Petersen clinches Supersport title
Exalted company, brilliant spectacle and the emergence of some new frontrunners typified the final rounds of this year's South African motorcycle racing championships at the Red Star Raceway near Delmas on Saturday.
CRASH. Keegan Wessels (Emtek Yamaha) and Brent Harran (Liqui Moly MV Agusta) make contact at the Red Star Raceway. Picture: Deon Venter.
The Superbike contingent saw the presence of international ace Greg Gildenhuys on a Northside Motorcycles BMW. He planted the machine on the front row of the gridbehind champion Clinton Seller (PS Czank Race! Kawasaki).
Seller blasted into the lead at the start, but he fell on lap two. Grobler briefly led before also falling off a lap later and that left Chris Leeson (Motorrad BMW) to win ahead of Gildenhuys.
Behind them a race long battle for third eventually went to Anthony Shelley (Brooke Refridgeration Kawasaki) ahead of Dylan White (Brother Yamaha) and Ryan Ottens (Motorrad BMW).
Race two saw a huge dice between Gildenhuys, Leeson, Seller and Grobler who all took turns to lead in the first nine laps. Seller went ahead on the final lap and wonfrom Gildenhuys and Grobler.
In the 600 Supersport category Red Star Raceway expert Rhyno Stander (Bangy Travel Kawasaki) led the opening race from the start.
He was closely pursued by Darryn Binder (IndyOil Yamaha), Lance Isaacs (Pta North Toyota Kawasaki), Anthony Shelley (Brooke Refridgeration Kawasaki) and Cameron Petersen on the Liqui Moly MV Agusta.
Behind them Brent Harran, who fell in qualifying, was blasting through the field from the back on a second Liqui Moly MV Agusta when he tried to claim the same piece of tarmac as Keegan Wessels (Brother Emtek Yamaha). Both riders fell hard and Harran retired on the spot.
At the front Stander opened a gap between himself and the opposition. He finally finished three tenths of a second clear of Isaacs with Shelley and Binder in close proximity. Petersen rode a sensible and smooth race to claim fifth place and clinch the 20013 title.
Stander led the second race as well, but outbraked himself at the end of the back straight on the fifth lap and went down. Shelley then took the lead to win ahead of Isaacs, Petersen, Dean Vos (Brother Yamaha) and Blaze Baker (Kawasaki).
