Round 8 of the SA Superbike series at Cape Town's Killarney circuit on Saturday 5 October delivered ultra-close racing, huge spills - and a new South African champion, as Kawasaki ZX-10R rider Clinton Seller nailed down the Unlimited Superbike title with one meeting still to be run.
Saturday racing started with drama when local hero Aran van Niekerk parted company with his Stunt SA ZX-10R halfway through the lap one of the first Superbike race.
Van Niekerk fell heavily at more than 170km/h and the race was red-flagged while he was taken to hospital with a broken collarbone and severe bruising.
After the restart Chris Leeson (BMW S1000 RR) and Malcolm Rapson (Kawasaki ZX-10R) came together in the first corner and ran wide, dropping both riders out of contention, and leaving Seller to debate matters with Nicholas Grobler (Kawasaki ZX-10R).
Seller came home in front, closely followed by Grobler, local hero Ronald Slamet (Mike Hopkins ZX-10R), Dylan White (Brother R1), Ryan Ottens (BMW S1000RR) and a late-charging Chris Leeson.
RACE 2
Leeson's woes continued at the start of the second race, as his BMW selected a box full of neutrals, leaving him stranded as the pack took off in hot pursuit of hole-shot rider Grobler.
The Pretoria North rider overdid it in Cape Town corner at the end of lap two, however, handing the race - and the title - to Seller.
But the ride of the race came from Leeson, who scythed through the field from stone last like a man on a mission, catching the leading bunch six laps in and finishing a hard-earned second ahead of Slamet, Rapson, Dylan White and Garick Vlok (Kawasaki).
SUPERSPORT 600
The 600cc class produced the day's closest race result; after 10 laps of furious dicing, Cam Petersen (MV Agusta 675) won the first race from Lance Isaacs (Kawasaki ZX-6R) by one hundredth of a second, with Nicholas Kershaw's Kawasaki ZX-6R less than a second adrift in third, ahead of Brent Harran (MV Agusta 675), Anthony Shelley (Kawasaki ZX-6R) and local rider Sharl Wasserfall (Kawasaki ZX-6R).
Race 2 saw a furious battle for the lead between Petersen, Isaacs, Kershaw, Harran and Wasserfall, which claimed two victims as Harran outbraked himself at the end of the pit straight and Wasserfall crashed out in Cape Town Corner.
It all came down to the final corner and Kershaw was brilliant, outbraking his two adversaries to win from Petersen and Isaacs, with the three motorcycles covered by less than half a second over the finish line.
Dean Vos (Yamaha R6), Shelley and Harran filled out the top six places.
MR MOTORCYCLE
At the end of the day the quickest 12 riders tackled the Mr Motorcycle Challenge, with the last rider black-flagged on every lap.
Seller emerged as the winner from Leeson, Grobler and a Kershaw.
The final round of the 2013 SA Superbike championship will be run at the Red Star Raceway near Delmas on Saturday, 2 November.