBK test in 

Jerez, where his results on the 

MV Agusta F3 675 must have 

impressed the Italian factory, as 

the audition landed him the job. 

The move to MV Agusta will 

hopefully be a benefitical one 

for Jacobsen, as he starts his 

fourth full season in the World 

Supersport Championship. PJ 

was the 2015 runner-up in the 

Championship, and finished the 

2016 season fourth overall. 

The MV Agusta F3 675 has 

shown itself to be a titlecontending 

machine, something 

that perhaps could not be said 

about the Honda CBR600RR that 

Jacobsen is leaving behind. 

The 2017 season will still be 

a challenge though, with MV 

Agusta’s finanical outlook always 

a topic of conversation, and 

while the Reparto Corse team 

still chasing down electronic 

gremlins, due to the fact that 

the team cannot fully utilize the 

Consortium Shipping Yamaha 

rider Michael White has been 

handed 2nd place in the overall 

SuperGP standings. It was 

initially reported that Michael 

had only managed a 7th place 

finish at the final race at RSR 

but was later moved up to 

6th which gave him the points 

stock bike’s MVICS electronics 

package under the Supersport 

rules. 

“I’m really looking forward to this 

new adventure with MV Agusta,” 

said Jacobsen, when talking to 

the WorldSBK.com website. “To 

join the Italian manufacturer is a 

privilege. Already having a test 

on the bike in Jerez, I felt really 

comfortable on the bike after a 

few sessions. 

“I’m really looking forward to next 

year with MV and seeing what 

we can accomplish together. I’m 

excited to get to some more tests 

on the bike and then I’ll be ready 

to go for Round 1. Thanks to MV 

Agusta for this opportunity.” 

It might be hard for American 

motorcycle racing fans to fit the 

World Supersport Championship 

into their queue of interests, but 

we think the 2017 season will 

be a good one to follow, and to 

throw some support behind PJ. 

He’s showing great promise in 

the WorldSBK paddock. 

WHITE SECURES 2ND OVERALL IN 

2016 SUPERGP CHAMPIONSHIP 

needed to edge out Clint Seller 

by 1 point for the 2nd spot in 

the championship. 

It was an impressive season by 

the rookie racing in the 1000cc 

championship for the first time. 

We look forward to seeing more 

of the young star in the future, 

both locally and internationally. 


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 

MOTOGP REQUIRES AT LEAST TWO TEAMS 

PER MANUFACTURER FROM 2018 

The winds of change have not died down in MotoGP and it looks like the future will bring a new grid 

structure. The latest paddock whispers say that starting from 2018, each manufacturer will be required to field 

at least two teams. 

While we are waiting for more official 

info on this matter, let’s take our time 

to analyse the implications of such a 

measure. For starters, if Kawasaki, BMW 

or MV Agusta stay out of MotoGP, we’ll be 

looking at no less than six manufacturers 

in the championship. They are Yamaha, 

Honda, Ducati, Suzuki, Aprilia, and KTM, 

each house with two factory machines on 

the grid, accounting for 12 riders, already. 

Now, some of these are backing satellite 

teams since quite some time ago. Yamaha 

has Herve Poncharal’s Tech 3, Ducati 

has Octo Pramac, while Honda powers 

Marc VDS and LCR. Aprilia, KTM, and 

Suzuki are fairly new to the championship, 

despite having raced back in the day, but 

they will have to put two more bikes on 

the grid, as well. 

Of all manufacturers, Ducati has the most 

numerous fleet in MotoGP, with no less 

than eight machines: two factory, two 

satellite, two at Aspar and two at Avintia. 

This will have to change, naturally, and it 

is hard to believe that Octo Pramac will be 

ditched. A far easier to believe eventuality 

is that of Aspar and Avintia going for 

Suzuki, Aprilia, or KTM. 

Likewise, given the good relationship 

between Herve Poncharal and Yamaha, 

we can almost bet that Tech 3 will remain 

Iwata’s satellite. On the other hand, with 

Jack Miller racking up his maiden MotoGP 

victory and the efforts of Marc van der 

Straten reaching fruition, he might be 

willing to step up and get two satellite 

Honda machines. 

This might leave Lucio Cecchinello’s LCR 

on the outside, yet with the ability to 

choose to get hardware from the other 

manufacturers. As Aprilia is already working 

with the former Honda satellite Gresini, it 

would not surprise us to see LCR choosing 

to become Aprilia’s satellite outfit. 

Rumours indicate that Avintia could get 

Suzuki bikes whereas Aspar might go 

for KTM. Even bolder rumours see even 

Valentino Rossi thinking about taking the 

step to MotoGP with at least one VR46 

rider, possibly with KTM, with whom he’s 

already working in Moto3. 

Satellite teams will receive €2.8 mil per 

season from Dorna and the bike rental 

prices would be capped at €2.2 mil per 

season per driver. It is yet uncertain how 

these measures will be received, or if 

Dorna envisages more than 24 riders on 

the grid. 

In case these proposals are passed and 

the interest in MotoGP will be on the rise, 

we might indeed see even more riders 

in the premier class. And judging by the 

increasing degree of unpredictability of 

the races, this might make MotoGP more 

interesting, which is, per se, awesome. 


PADDOCK NEWS 

Brought 

to you by 

WORLD SUPERBIKE TRIES TO ADD EXCITEMENT 

BY MANIPULATING THE GRID FOR RACE 2 

The Superbike Commission, governing body for the World Superbike Championship, met in Madrid to 

introduce a number of changes to the rules for the World Superbike and World Supersport series for 2017. 

There were some minor changes to the sporting 

regulations, as well as a couple of tweaks to the 

technical regulations. But there were also two 

major changes which will have a significant impact 

for next season and beyond. 

The biggest change is also the most surprising and 

the least comprehensible. There is to be a major 

shake up in the way the grid for the second World 

Superbike race is set. 

The Superpole session run on Saturday morning 

will continue to set the grid for Race 1. The grid for 

Race 2, however, will be partially set by the results 

of Race 1, using a slightly complex formula. 

The first three rows of the grid for Race 2 will be 

filled by the riders who finished in 1st through 

9th place in Race 1. They will not, however, 

line up in their finishing order. The riders who 

finished in 4th, 5th, and 6th in Race 1 will start 

Race 2 from 1st, 2nd, and 3rd on the grid. The 

riders who finished in 7th, 8th, and 9th will start 

from 4th, 5th, and 6th. 

The riders who finished on the podium, 

however, will line up on the third row of the grid 

in reverse order. This means that the winner will 

line up in 9th, the rider who finished 2nd will 

start in 8th, and the rider who finished in 3rd will 

start the race from 7th on the grid. 

The grid from 10th place onwards will be set 

based on Superpole results. That does not 

necessarily mean that the starting positions 

10 through 22 will be the same as in Race 1, 

however, as riders who started outside of the 

Top 9 places, but finished 9th or better will 

move up. 

Similarly, riders who qualified in the Top 9 but 

crashed out or finished outside the Top 9 will be 

reshuffled down to the fourth row or worse. 

All this makes calculating grid positions a 

little complicated for 10th place and beyond. 

Basically, the riders who did not finish in the Top 

9 in Race 1 will start Race 2 in order of their 

qualifying time. 

Of the remaining riders, the rider with the best 

qualifying position from Superpole will start from 

10th, the second best qualifying position will 

start from 11th, etc. 

The most controversial change is obviously the 

change to the Top 9, however. In what appears 

to be an attempt to make the racing a little more 

exciting, success in Race 1 is to be punished, 

with the podium finishers being put back to the 

third row of the grid. 

The idea, presumably, is that the best riders 

from Race 1 will have to make their way through 

traffic, providing some excitement and making it 

more difficult for a rider who dominates Race 1 

to do the same in Race 2. 

This would appear to be a misguided idea for 

several reasons: firstly, the essence of World 

Championship motorcycle racing is to find the 

rider and machine combination that performs 

best in each race. 

Adding additional, complex obstacles to one 

group while not applying the same to another 

would appear to violate the sporting ethos of a 

World Championship series. That risks alienating 

the hardcore World Superbike fans that are the 

backbone of the sport. 

Secondly, making the way the grid is set so 

complex risks making it difficult for casual fans 

to understand what is going on. Fans will find 

it hard to remember the process, and have 

difficulty explaining it to their friends. 

Though ultimately, grid positions are not 

the most important part of a race weekend, 

unnecessary complexity is more likely to make 

things worse rather than better. 

Finally, it is unlikely to make much difference. 

In 2016, Jonathan Rea, Tom Sykes, and Chaz 

Davies split the overwhelming majority of race 

wins among them. 

Rea and Davies both won races starting from 

6th position, while Sykes won starting from 4th, 

and finished 2nd starting from 5th. Rea, Sykes, 

and Davies were dominant throughout 2016, 

often finishing many seconds ahead of the rest 

of the field. 

Starting from 7th through 9th will slow them 

up only slightly, and is unlikely to reduce their 

chances of winning. 

Such a system is more likely to result in one 

rider dominating the second race. With the three 

best riders on the third row, the chances of 

them all hitting the front together is slim. 

It is more likely that one rider will get a break 

and get through quickly, while one or both of 

the others gets caught up briefly. If one of the 

fastest riders hits the front on his own, he is 

more likely to get a gap and get away. 

An intellectually more interesting question – 

but one which again highlights the weakness 

of the new system – is whether it places a 

premium on finishing 4th. The points differential 

between finishing 3rd and 4th in Race 1 is 3 

points (16 vs 13). 

The question riders who find themselves battling 

for 3rd in Race 1 will have to ask themselves 

is whether they will gain more points over their 

championship rivals in Race 2 by starting from 

pole than they would by taking the 3 extra 

points for 3rd and starting from 7th, two rows 

further back. 

Battles for 3rd place could devolve into the 

opposite, a battle for 4th with riders slowing 

down to try to force the others to overtake. That 

will not make the championship look very good. 

It is easy to guess why the Superbike 

Commission made such a change. With the 

popularity of the series languishing, they are 

trying to find a way to make it more attractive. 

They are caught between a rock and a hard 

place, however: they have already split up the 

two-race format over two days, and moved the 

races to start at 1pm local time. 

They have done this to avoid racing at the same 

time as Formula One, which they often clash with 

over the course of the season. The early races 

make it less attractive to attend each weekend, 

but more attractive for TV stations, who can 

show the World Superbike series without the fear 

of having to go against the ratings juggernaut 

which is Formula One. 

The question is, just how successful will this rule 

change be? The omens are not particularly good. 

The second major change to the rules is far 

less controversial. World Supersport races are 

now also to be run under the same flag-to-flag 

format as World Superbike. This requires a 

change in the technical rules, to allow parts to 

be replaced which will make wheel swaps faster. 


SUN 29 th JAN 2017 

Events Include: 

• Historic Motorcycle Group 

• Isle of Man TT Classic 

• Bridgestone Thunderbikes 

• Bridgestone Sub10 Superbikes 

• Bridgestone Challenge 

• Red Square Kawasaki ZX10R Masters 

WEEKEND TICKET TO ZWARTKOPS (Friday to Sunday): Adults R200, Students R130, CHILDREN U12 FREE 

Presold tickets from Zwartkops Office or at Computicket R180 Adults, R110 Students. 

FRIDAY OR SUNDAY TICKET ONLY: Adults R100, R80 Students, UNDER 12 FREE. 

