The South African Short Circuit Series, in collaboration with Ride Fast Motorcycle Magazine South Africa, hosted their second round of Formula K in Benoni for girls and boys, and with the weather being dark and gloomy, the eager participants did not let a few drops of rain stop them from the urge to race.
According to Aston Nesbitt, the organiser and assistant on technical aspects, the event takes place annually for girls and boys who are interested in racing.
“The series kicked off at the Vereeniging Kart Circuit on February 24, and we have had an increase in participants. We have eight races scheduled for this year, and from my perception, we have an increase in children who are ready to learn how to race,” Aston said.
Ethan de Freitas (9) is a Grade Three learner from The Kings School West Rand who is no stranger to putting the school’s name on the map. Racing with his Husqvarna Supermoto motorcycle in the SM50 and SM65 classes this year, he obtained a qualifying pole position with a time of 0:52.048 seconds.
With the adrenaline rush of excitement oozing in the air, Ethan had the chance to compete in an epic battle with his teammate, Marnitz Otten, for the first two laps in Heats 1 and 2. Both racers achieved first place.
Mario de Freitas, Ethan’s father, was extremely supportive of his son’s achievements, and being a bike fanatic, the experience of sharing this passion with his son is the cherry on top.
“Ethan is on fire today! He dominated the third heat, being ahead from laps 1–8 with a winning gap of 19,50 seconds, winning all three of his races.
“Ethan is also racing his 65-cc Husqvarna Supermotard for the first time and has already beaten his best times in all his races so far. He managed to finish the day in sixth place after an extremely high-paced day of races against his fellow competitors,” Mario said.
The third round will be held at the IDube Race Track in KZN on May 11.
