Cape Town – Saturday is, of course, Women’s Day, so the ladies will be accorded preferential treatment at Round 6 of the Power Series, the Women’s Day Festival Meeting at Killarney. Women will be admitted free, as will children under 12, and ladies will also be offered special privileges when they visit the Trackside Pub and Grill at the clubhouse.
There will also be playground facilities for children, including jumping castles outside the clubhouse.
Then, at least one woman will be the recipient of a ticket for a “taxi ride” around the circuit at racing speed, in a 333km/h McLaren MP4-12C sports car driven by a former Killarney sports car champion.
And the Mike Hopkins Regional Motorcycle series has organised free entry for lady riders at the their next advanced riding course on Saturday 13 September. To get your name on the list, contact convenor David Bolding in the Race Base garage on race day or call Roxanne Livings at Mike Hopkins Motorcycles on (021) 461-5167.
CHANGING THE DYNAMIC
With the World Superbike series in recess for its (Northern hemisphere) summer break, Cape Town’s David ‘McFlash’ McFadden, currently sixth in the Superstock 1000 championship, has a couple of weeks off from motorcycle racing – so he’s come home to enter Round 6 of the Mike Hopkins Regional Motorcycle series on the Stunt SA ZX-10R.
This will change the dynamic at the sharp end of the field among the top Regional contenders - defending champion Ronald Slamet, veteran Malcom Rapson and young gun Gerrit Visser, each also on a Kawasaki ZX-10R – as will the unexpected addition of Powersport contender and former SA Supersport race winner Graeme Green on the Thruxton Motorcycles ZX-10R and 600 Challenge star Brandon Haupt, out for the first time on a new ZX-10R with backing from his family and MX Clean.
600 CHALLENGE
Facing no less than seven of the 150kW Green Meanies in Class A, Trevor Westman on the seven-year-old Ocean Sizzler R1 could be forgiven for feeling a little outgunned but never write off this graduate of the rough-and-tumble short-circuit school of racing; Westman is at his best when he’s the underdog.
There are now two 600cc machines in Class A, each a Kawasaki ZX-6R, and they are ridden by the top contenders in the 600 Challenge: current leader Andre Calvert and teen prodigy Hayden Jonas. Not only will this weekend be a grudge match for Challenge points, either of these two is capable of pouncing on any litre-class rider guilty of a lapse in concentration and turning it to their advantage.
In Calvert’s absence - having been promoted to the premier league - Class B is likely to be fought out between father and son Mark (Planet Electronics CBR1000RR) and Alex (Wicked Tuning CBR600RR) van den Berg, and Jacques Brits (Lize Signs S1000RR).
Class C stalwarts Jacques Ackermann (Jotim R1), Brent Walters (Alu-Trellis R1) Ruan de Lange (Asap CBR600RR) will take up where they left off at the July meeting – with RST Bikewear boss Jonny Towers of 8 Hours fame adding an international flavour aboard a Kawasaki ER650.
The first of the 14 races on Saturday is due off at 10am. Remember, ladies enter free. Men pay R60 for adults, scholars under 16 pay R20.