TICKETS BOUGHT AT THE GATE ON SATURDAY: Adults R200, Students R130, KIDS UNDER 12 FREE. 

Tel: (012) 384-2299 · Fax: 086 541-3912 · Cell: 082 390-6016 · E-mail: info@zwartkops.co.za


MORE 

// WORLD LAUNCH TEST 

BEAST 

KTM have added some more bite to their already angry beast - the 1290 

SuperDuke R. Here is the world launch test. Words: Arthur Coldwells Pics: Ultimate Motorcycling & KTM 

KTM’s tagline of “Ready To Race” is not just PR 

hype—KTM is the most committed manufacturer 

to Dorna’s MotoGP series. In 2017, the Austrian 

manufacturer begins a five-year contract to contest the 

premier class, and the Red Bull KTM Ajo Motorsport 

team will compete in Moto2 and Moto3. Also, for years 

KTM has provided the 250cc bikes for the Red Bull 

MotoGP Rookies Cup feeder series. 

An all-new racing department headquarters in 

Austria is already home to some 400 employees, and it 

will be complemented by the brand new headquarters 

in Mattighofen due to open in 2018. KTM is now 

producing over 200,000 motorcycles a year and they 

sell all of them, with several models quite difficult to find. 

To say the company is on a roll would be a bit of an 

understatement. 


The very first Super Duke debuted in 

2005 with the 990, and since then it has 

only got better. The current model and 

benchmark upright/naked 1290 Super 

Duke R, took the world by storm in 2014 

and became an instant icon. 

Nicknamed “The Beast” by the 

factory, the prodigiously powerful 

Super Duke R was paradoxically, also 

beautifully tame and easy to ride, 

especially at modest speeds. The new 

Super Duke R—nicknamed “The Beast 

2.0” by KTM—sees several changes that 

take the machine to the next level. 

The Essential Changes 

The now Euro-4 compliant LC8 motor 

in the SDR is already an awesome piece 

of engineering. With a slightly higher 

compression ratio—from 13.2 to 13.6:1— 

it increases its claimed power output by 

four horsepower to 177. Its prodigious 

torque output of 141Nm explains the 

1290’s alacrity coming out of slow 

corners no matter which gear you’re in. 

Perhaps more interestingly, the mildly 

heavier, but more balanced crankshaft, 

plus 19-grams lighter titanium inlet 

valves, 10mm shorter inlet funnels, and 

an exhaust resonator, give an additional 

500 revs before redline. These changes 

effectively broaden and smooth the midrange 

power curve. 

Riding at very modest speeds around 

The Pearl-Qatar—an artificial island in the 

Persian Gulf—the motor was smoother 

and felt as though it spun up a little 

quicker than previously. Exiting Losail 

International Circuit’s slower corners in 

third gear, it was astonishing how quickly 

the motor picked up, and how smoothly 

and strongly the low-down power 

flooded in; it felt like I could leave the 

bike in one gear the entyre lap. 

Although the Super Duke R’s forte 

has always been its great handling, the 

brilliant WP suspension has been revised 

slightly to broaden the bike’s capability. 

New fork damping internals and an 

increased spring rate, as well as a 

revised rear shock, make the ride more 

comfortable on the street and more 

responsive on track. 

I haven’t ridden the previous model 

at Losail, but when I explored the 

handling of the new Super Duke R, I 

found it felt very neutral on turn-in, midcorner 

stability was excellent, and on 

aggressive corner exits the SDR stayed 

planted, even with the rear tyre sliding 

out slightly through the long, hardaccelerating 

Turn 11. 

Losail’s Turn 11 is fairly unique, and 

it requires going up through two gears 

while leaned over, and hard on the 

throttle well into triple-digit speed. I did 


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have some headshake at each upshift, though 

once I relaxed a little and put less input into 

the bars it almost went away. This indicates 

that it was mostly my fault, and not the bike. 

Incidentally, the SDR does have a nonadjustable 

WP steering damper tucked under 

the lower triple clamp. 

The six-speed gearbox is still the 

same exemplary Super Duke R, and 

goes unchanged. Sixth gear is 

unnecessary on the street, as the 

spread of power is so broad and 

strong low-down that 

you have to be doing 

well over 80 mph 

in top gear in 

order to avoid 

lugging the 

motor. Sporttouring 

riders 

will appreciate 

the new 

cruise control, 

tyre pressure 

monitoring system, 

and Bluetooth connectivity on the bike, as 

well as the gorgeous new TFT color display 

instrument pod that is super-easy to read and 

now position-adjustable. 

Electronics 

The most significant change is to the 

electronics suite. Although the standard bike’s 

price will be pretty much unchanged, you 

will probably want to add the two optional 

software packages—the Performance 

Pack and the Track Pack. Pricing is to be 

announced, but expect them to be around 

R6000 each. Both packs supplement the 

standard rider aids that include the three riding 

modes—Sport, Street, and Rain. They change 

the power output and level of traction control, 

while cornering ABS modulates braking 

appropriately based on lean angle. 

The Performance Pack adds a muchneeded 

quickshifter and it includes a flawless 

blip-downshifter, as well as a back-torque 

limiter—an additional electronic rear wheel 

slip control that supplements the mechanical 

slipper clutch. 


Also included in this pack is KTM My 

Ride, which adds Bluetooth connectivity 

with your smartphone, including the 

ability to show incoming calls and audio 

player info, and a handlebar switch to 

control these functions. 

The Track Pack is a software upgrade 

to the ECU that can be done at the dealer. 

It adds a Track mode to the three standard 

modes, and it separates out the power and 

traction control functions. 

Traction control is broken down into nine 

levels that can be changed on the fly. They are so 

transparent and precise, that I spent most of my 

time at Level 5 riding around the Losail Circuit, as 

opposed to my more usual Level 2 or 3 on other 

brand machines. 

Throttle sensitivity can also be adjusted 

between three levels of aggression, although I 

found the fueling so smooth and accurate that 

I only rode it in the Track setting, which is the most 

aggressive. Track mode also has Launch mode, which 

allows for three starts before disengaging. The revs 

are held at 6500 rpm with a wide-open throttle, so the 

rider only has to modulate the clutch at take-off. Antiwheelie 

can also be turned off, allowing the traction control 

alone to help mitigate wheelies. I loved that. 

Brakes & Tyres 

Braking is from the ubiquitous 

Brembo M-50 Monoblock 

calipers biting down on to 

320mm rotors. The brakes were, of 

course, excellent with tons of feel 

and the ability to bring the 1290 

Super Duke R down from high 

speed without drama. 

The excellent Metzeler Sportec 

M7 RR tyres have replaced the previous 

Dunlop SportSmart 2 rubber. Although both 

of the Metzeler carcasses can squirm a little 

at high track speeds, the grip and feedback 

are excellent. Also, from previous experience 

with the Metzeler tyres I know they last 

exceptionally well. 

I had one session on the KTM racebike at 

Losail, and that was equipped with Dunlop 

N-Tec racing slicks. The difference was absolutely 

phenomenal, with the Dunlops giving me incredible 

grip and ideal feel. 

The N-Tec tyres had complete stability, and that 

was especially noticeable when hard trail-braking into 

the final Turn 16. The legendary Dunlop predictability was 

awesome, and when accelerating out of Turn 10 through 

the long left sweeper of Turn 11, I could feel the rear 

pushing out slightly as the SDR gained speed; I never felt 

out of control or in any danger. 

Ergonomics 

Overall, the ergonomics have been changed a little on 

the 2017 Super Duke R. The ¾-inch wider handlebar is 

also 0.2-inches lower and pushed forward nearly threequarters 

of an inch; the result is a slightly more aggressive 

riding stance. 

RIDEFAST MAGAZINE JANUARY 2017 2 7

It’s the extra handlebar width that is 

most noticeable, and I had to be careful 

not to put too much input into the bars 

and upset the handling. Additionally, the 

handlebar has lots of adjustment in all 

directions, so it allows for a wide range of 

personalization. 

The riding position is very comfortable, 

even though it is somewhat aggressive. 

I was pleased to discover that even at 

over 160 mph on the straight at Losail, 

I could tuck in and the windblast was 

much less than I had expected. Credit 

that to the large, aggressive-looking LED 

headlight and the angle-adjustable 

instrument pod. 

Both the clutch and brake 

levers are adjustable, too. 

Also, the pegs and foot 

lever placing can be 

changed via three 

different step plate 

positions. 

The KTM 

PowerParts catalog 

rearset footpegs on 

the racebike were an 

improvement at Losail, as 

with the standard setup I was touching 

hardware and my feet on some corners, 

although it was never a big problem. 

The standard positions are ideal for the 

street, and in reality the footpegs are a 

terrific compromise between comfort and 

ground clearance when leaned over. 

It is impossible to find a downside to the 

2017 KTM 1290 Super Duke R. Although 

enormously powerful, it is also extremely 

docile and easy to ride around town. The 

tweaks and changes to the bike have been 

well thought out. For those who ride track, 

the electronics and quickshifter—especially 

the blip-downshifter with the back-torque 

limiting function—make a major difference 

to both overall speed and safety. 

Add in that aggressive looking, supersexy 

LED front light coupled with the 

reduced rear bodywork that exposes the 

cool trellis subframe, and KTM once again 

has a winner—and no doubt huge demand 

for this amazing motorcycle. 


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OLD TIMERS 

SUPERBIKES FROM 2006 

Production superbikes have come a long way over the past 10 years and our mate Daniel Harry 

highlights some of the blasts from the past in this article. Words: Daniel Harry 

These are superbikes from a time 

when the manufacturers believe 

you can ride and ride well at that. 

You see there was no electronic 

nanny nonsense on these. You simply 

ride as fast as you can(or dare to) and 

everything you see the bike did was an 

input by the rider or a raw reaction from his 

ride. These days you checkout an angry 

rider around a track hopping and bouncing 

about on his modern electronically loaded 

superbike and you just know it’s somehow 

the doing of the electronic safety net even 

though these systems aren’t idiot proof. 

Things have change I guess, but for the 

better or the worse I am still not sure. 

Call me a romantic when it comes to this 

simple breed of speed from a decade or 

so ago. From a time when superbikes 

were just superbikes and everyone could 

actually afforded to buy one. Yes today’s 

latest tech de force superbikes are great 

for racing and lap times, but how many of 

us are really racers? And besides I think 

fun should be a greater consideration over 

merely an impressive time clocked on a 

stopwatch when it comes to the breed of 

superbikes. Taking this step back now into 

yesteryear just reminds me of the fun that’s 

somehow missing from today’s brilliant 

yet dead serious and 

damn expensive 

superbikes. 

Yamaha YZF R1 

This R1 was introduced in 

2004 and to this day is this 

one if not the best looking 

Japanese production 

superbike ever. I loved it 

from the very first moment. 

Taking it out back in the day 

and mind blowing it was 

especially if compared to 

the R1 which came before 

this one. No rider aids not 

even ABS(which can be said 

about all four bikes here), it 

was as mad and lovely as it was 

pretty. In contrast to the latest R1 was this 

really a road bike which happens to be 

good and capable on the track as well. It 

was less ‘Rossi’ focused and more aimed 

at you and me. I still like this bike today. 

