After setup on Thursday afternoon in beautiful sunshine, was it possible that the weather apps could be correct with the predicted temperature and rainfall? But, as the King Price Xtreme Honda team woke up on Friday morning, it was obvious that the apps were indeed correct. Both Leungo Gaorekwe and Clint Seller were only able to complete one practice session each on Friday morning.
The team decided to sit out the wet sessions to avoid risking the riders and bikes for the rest of the day. Saturday morning brought a few promising rays of sunshine and both Clint and Leungo were excited about the day on the famous MotoGP track.
Leungo’s 600cc Supersport class managed to get out and complete a few laps before the clouds closed in. This at least allowed the young rider to post the second-fastest time during qualifying. Unfortunately, Clint wasn’t so lucky. A small delay in getting him out meant he missed the first 2 minutes of the session and that meant he hit the track right as the rain started to fall. He still managed to do one flying lap which put him in fourth place on the grid.
Race 1 in the Supersport class saw Leungo immediately securing second place off the line. He put his head down to stay with the leader and, in the process, he managed his fastest time yet at Phakisa. However, due to the lack of setup time on the bike, he smoked his rear tyre which resulted in him being forced to bring his CBR600 home safe in third position.
As always, Clint got off the line on his Honda Fireblade in the Superbike race as quickly as humanly possible, putting him straight into the second position. A bold overtake saw him lead over the line on his King Price Xtreme Honda.
Clint maintained a strong pace to pull out a 4-second lead going into the last lap. However, he lost the gap and only managed to win by 0.035 seconds. The team later learned from Clint that he was running out of fuel and had to rely on all his tricks and experience just to get the bike over the line.
As the teams started getting the bikes ready for the second heat, the heavens opened and completely soaked the track. With the storm came powerful lightning all around the racetrack. For safety reasons, the marshals and the series members made the tough choice to cancel the rest of the day’s races in the name of safety for both riders and marshals.
The team was disappointed but also happy with their performances. Even with the challenging weather, they still managed to walk away as championship leaders in both classes.
A massive thank you to our awesome sponsors: King Price Xtreme, Honda SA, Dragon Energy, Liqui Moly, Super Signs, NGK Spark Plugs, Le Grandt Kitchens, Roy Gardner, Shark Helmets, Akrapovic, and Mass Sports Suits.
See you in Port Elizabeth on 25 June!
