With a star-studded field descending on the City of Port Elizabeth for round 1 of the series. All eyes turned to the Red Cherry Events track team as they setup a course that left even the most experienced riders with a nervous feeling in their stomach.
Qualifying on Saturday saw our highest ever turnout for a practice event at just over 1500 attendees through the gate. our season sponsors were on hand to give away some amazing prizes to all spectators.
Once qualifying was over our pro riders all headed over to Town Lodge where they would spend the night before the Main Event. The gates opened at 8 am on Sunday morning and the crowds came in their thousands.
The racing was intense, with the last rider being eliminated in every heat. All riders were racing for top positions. On a tight track, the moves became big and any pass attempt was awarded wth thrilling cheers from the crowd. The section really sorted the men out from the boys.
As the day went on our riders field became smaller with the cream rising to the top in all categories. With just 3 rides left in the junior category, it was time for the youngsters to line up behind the for Ranger and charge up the start straight.
Our support class was next to the starting line for the final time. Cavin Calow was the hot favorite as he dominated the afternoon session ahead of Titus Iveson and Dale Stock. With Bars banging and elbows flying, Calvin managed to come home with the win in his first-ever event. Clavins key moment came at the gangplank where he made the pass on Dale Stock for the overall win in the Support Class.
Next up was our Pro race. This, as it has always been in the past, was a tension filed affair. ICE has only ever had 3 winners in its 9-year history and two of them were on the start line for the final. Wade had been having some issues in the afternoon session and even admitted to being “slightly off the pace” of his fellow riders. The crowd held their breath as the CSA officials took control of the start line for the main event.
The racing was tight and neither Kyle, Wade nor Travis were going to give up the victory without an epic battle. Travis had the lead off the start kicker while Kyle and Wade were hot on his heels. At the end, Travis managed to hold his lead which resulted in Wade finishing off the top step of the podium for his first time. Kyle “King of the Podium” Flanagan finished in a strong 3rd place.
With our winner crowned and the fans satisfied it was time for prize giving and the usual burnouts that go along with that. Our top 5 Pros lined their bikes up and began burning some rubber in celebration of another successful event!