2016 YAMAHA YZF R1 

998cc 4cyl • 183hp@12500rpm • 113nm@10000rpm • 

174kg dry • 0-100kph=3sec • max speed=294kph 

Kawasaki ZX-10R 

Some call this the wheelbarrow model due 

to its wide pipes underneath the pillion 

seat and even at the time it was 

challenging for most in the 

styling department. I 

referred to this at the time as the Lambo 

of superbikes as it was the trickiest of 

the lot to take to the edge of happening 

and beyond. It was fighting you but on an 

exciting way, you sense it was plotting on 

how it would kill you in the next corner and 

that gave this Ninja loads of character. A 

love or hate affair I shall give you that but 

this bike came close to being alive. And 

that shocking kawa green, three parts 

yellow two parts blue, a color to die for 

and to this day a signature element of the 

slightly angry Ninja. 

2016 KAWASAKI ZX10R 



Honda Fireblade 

I use to own one of these and I 

loved it. Yes it was the least striking 

in terms of looks especially if you 

parked it next to the R1 of the 

time. Oddly enough and despite 

its ‘love boat’ appearance 

was this bike more at 

home on the track if 

compared to the Ninja 

and the R1 of the time. It 

was easy to push really 

hard as it was predictable 

and stable. Built bullet 

proof as it would simply 


efuses to break down even when I really came 

close to abusing mine. Mind you I hanged mine 

in a tree after a wheelie went soar after just a 

month of owning it and that Blade still refused 

to die. After this incident it was redressed(only 

plastic damage) and it accompanied me for 

another happy 30 000km that year( yes 30 

000km in one year) before I traded it on. Many 

of these Blades are still to be seen on our roads 

and it’s easy to see why. 

2016 HONDA CBR1000RR 



Suzuki GSX-R1000 

This was the K5/K6 which was the favorite 

among all media all over the world and won 

almost ever shoot-out I ever came across at 

the time. It was referred to by most as the 

benchmark in this class of superbikes and there 

for attracted the more, shall we say, spirited 

rider. It was focused and damn fast and typical 

rock solid Suzuki. The sitting position was a bit 

different to the other superbikes from the time 

which showed its intent of being the king of 

speed especially out on the track. That been 

said it was not compromised at all on the road if 

compared to the others here. And I have to say 

this Gixxer aged rather gracefully as it looks even 

good by today’s standards. In fact this is still a 

damn good bike. 

2016 SUZUKI GSXR1000 

998cc 4cyl • 163hp@10800rpm • 113nm@8400rpm 

• 170kg dry • 0-100kph=3sec • max speed=288kph 


1 

RSR 24 

HOUR 2016 

WINNERS

SPORTBIKE MAGAZINE 

RF magazine play.indd 1006 

2014/12/27 8:44 AM

A THUNDEROUS 

S R 2 4 H O U R 

We returned for the 2016 version of the 

24 Hour race held at RSR. 

Our aim - to defend our title! 

AFFAIR! 

R 

Words: Rob Portman Pics: Gerrit Erasmus, Eugene Liebenberg, Andre 

Laubscher and Zenon 


Five years a go a new tradition started in 

SA motorcycle racing – The 24 Hour was 

born. Five years on and the event is still one 

of the highlights on the race calendar for 

many die-hard racers, looking for that extra 

challenge that only the 24-hour brings. 

16 teams lined up for the 2016 event, 

which was once again held at the Redstar 

Raceway out in Delmas. The facilities at 

RSR make it the perfect host for an event 

like this. With the race shop and canteen, 

which were very busy places over the 

weekend, as well the pools and kiddies play 

areas, it really does make for a great funfilled 

family attraction. Although not at 2am 

in the morning…. 

Saturday morning and teams headed 

out on track at 10.30am for a 15-minute 

qualifying session. The race would once 

again be started in the true old fashioned 

LeMans start way, where riders lined up on 

the outside of the track while their bikes 

waited for them on the inside. 

On pole position was team IUM with 

National rider Morne Geldenhuis on a 

CBR1000RR, followed by Team LLL & Q, 

Team RSR Stars and Team Honey Lotus. 

Shez was not feeling so great so we sent 

Shaun Portman out to qualify for us. He 

managed to put us 9th on the grid, but was 

complaining of bad knocking and folding at 

the front. With only 20 minutes before the 

start of the race we did not have much time 

to make changes. Ricky did make some 

suspension changes to the bike hoping that 

would solve the problem. 

12pm and after the National anthem 

was played it was time to get under starters 

orders. The 16 riders rushed to their bikes, 

jumped on and set off as fast as they could. 

The top 3 bikes got off to a great start 

gapping the rest of the field immediatly. 

Geldenhuis on the IUM Honda quickly 

pulled out a comfortable lead over Michael 

White and Garrick Flok, also both on 

CBR1000RR machines, Flok on an older 

2006 model. 

Shaun started the race for us and was 

doing a great job in the A session, getting 

us up in 7th place. On the start line Ricky 

and the team had noticed that there was 

plenty of movement coming from the 

bottom of the front forks. This is what 

was causing the bad knock and feeling in 


36 RIDEFAST MAGAZINE JANUARY 2017 

the front end. We had a spare 2016 Kawasaki ZX10R 

bike in the pits, kindly supplied by Raymond Keel, so 

we decided that after the C session we would pit and 

change the front forks. By that time we were up into 3rd 

spot after myself and Martinus had done our B and C 

sessions, despite Martinus picking up 2 penalty laps for 

breaking out of the set 2,10 lap time. 

It took the team 9 minutes to change front forks. It 

was time for our D rider Mike Powell to head out on 

track. He did a great job at maintaining a good pace 

under the 2,20 mark set for D group riders. 

By the time Ricky Morais was sent out for the second 

A session and his first, we were down in 15th place. Rick 

put in some really fast times and pushed us up into 8th 

spot after his 30-minute stint. Bad news though as he 

came in, he said the front was still not feeling great and 

the bad knock was still there. The only thing we thought 

it could be was headstock bearings so we decided to 

carry on racing despite the bad feeling at the front. 

After the 3-hour mark, Team RSR stars were 

comfortably out in front, after Team IUM and Team 74 

Forever suffered crashes. We had clawed our way back 

up into 5th position overall on track, behind Team Honey 

Lotus, Team LLL & Q and Team Riot, but 3rd overall in 

the endurance class. 

Just like in 2015, relay teams, where up to 6 riders can 

use their own individual machines to race, were allowed 

to enter and mix it up with the endurance teams. It was 

tough to get ahead of the relay teams as they never had 

to do tyre changes or fuel stops, so never wasted as 

much time in the pits as the endurance teams.


Heading into the evening sessions, the 

weather was starting to take a turn, with big rain 

clouds in the distance. Wet weather tyres were 

fitted to most machines. 

The track was soon greeted with big 

Thunderbolt and lightning, Very, very frightening 

me. (Galileo) Galileo. (Galileo) Galileo, Galileo 

Figaro Magnifico-o-o-o-o. Sorry got carried away 

with a bit of Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen 

there. Massive amounts of rain came pouring 

from the sky. We were not too unhappy with this, 

as we knew that we could use our experience in 

the wet conditions to make up time on the teams 

ahead. Ricky was still out on track on the Dunlop 

cut-slick front and Dunlop slick rear, when the 

safety car was sent out, as the track conditions 

were not ideal with big puddles forming in certain 

parts of the track. 

This did annoy us a bit as no time could 

be made up behind the pace car. Ricky soon 

pitted and we spent the next 6 minutes fitting 

the wheels fitted with wet weather tyres. Shaun 

headed out in the B session on the wets for the 

first time. Shaun is a very fast wet weather rider 

so was soon setting the fastest times out on 

track, making up big time on the teams ahead. 

Martinus was up next in the C group and it 

would be his first ever outing on a wet track. He 

did an incredible job and again made us up huge 

time. The track was drying out pretty quickly 

but we decided to send me out in the D group 

to try make up more time. I managed to do just 

that, setting the fastest times throughout the D 

session, even came close to breaking out of the 

2,20 mark. 

8.30pm and it was finally time for Shez to 

head on track for his first session, and this is 

where this guy’s talent really shines through. 

Having done no practice on the bike, and on a 

damp track with wet tyres fitted, Shez took a 

mere 3 laps to get into the groove before setting 

really fast lap times. Shez got into low 1,11’s but 


soon dropped his pace as the rear-wet tyre was 

starting to take strain on the quick drying track. 

Team RSR Stars were still way out front on 

the overall time sheet and there A rider, Michael 

White, also found a good rhythm on the damp 

track and took over setting the fastest times from 

Shez. Then, disaster for Team RSR Stars, as 

White suffered a massive high-side coming out of 

the fast left hander heading into the dog bone. It 

forced them out of the race with a badly damaged 

machine that could not be repaired. Michael was 

taken to the hospital with bad concussion and 

2nd degree burns on his neck, either from the 

exhaust or tyres hitting him during the crash. 

That put us comfortably in the lead of the 

endurance class, but still behind overall leaders 

out on track the relay team of Team Honey Lotus. 

Gorgeous conditions through out the rest of 

the night sessions, and we were able to set really 

good lap times and extend out lead out front. 

After the 12 hour halfway mark we were a 

comfortable 7 laps ahead of the next endurance 

team, Team LLL & Q, with Team GB a further 3 

laps behind. 

From that point on it was just a case of us 

maintaining our lead, not pushing the bike and 

tyres to hard. Our Dunlop tyres were working like 

a treat and we were able to get 9 hours on a set 

of tyres. 

On the 17-hour mark, we ran into a little bit 

of trouble with the fuel pump. We were forced 

to pit and change fuel tanks, which lost us a lot 

of ground on the overall leaders Team Honey 

Lotus. We lost around 2 laps on our nearest 

endurance rivals Team LLL & Q but still had a 

comfy 13 lap cushion. 


40 RIDEFAST MAGAZINE JANUARY 2017 

Shez and myself did all the night sessions 

in-group A and B, letting Ricky and Shaun 

rest up so that they could do the remaining 

daytime sessions. Martinus and Mike would 

have to do all the group C and D sessions, 

so not much sleep for them. 

Heading into the final 4 hours all was 

going well. We suffered a broken right rear 

set, which was quickly fixed by the team. We 

did everything we could to catch the relay 

team of Team Honey Lotus, but with them 

not having to do big pit stops changing tyres 

and re-fueling, we had no real chance. 

The D group would be the final session 

out on track to finish the race off. Mike would 

bring the bike across the line for us to take 

the win and defend our title, 16 laps ahead of 

Team LLL & Q in 2nd place and Team Suzuki 

GB rounding out the top 3. The relay class 

was won by Team Honey Lotus, with Team 

Riot in 2nd and Team @Riders in 3rd. 

It was another incredible event and big 

thanks must go out to Jacques and his team 

from Redstar Raceway, and all the marshalls 

and medics who worked for 24 hours nonstop. 

Same must be said for our pit crew 

- Brandon Jay Heukelman, Paul Fernando 

Koch Pinheiro, Scheldon Schostar and Zenon 

Birkby, who all worked flat out throughout 

the entire 24-hour race. And to our 2016 

Kawasaki ZX10R machine, which despite a 

few niggly problems got us to the line looking 

splendid in our custom paint job by Syndicate 

Customs, proudly sporting the big #1.

FLYING SOLO! 

