Pinetown will be revved up and ready for wild racing on 4 September when the UTC National Supermoto moves into the street for its penultimate round of the 2011 season.
By Lauren Beukes
This year, organisers are expecting between 8 000 and 10 000 spectators to witness this spectacular event of motor cross – the highlight being the racers themselves… and their fierce bikes, of course! The set-up of the pits in the main street will give the army of spectators free rein to wander around, getting a real close-up view of their favourite riders.
Premier S1 class will have the main title contenders coming from locals Kyle Smythe and Brett Bircher on their Mr Price Yamaha’s and Jason Munro and Lloyd Vercueil on their UTC Kawasaki’s. The Gauteng challenge will come from current champion Brian Capper (Full Throttle KTM) and Michael Kok (Race Nation Honda Pelotrain).
The war between motor giants Yamaha and Kawasaki is sure to give spectators an outrageous show. Local riders Kyle Smythe and Michael Morgan of Monster Motors Yamaha will be contesting against rivals from the Gauteng team, Kyle Brummer of UTC Kawasaki and Cam Petersen of DCM Kawasaki and the Botha twins, Rudolf and Petrus of Full Throttle Kawasaki.
Not to let the boys get all the racing credit, a strong female force will be fighting it out on the track to snatch the title in the S3 Ladies Class. But, it will be a difficult task as the current motor cross ‘Queen bee’, Cindy Porodich has yet to be beaten this year. Her closest challenge should come from last year’s champion Brittany Cuthbert (Honda West Rand) and Bianca Nortje (Bike Gear Racing).
There will be a three-way battle likely unfolding on the big day in the master’s class. You will see an exciting clash between Doug Lang, Wayne Smith (Honda Pelotrain Athletic Excellence) and Carl Van Niekerk (UTC Kawasaki). Graham Coker (UTC Kawasaki) may also be involved in this match up.
The Grand Masters will fight it out in a less gruelling pace, with the two young Honda riders, Wayne Smith and Anton Blignaut, against the older UTC Kawasaki contenders, Carel Wedemeyer, Russell Sawyer and Gavin Brummer.
The S4 Junior Class will see a battle between Marco Ras from UTC Kawasaki and Brandon Bridges from Honda. They have both had heat wins this year. We could be seeing Jaydon Jones (UTC Kawasaki), Tristan Cuthbert, Max Jordaan and Slade Smith all from Honda finishing on the podium.
There’ll be a good shot of glamour from the Shumbala Umbrella Ladies and Monster Energy Chicks, with catering by the local Round Table and bar facilities on site. Be prepared for a world of fun, free of charge. This is bound to be the racing event of the year!
Date: Sunday, 4 September 2011
Time: practise starts 8am, with racing to follow at 10am
Place: St John’s Avenue, Pinetown
For more information, visit the UTC National Supermoto website or call Cathy Loder on 083 524 1992.