A TEAM of riders from Helluvafast Motorcycles recently roared down the highway from Amanzimtoti to Port Shepstone, ready to tear up the track at Dezzi Raceway for the first race of the year in the Super-Sprint Series.

Also read: Amanzimtoti riders win championship titles

Anja and Carmen Conci hit the raceway in the super production 150cc class, each bringing their own flair to the competition. Anja, a seasoned rider, took on the challenge with an 85cc two-stroke machine — known for its speed but infamous for its temperamental nature — while Carmen, the team’s rookie for the season, debuted on a Honda CBR150.

Meanwhile, Helluvafast’s racing veteran, Jesse Conci, swopped two wheels for four, marking his first year in car racing. Taking on the Sports Cars / Super GT class, he manoeuvred a Lotus Seven powered by a 1.6L Ford Bantam engine, proving his versatility on the track.

Each race day in the Super-Sprint Series consists of three heats per class, with racers accumulating points based on their finishing positions. The competitor with the highest tally at the end of the day claims overall victory.

Also read: Green mamba claims lives of two dogs

Anja faced early setbacks with technical issues in both the qualifier and the first race — an all-too-common struggle with high-performance two-stroke machines. Despite the challenges, the Helluvafast team kicked off the season with determination, setting the stage for a thrilling year of racing.

“I managed to fix my bike properly in between the races and by the second race I was able to battle against the top riders in my class. It was great to be back on the track against all the new racers. I finished in third place overall despite the setbacks,” said Anja.

Carmen, who achieved fifth place, was out competing for the first time despite being around racing for most of her life.

“The day was a lot more challenging than I expected, but KZN Road Racing Club has been so welcoming and all the competitors are helpful. The qualifier was the very first time I went out onto Dezzi Raceway, so it was quite challenging to learn the track within the five-lap practice session. By the end of the last race, I improved by a whole five seconds per lap,” said Carmen.

Jesse, who came fifth overall, competed against 23 other cars on the track at the same time. The average car in the Super GT class averages 300 horsepower but Jesse braved the competition in the car he helped build.

“I only completed building it a few days before the race and I didn’t get much time to test it. But somehow my team and I managed to get the car running beautifully for race day. Even though my car was quite underpowered against the others in my class, I still had such a great time racing,” said Jesse. He added that he learnt from the other racers as they shared knowledge about their cars.

For those who are interested in starting racing, Carmen will be working on an online video journal following her experiences in racing. You can find it under the handle @carmenjconci on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

Do you have more information pertaining to this story? Feel free to let us know by commenting on our Facebook page or you can contact our newsroom on 031 903 2341 and speak to a journalist.