James Barson does 

24 hour In aid of 

Paige Project charity 

Not long after my daughter Paige had been 

diagnosed with level 5 Cerebral Palsy, we 

were inspired to create a charity, specifically 

for children with similar disabilities in 

disadvantaged circumstances. My 

brother David Barson has been the driving 

force behind THE PAIGE PROJECT from 

inception – go to www.thepaigeproject. 

co.za for more details. 

I have participated in all of our 

fundraisers over the years but decided it 

was time to create another, of my own. 

Early this year I approached Jason Wessels 

of MotoRentals for a bike to ride in the 

Red Star 24hr Endurance Race held on 

the 10th and 11th of December 2016. 

Having worked tirelessly, overcoming a few 

hurdles along the way, determination and 

perseverance paid off. Having followed 

a strict fitness training regime, with my 

daughter by my side, I felt cautiously 

confident that I had done enough to go the 

distance. 

I started the race feeling amped and had 

to stop myself from going too fast. After 

getting into the rhythm and passing the 4 

hour mark, my muscles started to seize 

up. My heart rate was good but the muscle 

pain was such that I just had to push 

through. It became a survival game, riding 

in the dark and the rain. Doing the night 

solo I struggled with the monotony and 

becoming mesmerised by the lights. The 

rules dictated that I had to stop between 

midnight and 06h00. A shower, massage 

and a bit of shut eye was in order. I felt the 

worst pain between 06h00 and 07h00, on 

day 2, my legs, arms and hands had totally 

seized up. Putting my knees on the tar was 

out of the question. Had a quick massage 

and got back into the groove after that. I 

managed my best lap time, on lap number 

250, having maintained an average lap 

time of 2:20. In the end I finished on lap 

number 257. Throughout the race I felt that 

my participation had not caused any safety 

risks or hindrances to fellow riders. My pit 

team ran the tyre changes, re fuelling of 

bike and rider like pros. We got through the 

24 hours without a glitch. Managed to get a 

3rd place in the 600 class and walked away 

with a grin. 

The pain I endured and mental strain was 

nothing compared to what many Cerebral 

Palsy Kids feel every day of their lives. 

The focus is and will continue to be, 

raising awareness and funding through 

THE PAIGE PROJECT. My daughter Paige 

is one of the lucky kids, but there are 

thousands that aren’t. I am pleased that 

our endeavours, our donors and supporters 

have made it possible to raise R70 000 at 

the RSR 24 hour Endurance Race. These 

funds will be used to purchase 17 much 

needed wheelchairs for the children at Little 

Eden along with other projects, details of 

which will be published on our website and 

Facebook in 2017. 

It is my intention to ride again in 2017 

for THE PAIGE PROJECT, so keep us in 

mind when doing CSI budgets. Thanks 

to everyone who supported me and my 

attempts to make a difference. 

James Barson 

The Paige Project (Registered NPO) 


L o c a l H e r o e s 

Gone Global! 

2 0 1 6 S e a s o n r e v i e w 

It was quite a year for SA riders racing overseas, many a title and races were won. We round up 

all of them and let you know who was where in 2016. Words: Wayne Van Tonder 

South Africans are known to be very 

patriotic people. Whether or not 

this is a true reflection of South 

Africans is at times up for debate. Many 

of us find ourselves wanting to leave our 

beautiful country for various reasons, well 

there is one very obvious reason, but let’s 

leave that topic to the political journalists. 

When it comes to our sport however, South 

Africans truly are passionate people. We 

back our national teams and athletes no 

matter the outcome, even if we 

can’t get near a Cricket World 

Cup final. We as South 

Africans know a thing or 

two about Cricket, Soccer (Football, if you 

are not American and call a sport you play 

with your hands football because you kick it 

once at the start of the game, well thought 

out that is), Rugby (don’t ask me though, I 

have no clue), Golf and a few other sports, 

however there is a sport that is gaining 

plenty of interest in our country, motorcycle 

racing. 

Okay, so it’s not as if motorcycle racing 

is a new thing in South Africa. We have 

a massive motorcycle community and 

national racing has been around for many a 

year. Of late it is getting more attention than 

I can remember. This is not only down to a 

dedicated few that are out there promoting 

the sport, who’s efforts for the most part 

are not rewarded as they deserve to be, but 

down to some South African riders that are 

out on the international scene showing the 

world what a little country, at the southern 

tip of the world, can do. 

This has inspired me to shed some light 

on the South African riders that are doing 

just that, and have a look at what they 

have achieved this season. I am continually 

surprised at the amount of talent we have 

out there. Let me introduce the men under 

the helmets and review their 2016 seasons. 

Our local heroes, gone global. 

Brad Binder (Moto3) 

Number: 41 Born: 08/11/1995 

From: Potchefstroom 

Bike: Red Bull Ajo KTM RC250 GP 

How could I not start 

with Brad? He is the most 

recognisable South African rider 

at this moment in time. Brad is 

a household name throughout 

the world for those who follow 

motorcycle racing. This, if you 

don’t already know, is due to 

Brad’s brilliance in the Moto3 world 

championship. Brad started off in 

the national kart racing series and 

was national champion aged eight. 

He would move on to two wheels 

at the age of ten. He went on to 

race in the local scene before 

being accepted to ride in 

the Red Bull Rookies cup 

in 2009. 2011 saw 

another step up as 

he replaced an 

injured Luis 

Salom at the 

RW Racing 

team in 

the 125cc world championship. 

Brad’s dedication and talent was 

rewarded with a full time ride in 

Moto3 with the team in 2012. 

Riding a Mahindra, he went on to 

capture his first Moto3 podiums, his 

performances earning him a ride at 

the Red Bull KTM Ajo team where 

he is currently. 2015 was a break out 

year for Brad as he finished sixth in 

the Moto3 world championship with 

four podium finishes. 

2016 

This past season saw him take 

South Africa’s first grand prix victory 

since 1981, and that victory came 

from last on the grid! From there on 

Brad was dominant and did not look 

back. Brad had already started the 

season off strong even before that 

victory. He had been on the podium 

in all three previous rounds. It 

seemed as if the podium run would 

come to an end in Jerez, round 4. 

Brad was sent to the back of the 

grid after being penalised for KTM 

using an illegal mapping. That didn’t 

stop Brad as he charged through the 

field for the victory. (Sound familiar? 


Marquez and Rossi have 

achieved this very feat. We could 

have a future legend on our 

hands.) From there on out Brad 

was pretty much unstoppable. 

Victories in the following two 

rounds, Le Mans and Mugello, 

followed up with a second place 

finish in Barcelona. Round 8 

and 9 were effected by the rain 

and saw the rain masters shine, 

Brad however still consistent 

and fought hard without doing 

anything that would cost him 

valuable points. Round 10, 

Austria, and it was business as 

usual. Brad fighting it out for the 

victory and only narrowly missing 

out, taking second. Round 11 

would see the only real mistake 

of the season from Brad as he 

fell while leading in very wet 

conditions. In true champions 

fashion, Brad fought back and 

two victories followed in the 

next two rounds. Then came the 

moment we will all never forget. 

Round 14, Aragon. Brad Binder’s 

second place sealing the Moto3 

championship, and with four 

rounds of the championship still 

remaining! As is the nature of 

Brad Binder, even with the title 

wrapped up, he was not ready to 

settle and straight from the next 

round in Japan, he was back 

on it. A great fight with Jorge 

Navarro. He took second place 

by the narrowest of margins. 

Brad absolutely dominated in 

Australia at Phillip Island. He 

took a resounding victory, as if 

to cement the fact that he was 

the deserved champion. A crazy 

race in Sepang saw seventeen 

riders crash out of the race. Brad 

finished seventeenth as he slid 

off along with a number of other 

riders, caught out by possible 

oil on the track from an earlier 

faller. At the final race of the 

season, Brad Binder showed 

his brilliance once again. His last 

race in Moto3, and he signed 

off in style. While in the fight for 

first, Brad had a slight issue that 

forced him off the track for a 

moment. He fell back to twentysecond. 

In true Brad Binder 

style, he fought his way back 

to the front and would go on 

to win the race! What a way to 

sign off from Moto3. Your Moto3 

World Champion, winning with 

the largest points gap in Moto3 

history! Next season, Brad takes 

up the challenge in Moto2 with 

KTM. 


Darryn Binder (Moto3) 

Number: 40 

Born: 21/01/1998 

From: Potchefstroom 

Bike: Platinum Bay Real Estate Mahindra 

With Brad comes Darryn. Although I 

am sure he is proud to be the brother of 

Brad, he deserves to be mentioned in his 

own right. Darryn is three years younger 

than Brad and is already showing the 

progress that has led his brother to where 

he is today. Riding on board the Outox 

Reset Drink Team Mahindra, he completed 

his first full season in Moto3. I, and many 

others, hope to see Darryn on board a 

more competitive bike in the near future. 

He is undoubtedly talented, he wouldn’t 

be where he is if he wasn’t, and I believe, 

given the right opportunity, he will show 

his true potential. Darryn is also a graduate 

of the Red Bull Rookies Cup. He began 

competing, aged 6, in the South African 

National Karting Championship. He won 

the 50cc Cadet Class and Regional 

Championship aged just 7. 

2016 

It was a tough old fighting season for 

Darryn Binder. The Moto3 class is filled with 

highly talented riders and Darryn is one of 

them. Although the season was up and 

down, we have to remember that Darryn is 

still at an early stage in his MotoGP career 

and is learning, as his brother did in his first 

few seasons. Darryn has however shown 

some real fight and some solid finishes 

as a result. The season started off with a 

twenty-third place finish in round 1, Qatar. 

That would however be the best result 

for a while, four DNF’s in a row followed 

his thirtieth position in Argentina, round 2. 

Round 7 in Barcelona would see Darryn 

Binders potential shine. He registered his 

first points and best Moto3 finish of twelfth 

after starting from thirtieth on the grid. 

Darryn followed up that brilliant result with 

a seventeenth place in round 8 at Assen, 

that in the wet. Another seventeenth would 

follow in Austria. This run clearly indicating 

that Darryn has what it takes. He proved 

just that in Australia at Phillip Island. Darryn 

first raised eye brows with an eighth place 

qualifying, then after a dramatic race would 

narrowly miss out on a podium finish. He 

was caught just at the end, on the finish 

line, finishing an amazing career best fourth. 

In Sepang, Darryn picked up another top 

result. He may have benefitted from a 

number of fallers but in the end he stayed 

on his bike and rode a solid race. The run 

of form continued in to the final race of the 

season in Valencia. Darryn picked up a 

brilliant twelfth place, and even on a bike 

that is not near the performance of the 

top riders bikes, he was at times lapping 

similar lap times. With Darryn on a KTM 

machine as of next season, I’m sure he will 

be challenging up at the front on a regular 

basis! Darryn ended the season twenty-fifth 

overall in the championship. 


Sheridan Morais (FIM 

Endurance World 

Championship/MotoAmerica 

Superstock 1000) 

Number: 86 

Born: 11/03/1985 

From: Johannesburg 

Bike(s): YART Yamaha (FIM Endurance 

World Championship) Team Rabid Transit 

Superstock 1000 Yamaha (MotoAmerica) 

Sheridan Morais is no new kid on the 

block, he’s been there and done that. Morais 

at 31, has experienced racing at the highest 

levels having spent much of his career in 

World Superbike and the support classes of 

World Superbike, such as the Superstock 

1000 and World Supersport championships. 

