Hudson Kennaugh was crowned SA Superbike champion on Saturday after he won both Round 13 and 14 and set the quickest two-wheeler lap time in the history of the East London circuit.
Hudson Kennaugh was crowned SA Superbike champion on Saturday after he won both Round 13 and 14 and set the quickest two-wheeler lap time in the history of the East London circuit.
With six rounds of the season’s series left to contest, the Suzuki rider can no longer be caught in the championship race. Kennaugh gave notice of his winning intentions during Saturday morning’s official qualifying session – he planted the Cell C Suzuki solidly on pole position.
Joining him on the front row of the starting grid were his Cell C Suzuki team-mate Trevor Crookes, Stewart MacLeod (Arlen Ness Kawasaki) and outgoing South African Superbike Champion Russell Wood on his Autopage Cellular Yamaha.
Kennaugh won the day’s opening race from flag to flag, but
Crookes had a terrible start on his Cell C Suzuki and dropped to the back of the field, leaving MacLeod and Wood to contest second place.
Wood’s challenge ended when he was flipped over the handlebars of the bike in the pit corner on lap four and MacLeod’s Kawasaki was slowed by tyre vibration from the fifth tour. That left First Technology Honda riders Sheridan Morias and Shaun Whyte to take the second and third places ahead of MacLeod, Crookes, Greg Dreyer (Autopage Cellular Yamaha) and Arushen Moodley (First Technology Honda).
At the start of Round 14, Kennaugh wasted no time in taking the lead. But he did not just disappear into the distance though – a determined Morias kept his Honda in the Suzuki rider’s wake.
By the end of the race, Morias’ Honda’s tyres started to lose grip and he settled for second place, ahead of his First Technology Honda team-mates Shaun Whyte and Arushen Moodley.
A faultless ride netted fifth place for Greame van Breda on his Yamaha, closely followed by the Kawasakis of Robert Cragg and Stewart MacLeod.
The respective eighth-, ninth- and tenth places went to Lance Isaacs (Mecer Ducati), Donovan Fourie (Bike SA Suzuki) and Gavin Ramsay (Kreepy Krauly Bioguard Yamaha).