Motorcycle racing produced the day's best spectacle at the Phakisa Raceway on Saturday during the 2013 Super Series' only visit of the year to the Free State venue.
Both the 600cc Supersport and unlimited Superbike categories provided close racing around South Africa's only purpose-built motorcycle racing circuit.
The biggest news in the Supersport category was a visit by current international competitor Steven Odendaal. Odendaal, who is contesting the Spanish championship, made a one-off appearance on a Suzuki - and promptly won both the day's races.
Sadly, a post-race check revealed his machine had an illegal battery and he was disqualified.
Race 1 saw veteran Lance Isaacs (Kawasaki), youngster Darryn Binder (Suzuki), Cam Petersen (MV Agusta), Dean Vos (Yamaha), Anthony Shelley (Kawasaki) and Brent Harran (MV Agusta) in a no holds barred battle behind Odendaal.
Harran's race ended after six laps when his MV's engine expired in a cloud of smoke, leaving Binder to come home ahead of Vos, Isaacs, Shelley and Petersen, with the five riders covered by less than a second over the finish line.
The MV Agusta team's fortunes dindn't improve in Race 2 as Harran's repaired machine again expired in the early laps. Then Petersen outbraked himself at the end of the back straight and took a wild ride through a sand trap and up on to Phakisa's banked oval.
At the front end Binder, a club racing graduate, rode brilliantly again, beating off many efforts by his more experience rivals to lead Isaacs, Shelley, Vos and Capetonian Sharl Wasserfall (Kawasaki) across the line.
SUPERBIKES
Pole sitter Clint Seller (Kawasaki) fluffed the start of Race 1, dropping him to sixth. While he scythed his way back through the field, Nicolas Grobler (Kawasaki) and Chris Leeson (BMW) fought for the lead, with Ryan Ottens (BMW) and Dylan White (Yamaha) in close attendance.
Seller was not to be denied, however, and took the lead on lap four. He went on to win, chased over the line by Grobler, Leeson, Ottens, White and Robert Portman (Yamaha).
He made no mistakes the second time around, leading from start to finish, followed home by Leeson, Grobler, Ottens, White and Portman.
The next round of the SA Motorcycle championship will be run at the Zwartkops circuit near Pretoria on Saturday 31 August.
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