Before all that however, he was a force to be 

reckoned with in the South African National 

championships. He won the Superbike title 

in 2006 then again in 2009 while going on 

to win the South African Supersport title that 

same year. He would defend his Superbike 

title the following year. Morais then moved 

on to race in the Superstock 1000 cup in 

2011and in 2012 would finish an impressive 

6th overall in the World Supersport 

championship. In 2014 he competed in the 

World Superbike championship and finished 

18th overall onboard the Grllini Kawasaki. 

2015 saw Morias make his debut in 

MotoAmerica with Aprilia HSBK Racing and 

was also a part of the FIM Endurance World 

Championship with YART Yamaha. 

2016 

Morais was still with the team for the FIM 

Endurance World Championship for 2016 

while still in MotoAmerica, with Team Rabid 

Transit. Injury plagued Sheridan’s season 

and unfortunately would not feature much in 

the Endurance season, where the Yart team 

would finish sixth overall. The 2017 FIM 

Endurance World Championship season 

has however already kicked off. The first 

race of the season was at the 24hour Bal 

d’or in France. Morais would ride alongside 

Broc Parkes and Josh Hayes, another two 

well-known riders. The race would finish 

in disappointment for the team as they 

retired 15 hours in. Sheridan’s MotoAmerica 

season started off strong before injury 

halted his progress. Round 1 at the circuit 

of the Americas saw him take fifth in race 

1 and ninth in race 2. Round 2 at Road 

Atlanta, and Sheridan again produced 

two top ten performances. Ninth in race 1 

and tenth in race 2. Round 3 is where his 

season would unfortunately be halted and 

he picked up in injury in race 1. Mathew 

Scholtz would be brought in to replace 

him for the rest of the season. Sheridan 

Morais will be back in the World SuperSport 

Championship in 2017 on the new Yamaha 

R6. He will ride for Team Kallio Yamaha. 


Steven Odendaal (CEV Moto2 

Championship/Super600 

South African national 

championship) 

Number: 1/44 

Born: 02/03/1993 


Bike(s): Kalex AGR Team (CEV Moto2 

Championship), Yamaha YZF-R6 Petra 

Yamaha Racing (Super600 South African 

national championship) 

If you don’t know this name yet, trust 

me, you will soon! His style is honestly one 

of the best I have seen, watching this guy 

go around a corner with the Moto2 lines and 

style, it’s just amazing to watch. Odendaal 

has already won the South African national 

Super600 championship both in 2014 and 

2015. He achieved that while racing in the 

FIM CEV Repsol Moto2 Championship at 

the same time, finishing fifth in 2014 and 

fourth in 2015, now that is impressive. 

2016 

2016 saw Odendaal take his first victory in 

the FIM CEV Moto2 championship which 

came in the opening round of the season 

at Circuit Ricardo Tormo. He did not look 

back from there and would go on to win the 

championship, all the while still locked in a 

battle with Adolf Boshoff, who I will certainly 

have a profile on soon, for the Super600 

South African national championship title. 

Odendaal got a wildcard ride in the Moto2 

World championship with the AGR team 

for the race in Aragon this year. He finished 

a very respectable eighteenth, with some 

quality riders around him. Odendaal then 

helped KTM with some testing for their new 

Moto2 bike. Watch this space, I think we are 

going to be cheering more South African’s 

on in MotoGP soon! Odendaal will defend 

his title in the CEV Moto2 championship in 

2017. He will however be with a new team, 

riding for Japanese team NTS. He will be 

riding the experimental NTS NH6 machine. 

Back at home in South Africa, Odendaal 

was still fighting it out for the Super600 

national title. All season long Odendaal and 

Adolf Boshoff swopped first and second. 

Odendaal unfortunately had to miss the 

4th, 6th and 7th rounds as he was on 

international duty. This played well in to the 

hands of Adolf Boshoff, who claimed the 

title and Blaze Baker, who would grab the 

runner up spot. Odendaal would take the 

final two victories of the season at Red Star 

Raceway but it was only enough to secure a 

third place finish in the overall standings. 


Cameron Petersen 

(MotoAmerica 600/ 

Supersport) 

Number: 45 

Born: 02/12/1994 

From: Actually born in Barcelona, Spain 

but his hometown is Johannesburg 

Bike: M4 Sportbike TrackGear.com Suzuki 

I have recently learnt about Cameron 

Petersen and his exploits overseas. What 

I have heard and seen thus far has been 

nothing but good. Son of South African 

racing legend, Robbie Petersen, Cameron 

certainly has racing in his blood. Not only is 

his father a former racer but his uncles were 

too. He has titles in Supermoto under his 

belt as well as background in motocross. 

2013 saw Cameron dominate the South 

African Supersport championship, winning 

the title that year. He has since moved on to 

the MotoAmerica Supersport championship 

where he has shown great potential for 

success. In his first season, on board 

the Roadrace team Factory Yamaha, he 

grabbed a runner up finish in New Jersey. 

That was just a sample of his talent, 

finishing seventh in the championship. 

2016 

In his second season, now riding the M4 

Sportbike TrackGear.com Suzuki, Cameron 

has gone on to achieve even more success. 

He picked up three podiums this season, 

one of them being a trip to the top step as 

he took his first victory in New Jersey. That 

victory was swiftly followed by a second 

place finish at the following round in Virginia. 

He would not have to wait much longer 

for his next trip to the podium as he rode 

his way to third in Wisconsin at the very 

next round. Seven rounds in and Cameron 

had picked up a victory, three podiums 

and seven top 5 finishes. He was clearly 

showing he meant business and could 

ride with the best of them. Cameron found 

himself lying fourth in the championship at 

this stage, and although he never managed 

to grab another podium finish, consistent 

finishes saw him solidify a fourth place finish 

on 189 points. 


Troy Bezuidenhout 

(European Junior Cup) 

Number: 52 

Born: 24/08/2000 

From: Port Shepston, Kwa-Zulu Natal 

Bike: Into the Blue Diving - Costa Del Sol 

Honda 

Troy Bezuidenhout, comes from a family 

with a serious two wheeled racing history. 

His grandfather is still the only South 

African to have competed in sidecar at the 

Isle of Man. Troy’s father, Charles was a 

double national motocross champion. Both 

his uncle’s also won national motocross 

championships. Troy began his racing 

career at an early age. He began racing 

on a Moto3 bike here in South Africa. At 

thirteen, he became the youngest South 

African Moto3 champion. 2014 saw Troy 

have his first real big break. He rode a 

wildcard ride in the Pata European Junior 

Cup at Jerez. He left a great impression with 

a thirteenth place finish at the age of just 

fourteen. In 2015 he competed in his first 

full season in the Pata European Junior Cup 

with a best finish of 10th. 

2016 

It was a good season for Troy apart from a 

crash in the third round of the championship 

in the UK, forcing him out of the fourth 

round. Rounds one and two resulted in top 

ten finishes, 8th and 7th respectively. Troy 

picked up his first podium in the European 

Junior Championship in Germany, round 

5, with a third place. He picked up where 

he left off with another fine performance 

in France, round 6 where he would finish 

sixth. Round 7 in Spain would feature two 

races. Troy again riding well as he went on 

to grab eighth in race 1 and fifth in race 2. 

Troy finished the season eighth overall in 

the championship. Troy has signed on with 

the R2 MotorRacing team in the European 

SuperSport Championship for 2017. 

Dorren Loureiro (European 

Junior Cup/Super600 

Nationals) 

Number: 20 

Born: 21/06/1999 


Bike: Family Fitness Racing Honda 

(EJC) WildSport Racedays Honda (World 

SuperSport) Familt Fitness Kawasaki 

(Super600’s) 

From a young age, Dorren was exposed 

to the world of motorcycles and motorcycle 

racing. He would go with his dad, Armando, 

to watch racing. On a call with Armando, he 

told me how he vowed never to get Dorren 

in to racing, it was just too dangerous and 

expensive. He would in the end go back on 

that. Darren and his dad were at one of the 

last World SuperBike races in South Africa 

when they were exposed to the NSF series. 

They spoke to Neil Harran and organised 

a ride for Dorren in NSF in 2012. Armando 

spoke of how Dorren was a natural on the 

bike right from the get go. This would prove 

to be true as he went on to win a regional 

250 championships in 2014. The time 

then came to way up the options, either 

move up to the local 600’s or to take the 

chance overseas in the EJC. In the end the 

decision was made for Dorren to ride in 

the EJC. One of the deciding factors was 

track knowledge. With future aspirations 

overseas, Armando knew Dorren would 

need to gain the track knowledge in Europe 

as soon as he could, as the riders over 

there were all brought up on those very 

tracks. Early on in EJC, Dorren performed 

well with top fives and sixes, while racing 

riders with far more track knowledge. 

2016 

Stand out performances in the 2016 

season for Dorren, came in the Aragon 

and UK rounds of the EJC. He picked 

up a tenth in the first round at Aragon 

and an impressive fifth in the UK. He 

was unfortunate to retire from the race in 

Misano. Looking at his lap times in the race, 

he may have had another top ten in the 

bag. For the final two rounds of the season, 

Dorren would race in the World SuperSport 

championship with the WildSport Racedays 

Honda team. In his first race in France he 

would finish twenty-ninth and twenty-fifth 

in his second race at Jerez. Back in South 

Africa Dorren rode for the Family Fitness 

Kawasaki team in the Super600’s. With 

so many commitments, it was difficult for 

Dorren to pick up any momentum. His two 

best finishes of fourth at Red Star Raceway 

were an indication of his race pedigree. 

Dorren will be riding in the new European 

SuperSport 300 class in 2017 under David 

Salom on board a Kawasaki. 


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*2016 Model Displayed

Byron Bester 

(European Junior Cup/ 

Super600 Nationals) 

Number: 12 

Born: 23/07/2000 

From: Boksburg, Johannesburg 

Bike: Hi-Tech Racing Honda (EJC) 

Hi-Tech Elements Arai Helmets Grange 

Workwear Kawasaki (Super600 National 

Championship) 

Byron is the South African National 

250 Junior Champion, picking up seven 

podiums out of eight along the way and 

never qualifying lower than second. Clearly 

with performances like that Byron is a 

talented young rider with a bright future. 

Byron is now on the international scene in 

the European Junior Cup. 

2016 

The season was an indication of what Byron 

Bester has to offer the world of racing. He 

notched up some quality performances 

during season in the European Junior 

Cup. Byron started off the season with a 

twentieth at Aragon. From there he picked 

up a ninth at the Dutch round, eighteenth 

in the UK, ninth at Misano at yet another 

top ten finish in the German round with his 

third ninth place finish of the season. Byron 

went on to finish the season strong with a 

fifteenth in France, followed by a twelfth and 

ninth respectively in the final round of the 

season in Spain. Byron did well to juggle 

his overseas commitments and the National 

Super600 championship. Riding the Hi-Tech 

Elements Arai Helmets Grange Workwear 

Kawasaki, Byron performed consistently. 

Only one finish outside the top ten in round 

5 at Red Star Raceway, and a best finish of 

fourth in the same round. He equalled his 

best result with another fourth in round 7 at 

the Dezzi Raceway. Two more outstanding 

fourth place finishes saw Bester finish off the 

season in style. It would also secure him the 

Super600 regional title. 

Jared Schultz (KTM RC390 

Cup/Super600 Nationals) 

Number: 12 

Born: 23/07/2000 

From: Boksburg, Johannesburg 

Bike: Hi-Tech Racing Honda (EJC) 

Hi-Tech Elements Arai Helmets Grange 

Workwear Kawasaki (Super600 National 

Championship) 

Jared Schultz has not been racing for 

very long, unlike the other riders we’ve 

looked at so far. He has only been racing 

with his father and older brother since 2014. 

He started on a Honda CBR150 on short 

circuits. In 2015 he rode a Honda VFR400 

before moving up to the SuperSport class in 

2016 on a Kawasaki 600. 

the championship late, Jared did not take 

much time adjusting as he was in to the top 

fifteen right from his first round at Assen. 

He then followed up that result with another 

fifteenth at the Red Bull Ring, Austria. Jared 

improved even more with a seventh and a 

fourth at the British round. It was then time 

for the world final at Assen. Jared once 

again showed how quickly he has taken to 

motorcycle racing with two more top fifteen 

finishes. This fast progression and the great 

results would not go unnoticed as he was 

invited to the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies 

Trials in Spain. Jared would unfortunately 

not progress from the trials, but for 

someone who has been racing for the time 

he has, it’s surely not long until we see great 

things from Jared Schultz. Schultz signed 

for BWG Racing for the SuperSport 300 

championship in 2017. 

2016 

It was somewhat of a break out season 

for Jared Schultz. For someone who has 

not been racing for very long, he is most 

certainly making massive strides. The 

season saw Schultz line up in the Super 

Junior Nationals as well as riding to a twelfth 

place in the Super600’s in round 4 of the 

championship. Jared caught the attention 

of KTM South Africa and KTM’s marketing 

co-ordinator, and was called up for the final 

four rounds of the international KTM RC390 

Cup. He did not disappoint. Coming in to 


Trade Enquiries: 011 805 5559 Fax: 011 312 0714 

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www.langstonmotorsports.co.za

Mathew Scholtz 

(Superstock 1000 

MotoAmerica/SuperGP 

Nationals) 

Number: 720/20 

Born: 09/09/1992 

From: Durban 

Bike: Yamalube/Westby Racing 

YZF-R1 (MotoAmerica) ETR Nashua 

Yamaha YZF-R1 (SuperGP Nationals) 

Mathew Scholtz began riding in 

motocross on a Yamaha PW50. He 

moved quickly through the classes in 

the national motocross series. When 

he was thirteen, Mathew switched 

to road racing and not to long after 

the switch, he was racing in the Red 

Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup. He would 

race in the series for three years from 

2008 and through 2010. He achieved 

several podiums and one victory in the 

Czech Republic, Brno. Mathew would 

go on to race in the Spanish CEV, 

German IDM and World SuperSPort 

Championship. 

2016 

Not only did Matthew Scholtz have 

one amazing season in the South 

African National SuperGP but he has 

broken in to the international scene 

in some style. Scholtz got his first 

ride in MotoAmerica at round 7 of the 

2016 season at the Utah Motorsports 

Campus. He blew everyone away 

with his opening performances. A 

second place finish in race 1 followed 

up by a third place in race 2, how 

about that for a debut! Scholtz didn’t 

stop there. The following round at the 

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, saw 

him take two second place finishes. 

Round 9 of MotoAmerica took place 

in New Jersey at the Thunderbolt 

Raceway. Although it had been a two 

month wait since the previous round, 

Matthew Scholtz picked up where 

he left off, picking up yet another 

second place in Race 1. Race 2 

however would see, for the first time 

in six races, Scholtz off the podium 

after being forced to retire due to a 

technical issue. I feel that with that 

kind of start in MotoAmerica, Scholtz 

is definitely one to look out for next 

season. Future champion? I think so! 

Let us not forget that some of these 

riders are juggling both national and 

international duties. Scholtz is one 

of them that was doing just that. He 

was tearing it up back in the South 

African SuperGP nationals. Scholtz 

hardly stepped foot off the podium 

all season and headed in to the final 

round twenty-nine points clear and 

the chance to grab the title. Schultz 

would do just that, his main rival 

Clinton Seller crashed out of race 

one, ending his weekend and title 

challenge. Scholtz cruised to two 

victories in the final round and a 

maiden SuperGP title. 


David McFadden (World 

Superstock 1000) 

Number: 69 

Born: 04/05/1990 

From: Cape Town 

Bike: Agro On-Benjan-Kawasaki ZX-10R 

Starting out at five years old, David 

McFadden already has vast racing 

experience. In 1995 he was racing PW 

50’s. He moved his way up through almost 

every class. 50cc, 60cc, 80cc, 125, 

250, 450 right through to the National 

Supersport 600 and 1000 classes. In 2014, 

McFadden joined the FIM Superstock 1000 

championship and finished 5th overall in 

the championship with some fine results. 

The 2015 season would not be as fruitful, 

however he managed some respectable 

top 20 results and has shown that he has 

what it takes to race on the world’s biggest 

stages. 

2016 

David McFadden was again a consistent 

and solid performer during the season. 

Let’s not forget that this is a guy that is 

travelling to and from South Africa between 

races that take place all over the world. 

A seventeenth place finish in round 1 at 

Aragon was followed up with an eighteenth 

in round 2, the Dutch round. McFadden 

had unfortunately finished outside the 

points thus far, but not by much. He would 

finish just one place outside the top fifteen 

in the UK, narrowly missing out on his first 

points of the season. Then coming home 

in twenty-third in Italy. The Riviera di Rimini 

round saw McFadden take twenty-sixth. 

McFadden then took up a seat in the CEV 

Championship with Team Tack Bosoli 

Kawasaki. It was tough going for McFadden 

as he picked up a couple DNF’s. Let’s 

see what 2017 will have to offer for David 

McFadden. 

Bjorn Estment (British 

SuperSport Championship) 

Number: 27 

Born: 11/08/1986 


Bike: East Coast Construction Racing 

Triumph 

Bjorn Estment has taken a different route 

in his racing career to the others I have 

mentioned thus far. Racing in South Africa 

earlier in his career, Bjorn was Regional 

600cc runner up and achieved fourth 

the following year in the National 600cc 

championship. He has since moved over 

to the UK in order to further his career in 

racing. In 2013 he was runner up in the 

British Supersport Cup, further proving his 

talents. 

2016 

It was a consistent season for Bjorn 

Estment. Consistent may not be the word a 

rider would like to be described by however, 

with the quality and competitiveness of the 

British Championship, mixing it up where 

Bjorn has this season and as regularly as 

he has, shows the ability he possesses. 

Round 1 of the season was a sign of things 

to come. Estment placed eleventh with a 

small gap to the top ten. Round 2, and here 

is where you can see the quality of riders 

in the field. Estment placed tenth ahead 

of a certain Ian Hutchinson. Round 3 and 

another solid performance from Estment, 

coming home in eleventh, that followed up 

with a twelfth in round 4. Round 5 brought 

about the first real disappointment of the 

season, a DNF. This however would not 

effect him much as he bounced back with 

a brilliant seventh in round 6. Two thirteenth 

place finishes is rounds 7 and 8 for Estment 

and more points on the board, seven races 

out of eight in the points. Estment would 

improve again in round 9 with an eleventh 

place finish. Rounds 11 and 12, the final 

two rounds of the season saw Estment 

finish strong with a tenth and fourteenth 

respectively. Estment finished the season 

fifteenth overall with seventy points. 


Jordan Weaving 

(British National 

SuperStock 600) 

Number: 34 

Born: 15/05/1998 


Bike: Russo Racing Kawasaki 

ZX-6R 

Jordan Weaving started out 

on track days and practice on a 

Yamaha TZRR 50cc in the South 

African Northern Region class. In 

2007 he placed 6th in that same 

championship. Jordan took his first 

career title in the Western Cape 

Powersport Championship on 

board an RS125. 2012 saw Jordan 

compete in the Red Bull MotoGP 

Rookies Cup, a championship 

that has produced some highly 

competitive and championship 

winning riders. He finished twentieth 

in his first season and returned 

again in 2013 achieving a thirteenth 

place finish in the championship that 

year. he would then move on to the 

British championship in the form of 

the MotoStar British Championship 

aboard a 4-stroke KTM RC250. 

He won on debut in Scotland and 

went on to win the championship 

in 2014. Jordan has now made the 

move up to the 600 Superstock and 

is competing in the British National 

SuperStock 600 Championship. 

2016 

After completing his first season 

aboard the 600 and finish the season 

in an impressive sixth, Jordan would 

have surely had his goals set high for 

the 2016 season. He has certainly 

did not disappoint. Round 1 of the 

2016 championship saw him take 

tenth. From then however, he has 

been nothing short of brilliant. Third 

in round 2 and second in round 3. 

Round 5 saw Jordan pick up yet 

another podium, finishing second. 

Jordan would then go on to take his 

first win on-board the 600 in round 

6 at Thruxton. With that winning 

feeling back, he would go on to take 

back to back victories, following 

up his win at Thruxton with a win in 

round 7 at Brands Hatch. Round 8 

and yet another podium with a third. 

Round 9 and 10 saw back to back 

wins again. At the final round at 

Brands Hatch Weaving crossed the 

line in eighth, that was enough for 

him to take the 2016 British National 

SuperStock 600 championship by 

thirteen points. 


Allan-Jon (AJ) Venter 

Number: 39 

Born: 23/03/1988 


Bike: Topgun Racing Honda (Isle of Man 

TT) CF Racing Team Yamaha R1 (Macau 

Grand Prix) Hygenica Yamaha R1 

AJ Venter first started riding at the age 

of three. His first bike was a Yamaha PW. 

He first started racing 60cc Karts. In 2002 

Venter won his first championship as he 

rode his way to nine victories out of twelve 

races, taking the Northern Regions 50cc 

title with two races to still to go. 2003 saw 

him win the title again while also racing in 

the 125 class where he finished second 

overall. In 2003, after the move up to 

600’s, Venter went on to win the regional 

championship and finished second in the 

nationals on board a Yamaha R6. In 2006 

he moved up to the 1000cc class and got 

his first test of International racing in the 

British SuperStock Championship. 2008 

saw AJ race a full season in the British 

SuperStock 600 on board a Triumph 675, 

finishing fourth overall in the championship. 

He continued to ride in the British 

championship however in the SuperSport 

class. In 2013 AJ Venter made his Isle of 

Man TT debut. He has since raced at four 

more Isle of Man TT’s with a best result of 

fourteenth. Venter has also raced in another 

prestigious road race, the Macau Grand 

Prix where he has achieved a best result of 

fifteenth in 2014. 

2016 

AJ has competed on the international road 

racing circuit for a number of years and 

he continued to do so in 2016. He raced 

at the Isle of Man for the fourth time and 

achieved some good results. On board 

a 2013 Honda CBR1000RR, AJ finished 

thirty-eighth in a time of 01:54:42.392, and 

an average speed of 118.413, in the RST 

Superbike TT. He then went on to compete 

in the SuperSport class and achieved a 

top thirty result. He finished twenty-ninth 

in a time of 01:18:28.959, and averaged 

speed of 115.378. This on board a 2009 

Honda CBR600RR. In the second of the 

SuperSport races, despite bettering his time 

and average speed, he would finish fortieth. 

The top result of the TT for Venter came in 

the TT Zero. He finished fifth, five seconds 

off John McGuiness in fourth. That would 

unfortunately be it for Venter at the 2016 

Isle of Man TT. He would end the TT with a 

DNF in the senior TT. It however did not end 

there. AJ recently went off to Macau for the 

famous Macau Grand Prix. AJ impressed 

further at Macau finishing in eighteenth in a 

field of the world’s best road racers. 

Locally, AJ competed in the SuperGP 

nationals. He ended the season inside the 

top ten of the Championship after a strong 

showing in the final round at Red Star 

Raceway, picking up fifth place in the final 

race of the season. AJ’s best result of the 

season coming in round 3 at Killarney where 

he picked up a third place. 

Writing this article, researching and 

keeping an eye on what our South 

African riders are doing has taught me a 

lot. Not only about the rider’s individual 

performances, but also just how much 

goes in to a single race weekend. Not to 

mention the amount of blood, sweat and 

tears goes in to building a career in racing. 

I have grown to respect each and every 

rider and each person that is involved 

in developing their careers. The riders, 

parents, other family, friends, the teams they 

are a part of, all dedicate and sacrifice so 

much to get them to the level they are at. 

Dorren Lourerio’s dad, Armando, mentioned 

something that his son told him that stuck 

with him, and stuck with me as well. Dorren 

told him that; “ when you race in South 

Africa, there are hardly any fans to support 

you besides for your friends and family. You 

are the arch rival of every other team and 

rider. Overseas those very same people 

become your fans and you want nothing 

more than to make them proud and not 

to disappoint them.” He acknowledged 

that there are so many talented riders in 

South Africa that are fast, faster than he 

is. He hopes that, because he has been 

given the kind of opportunity that many of 

them don’t get, he can make those riders 

proud, and he will do his best in order to do 

so. I think that ever single rider that I have 

mentioned in this article will feel the same 

way Dorren does. It’s not easy for our local 

riders to make the impact that all these 

riders are making. That’s the very reason I’m 

writing this article, because they deserve 

the recognition and they need our support! 

Congratulations to all the riders for their 

tremendous efforts this season! We wish 

you all the best for the season to come! 


little bikes 

BIG ACTION! 

The traditional year-end endurance race for lightweight motorcycles at Killarney returned to 

its familiar format for 2016, starting at 10am and running for eight hours on Saturday at the 

demanding one-kilometre ‘K’ circuit under the Mad Mac’s banner. 

Words: Dave Abrahams Pics: Dave Abrahams & Steve Williams 

The 34th running of this classic 

international event was again dominated by 

the UK-based RST team of Jonny Towers, 

CEO of bikewear giant RST, international 

Superstock 1000 rider David ‘McFlash’ 

McFadden and local teenage hotshot 

Kewyn Snyman, on their immaculately 

prepared Honda CBR150. 

It was this team’s fourth win in five years, 

and the 10th time that Towers had been a 

member of the winning squad. 

But it was McFlash who threw down 

the gauntlet in qualifying, posting a 48.878 

second lap that got him provisional pole 

ahead of the Superpole shootout, when the 

top 10 qualifiers were given six flat-out laps, 

going out at five-second intervals to ensure 

that each had a clear track. 

The result was a blistering 48.325, 

almost half a second clear of former multiple 

South African Superbike champion Greg 

Gildenhuys on the second of the two Van 

Bros CBR150 machines, and 0.7s faster 

than Van Bros team leader Aran van Niekerk. 

Initial mayhem 

Van Niekerk, however, got the best of 

the traditional Le Mans start, sprinting 

across the track to the line-up machines 

and getting away marginally ahead of 

McFadden, to lead the first three, insanely 

congested, laps. 

Nevertheless, by the time the mayhem 

had partially sorted itself out and the debris 

from the inevitable early crashes caused by 

hotshot riders trying to win an eight-hour 

race in the first five minutes, McFadden had 

taken over the lead and was pulling slowly 

away from Daryn Upton on the Gautengbased 

OCC CBR150 he was sharing with 

fellow SuperGP racers Brent Harran and 

Luca Gaspar, with Van Niekerk a close third 

on the Van Bros family CBR150 he was 

sharing with his father, Mark van der Walt, 

brother Nicholas and Michael Hall. 

By the end of the first hour, McFadden 

and Towers had lapped the entire field at 

least once, peeling off 69 laps to the 68 of 

the OCC, Van Bros and Fast Lane riders – 

Erin Lane, Brandon Story, Damien Mompie 

and Zafir Dinly on the CBR150 with which 

Lane usually competes in short-circuit 

sprint events. 


The Powerflow team of Dick Bate, 

Donald Craig, Ayden van Rooijen and 

multiple former SA champion Greg Dreyer 

were within a lap of the leaders until lap 24, 

when Dreyer hit part of a fallen bike and slit 

the front tyre. He got the bike back to the 

pits unscathed for a frantic tyre change, but 

it cost the team 10 laps and dropped them 

halfway down the order. 

An hour later, the RST riders had reeled 

off 143 laps to the 140 of the OCC squad 

– but they’d been slapped with a five-lap 

penalty for overtaking under a yellow flag 

and, officially, OCC was in the lead, with 

the Van Bros bikes third and fourth. The 

Hi-Tech CBR150 of Dorren Loureiro, Chris 

Wright and former National star Robbie 

Portman from Gauteng was up to fifth, 

ahead of the Ellis brothers, Michael and 

David – the only two-man team in the race 

– aboard the Weskus Verkoelers CBR150. 

Erin Lane was on track to become the 

first girl to finish an 8 Hour in the top five 

when she clashed with a slower rider in the 

Pits Esses and went down hard; she was 

able to ride a second stint later, but at the 

cost of much discomfort, and the Fast Lane 

team finished well down the order. 

Ten minutes into the third hour Mark van 

der Walt crashed the Van Bros family bike 

out of third, injuring his left ankle too badly 

to ride further, and costing the team a long 

pit stop to repair the bike; they rejoined in 

23rd position, 36 laps down and never got 

back into contention. 

Close formation 

With three hours gone, RST were a scant 

three laps ahead of the second Van Bros 

crew and the Hi Tech squad, who were not 

only on the same lap but just 12 seconds 

apart, with the ASAP World CBR150 

of William Friend, Brandon Staffen and 

Luca Coccioni, the Ellis brothers and the 

Rayder Racing CBR150 of Gareth Dawson, 

Raymond Alexander, Renier de Lange and 

Chris Deppe in close formation, one lap 

further down. 


By the halfway point at 2pm, however, the pace was 

beginning to tell – but RST was just hitting its stride, 

stretching its lead to 11 laps from Hi Tech and 13 

from Rayder, which had made up three places, at the 

expense of ASAP World and the Ellis brothers. 

The orange and white No.17 machine just kept on 

reeling off the laps while almost everybody else had to 

deal with either crashed or broken bikes. By the end 

of the fifth hour RST’s lead was up to 19 laps, with 

Van Bros back up to second, Rayder third, Hi Tech 

fourth and OCC back up to fifth, minus its fairing after a 

monumental struggle with crash damage. 

The sixth hour produced the biggest crash of the 

day and the only safety-bike period, after Dreyer and 

Thruxton Racing’s Kosie Rabie collided on the start-finish 

line. Rabie went down very hard and lay motionless on 

the circuit as the riders bunched up behind the Mad 

Mac’s safety bike, and the ambulance moved swiftly to 

pick him up. Within 12 minutes Rabie was on his way to 

hospital and the safety bike was parked in the pits; the 

Thruxton racing bike could have been repaired, but the 

heart had gone out of the team and they packed it in. 

During the rest of that hour the RST crew lapped the 

entire field yet again, with McFadden posting the fastest 

lap of the race with a superb 48.583. That increased 

their lead to 20 laps from Van Bros, Rayder, a resurgent 

Powerflow with Dreyer putting in some superb laps, and 

the Fleetway CBR150 of Andre Calvert, David Enticott, 

Derek Davids and Shawn Payne. 

The next four – OCC, Rayder, the veteran crew of 

Jimmy Pantony, Gerrit Visser Senior, Paul Medell and 

John Craig (who has ridden in every edition of this event 

since its inception in 1983!) and the Ellis brothers, were 

not only all on the same lap, they were all covered by 

just over 20 seconds. 

Frantic McGyvering 

Shortly afterwards Staffen ran wide coming out of the 

Pits Esses and collided with Taric Van de Merwe on the 

Hooligans CBR150. Both went down hard but the riders 

were soon up and the bikes were hurriedly pushed back 

to the pits for some frantic McGyvering. By the end of 


the hour both were running again, although way down 

the order. 

The Hi Tech CBR150 broke its clutch cable during 

the seventh hour; the crew removed the bike’s fuel tank 

to replace it and when they replaced it, they couldn’t get 

the cap to seal. Fuel kept slopping out under braking, 

and sadly, the bike was retired. 

Not 10 minutes later Powerflow’s Ayden van 

Rooijen – chasing hard to catch the third-placed OCC 

machine, collided with the Calberg CBR150 of Andrew 

Liebenberg, Gerrit Visser Junior, Maxim Mandix and 

Ryan van Eden coming out of the Big Esses, knocking 

the team down to ninth and out of contention. 

Going into the final hour, RST held a 23-lap 

advantage over Van Bros, ahead of Rayder, OCC and 

the veterans, with the Ellis brothers pushing hard for a 

top-six place. Then a late charge into fourth by the Mad 

Mac’s CBR150 of Trevor Westman, Wesley Jones, JP 

Friederich and Warren Guantario radically changed the 

top order, while the Ellis brothers pushed the veterans 

down to seventh. 

When the flag came down at 6pm, 30 of the 

33 starters were still running, although some were 

considerably the worse for wear. Then began a 

frustrating hour-long wait for the results while the top 

six finishers were stripped and their engines checked to 

make sure they were within the rules. 

They were, and RST was credited with a recordequalling 

552 laps, 24 laps ahead of Van Bros, OCC, 

Mad Mac’s, Rayder Racing, and the Ellis brothers – who 

had never stripped their Honda CBR150’s engine before 

and had to be assisted by the scrutineers! 


Words Rob Portman / Pics steve Williams 

RIDEFAST AT 

THE 8 HOUR 

Armando Lourerio called me up on the 

Monday before the 8 hour, asking me if I 

would like to ride in his team along with his 

son Dorren and young star Chris Wright. 

I gladly accepted and was excited, as I 

had not done this race in over 5 years. It is 

an event that every racing fanatic should do 

at least once in their life, as it is filled with 

every emotion we crave – from excitement 

to pure terror. 

I arrived at the track on the Friday 

morning to get some laps in on the bike. I 

needed to familiarize myself with riding the 

small Honda 150 machine again as well as 

the track as I had not been on both in over 

5 years. 

Just the weekend before I was racing 

around the RSR track on our 2016 

Kawasaki ZX10R, so when I headed out of 

the pits and into turn one of the 150 I got a 

big wake up call when the bike just through 

itself into the tight right-hander. No need to 

fight this little bike in and out of turns, pretty 

much does it for you. 

It took me around 5 laps of the 1km 

go-kart circuit to get comfortable and I was 

soon in a good rhythm. Or so I thought. I 

was soon bombed on the inside by what 

looked like a newborn baby on a 150 bike. 

It was 13-year old local CPT star Slade van 

Niekerk, and man did he make me look a bit 

silly. So after chatting to and getting some 

tips from someone who knows about going 

fast around any track and is also the size of 

a new born baby, my mate Shez Morais, I 

headed back out on track to correct what 

Shez had told me I was doing wrong. I 

immediately went a full second faster and 

was feeling good on the bike. 

I decided to not do too much riding on 

Friday, as I knew I had plenty to do the next 

day and needed to rest up. That night I was 

already feeling it in my legs and back, but 

nothing 2 Panados could not fix (you know 

you are getting old when you carry Panados 

around with you). 

Saturday and it was race time. And Doz 

managed to put us 9th on the grid for the 

start of the race. Our strategy was for each 

rider to do 45minute stints out on track, 

which does not sound like a lot but on a tiny 

150 around a 1km circuit with turns a plenty 

and 36 other mad hatters all racing around, 

it’s bloody hard work, literally! 

Doz did an amazing job in his first 

45-minute stint putting us up into 5th 

position. Little Chris Wright was out next. 

Chris turned 11 just a few weeks before the 

event and is a tiny little boy, so I was a bit 

worried about him being bullied out on track. 

Chris is a top talent up in JHB in the NSF 

100 cup and the CBR150 Cup so knows 

how to go around a track fast but the 8-hour 

was a complete new challenge for him. 

To say this young man impressed me is 

a complete understatement. He tore up the 

track as if it was his own and barged his 

way past just about every rider out on track. 

His lap times were really impressive, running 

around 0.6 off the fastest guys. He looked 

tiny on the bike and I had many spectators 

and competitors coming up to me asking 

me who was that little guy on track. I 

proudly said “it’s Chris Wright, our 11-year 

old star, remember the name!” 

Chris pitted and got us up into 3rd 

position, doing a great job at staying out of 

trouble, which is not easy with all the chaos 

going on track. 

It was finally time for me to head out on 

track and by turn 3 I was already getting the 

elbows out. You cannot afford to get stuck 

behind slower riders as you lose to much 

time so I had to pull a few, lets just call them 

dodgy maneuvers, to get past some of the 

guys. I did stick an apologetic hand up when 

needed, which was more often than not. 

I was absolutely exhausted after my first 

45-minute stint. It was well over 30 degrees 

so I was cooking side my helmet and suit, 

but it was all worth it as we were up to 2nd 

place overall. 

We managed to maintain 2nd position for 

just over half the race when disaster struck. 

Our clutch cable snapped forcing Doz to 

pit. Our team did a great job at replacing 

the cable and sending us back out on track 

5 minutes later but by then we had lost so 

much time and were down to 10th place. 

Over the next 2 sessions, we managed 

to fight our way back up to 6th, but then 

more bad luck. Our fuel cap was coming 

off pushing fuel out onto the bike and more 

importantly the front tyre. Doz did a great 

job at staying on the bike. We tried fixing 

the issue but there was no coming back so 

we were forced out. So disappointing as 

we were doing such an incredible job and 

would have easily picked up 2nd place. 

I thouroughly6 enjoyed the race and was 

super impressed by Doz and Chris. Both 

are serious stars and will no doubt be big 

names in the racing world. 

Also a big mention to another 11-year 

old Taric vd Merwe and 13-year old Slade 

van Niekerk, who took on the challenge that 

is the 8 hour and came out better riders for 

it. It really does teach you so much about 

race craft and will make them better riders 

in the future. Remember these names! 

As for the event, amazing! What a great 

show the Killarney short circuit racing club 

put on. Marshalls were excellent and entire 

event was world class. I will be back next 

year with a RideFast team ready to fight and 

take on the big boys! 


BORN TO 

RULE 

The XSR900 is the real deal. An exhilarating riding experience delivered by cutting edge technology and influenced by an unrivalled 

racing heritage. The best of Yamaha’s latest engineering is wrapped in a retro design, paying tribute to timeless classic machines. 

The latest in-line, 3-cylinder, 850cc, CP3 Crossplane Concept engine delivers astounding torque and breath-taking acceleration. A super 

lightweight aluminium frame combined with a natural riding position offers a heightened riding experience and outstanding agility. 

The XSR900 takes inspiration from Yamaha’s rich history of sports bikes and motorcycle design, mixed with cutting edge technology. 

R159,95O

SMALL 

IS THE NEW 

BIG 

We are all about big capacity bikes that produce massive 

amounts of power and torque, but what about the smaller 

siblings to those big bikes? There are a few great options out 

there so we decided to highlight them. Words: Wim Edge & Daniel Harry 

In the pursuit of speed and power we 

often forget where it all started. Maybe 

in the back yard on a PW50, or was it 

on your way to school with a 125 scoot? 

What about the moment when a Sportbike 

blasted by, leaving you speechless? When 

exactly did the bug bite? For quite a couple 

of recent years there were no exciting small 

bikes for sale on the market. There was 

nothing that could make a kid or beginner 

rider’s heart race. Luckily this situation has 

changed somewhat over late times and 

We tested the KTM RC125 

and 390 back in 2015 with 

Brad and Darryn Binder. Not 

bad test riders hey? 

that is great news for the future of biking in 

general. Featured here we have a couple of 

examples of hot small bikes available on the 

SA market today. 

KTM RC 125 and RC 390 

Through the years KTM have spoilt us 

with an orange machine in each category 

of biking, and even at entry level they 

have nailed it once again. As always the 

Austrians delivered high build quality and 

great performance. KTM have never been 

subtle when it comes to styling and the 

RC’s carry the image forward. The orange 

powder coated trellis frame does not only 

look good but it plays a key role in the 

handling setup of these bikes. It is only 

fair that the above mentioned excellence 

also reflects in the price. The RC 125 in 

particular is not what one would call cheap. 

Personally I think if licence restriction is not 

an issue that the extra R15 000 for the RC 

390 will be money well spent as it has more 

than double the power of the RC 125. 

KTM 125 Duke and 390 Duke 

So you like KTM as a brand but the fairing 

look doesn’t excite you that much? Well no 

problem. KTM styled these two bikes on 

the same drawing board as their big Duke 

and Super Duke siblings. The same rules 

apply when it comes to build quality and 

overall feel. Great in-house alternative to the 

RC series. 

KTM RC125 R52 999 

125cc single, 15hp @10500rpm • 12nm@8000rpm 

125kg dry • 0-100kph=8sec - max speed=135kph 

KTM RC390 R67 999 


147kg dry • 0-100kph=6sec, max speed=168kph 

KTM 125 DUKE R48 999 


125kg dry • 0-100kph=8sec - max speed=125kph 

KTM RC390 R63 999 




Kawasaki Ninja 300R 

This bike really looks the part of a proper 

sportbike as lots of the styling elements of 

the ZX10-R can be found on the little Ninja. 

The 296cc power plant is strategically 

tucked into the frame to centralize the 

bike’s lack of weight ensuring nimble 

handling. The Ninja 300R will make a 

great ‘first set of wheels’ as well as daily 

commuter. 

KAWASAKI 300R R64 995 

296cc twin, 36hp @12000rpm • 27nm@10000rpm 


Yamaha R3 

In my opinion I don’t think this particular 

bike is the best looking small sportbike. It is 

not as convincing as KTM RC’s bikes or the 

Kawasaki Ninja. That being said, in Rossi 

Replica colours it looks pretty awesome. 

It’s not even necessary to discuss reliability. 

It will probably swop through a couple of 

owners in its lifetime. Great power and 

handling is also a given. 

YAMAHA R3 R64 950 



2017 Honda CBR250RR 

Lets us not beat around the bush as this 

new CBR250RR is a real looker. It’s without 

a shadow of a doubt one if not the best 

looking small capacity sportbike of late. The 

RR in the name also 

suggests 

it’s a tat special and sporty at that. In fact 

this might just be the fastest four-stroke 

250cc sportbike ever. Honda also claims 

that this bike will be a corner eater and 

then some given its track oriented setup 

and design. Given the time Honda spend 

developing this bike I tend to believe these 

promises of sheer brilliance. No word on 

the price yet but I don’t expect this baby 

Blade to cheap. 

HONDA CBR250RR R????? 

249cc twin, 36hp@12200rpm • 23nm@10000rpm 


Suzuki GSX 150F 

It might not be the fastest or most powerful 

small sportbike, but it surely opens the 

door to biking like no other. 

At R29 600 it is a bargain, 

no matter how you look 

at it. This is what entry 

level biking is all about, 

having an affordable yet 

properly built motorcycle, 

which either helps you to 

improve your biking skills 

or simply just takes you 

from point A to point B 

and putting a smile on your 

face while doing so. 

Suzuki GSX-R 250 

It looks promising indeed and given the 

good ‘value for money’ 

trend set by Suzuki when 

it comes to small bikes, 

should this bike also be 

keen to your wallet as 

it is to your eyes. But 

then you compare 

the figures to the 

similarly size 

CBR250RR 

and you start to 

realize it has to 

be cheaper than 

SUZUKI GSX 150F R29 600 



SUZUKI GSX-R250 R????? 

248cc twin, 25hp@8000rpm • 23nm@6500rpm 

165kg dry • 0-100kph=7.0sec, max speed=130kph 

the Honda to really make sense. Suzuki 

claimed a top speed of merely 130kph 

which might be a blower to a potential 

buyer. This fact makes the GSX-R250 one 

of the slowest bikes here, not something 

you like to hear when you fancy some 

street cred out on your new ride. But let us 

not get hopeless right away about this new 

little Gixxer as a 300cc version is said to be 

in the making. And I mean just look at it. 


BMW G310R 

It may be small but this little bike 

will carry the propeller badge like a 

WSBK superstar. BMW have said it 

will be build by TVS but was totally 

engineered and designed by BMW in 

Germany. It’s clear BMW is keeping 

an ongoing eye on the future with this 

small new offering, which might turn 

out to be the heart of the two-wheeled 

business of the future, or should we 

use the ‘money making’ term instead. 

We also expect spinoff offerings from 

this bike, like a full fairing version, 

which might bring along a racing 

class, a bit like what the RC390 is 

to KTM. And a small Adventure bike 

might also be on the table. 

The concept bike surfaced a 

couple of years ago and the message 

was clear from the start, a small 

package with a great kick. It will be a 

small capacity bike yet a real BMW at 

that with intent, and the stunt concept 

at the time highlighted this. The styling 

is typical BMW, yet not really pretty as 

such but still manages to keep one’s 

eye dancing all over the interesting 

lines of this new small offering. It really 

looks like a BMW and that is already 

half the battle won, right? 

The engine is the new small 313cc 

single cylinder which is unlikely to set 

your pants on fire or to let you fizz like 

James May would put it, but at least 

it would be kind to your wallet at best 

of times, especially from filling station 

to filling station. International reports 

suggest that this new lightweight 

will keep you smiling in the corner 

department, and with a the top end 

speed of around 150kph, is also 

fast enough to get you in some real 

trouble. 

This BMW bike of late is like 

no other before, but a BMW it is 

without a doubt. It’s fun, practical 

and capable. Watch out KTM, the 

Germans are coming… 

BMW G310R R????? 

313cc single, 34hp@9500rpm • 28nm@7500rpm 


You won’t find the postman riding 

anyone of these small sportbikes. 

They are proper and epic for what 

they are intended to be. Hopefully 

more people will realise how 

important small bikes are for the 

existence of all biking genres. And did 

we mention fun? Epic! 


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