Pole Position & a podium for PS Honda

The 2nd round of the Wesbank Super Series Interfile SA Superbike race took place at Kyalami race track over the past weekend. This was the first time the bikes had been exposed to the new layout of the track where there has been major changes in turn 10, in time for the WSBK on the 17 May.  The riders were very tentative of this change, especially after it had only been completed on the Thursday evening.

In a first for Portable Shade PS Honda, Jacques Peskens put his CBR600 in pole position for both heats in the Supersport class and joining him on the front row for the second heat was his team mate James Egan.  It was a great feat for the team as they weren’t on the pace after Fridays practice session.  Team owner manager Brad Anassis was ecstatic about this achievement and said it was fantastic to see how our PS Honda’s are now competitive with all the other manufacturers.

The race on Saturday took place in sweltering heat, with track temperatures ranging between 45 – 49 degrees Celsius.

600 Supersport Class

Qualifying:
POLE POSIOTION a first for Honda in many years. As already highlighted Jacques Peskens achieved pole for both heats, and James Egan was 6th in heat one and 4th for heat two with Janine Mitchell in a credible 23rd position in a field of 26 riders and in so posting her fastest ever lap time around the Kyalami GP circuit.

Race 1
After a bad start and being bumped back into 6th place on lap one with a frantic bunch of young eager riders trying to get to the front on the first lap Peskens found the going extremely difficult to make passes and make them stick, he worked his way into third place however ran wide on the second last turn and still managed to finish in 4th position. James had a great start and stayed in touch with group finishing in 5th position struggling with a gearbox that would not select the gears as he wanted.  Janine also had a poor start but managed to have a great race finishing in 19th position after starting 23rd on the grid and again pushing the envelope with her lap times and getting into the 1 min 51 second barrier, a time that most sunday superbike school riders dream off.

Race 2
Once again a fair start for PS Honda boys (they need to do the Brad Anassis Drag Racing school) but a brilliant overall race for Peskens as he fought his way from 6th to the front of the pack passing Morias on the second last turn to take the lead with a brave overtaking maneuver but then running wide on the final turn opening the door and finishing in second place. His highest placed finish in his racing career and a proud moment for the PS Honda Team, Peskens proving he what it takes to win. Egan again struggled this time with a modified gear lever that came lose during the race and was not able to select 6th gear he still managed a top ten finish. Janine finished in creditable 22nd position.

SUPERSPORT Overall results:
Peskens 2nd
Egan 6th
Janine 20th

1000 Superbike Class

Qualifying:
Only point 8 of a second of pole Isaacs on the second row in 5th and Grobler joining him on the second row in 8th position only .2 of a second behind Isaacs. It was a new experience for all the teams as they were only allowed to ride on one set of tyres for race day as opposed to 2008 were they raced on new rubber in the second race.  This is something teams will have to work on for the balance of the year.

Race 1
Lance Isaacs was quick out the blocks running in third place for most of the race but the Metzeler tyre would just not hold the grip levels as that of the Pirelli’s and he slipped out of a podium position on the last turn to finish in a brilliant 4th. Nicolas fought hard during the race to keep his CBR1000 turning, passing and making it up into 7th on the second last lap, he unfortunately made an error in the new chicane and had to sit up running through the dirt but still had a top ten finish.

Race 2
After the 1st race, Lance Isaacs had his ECU power commander replaced by the authorities which definitely had an effect on the bike as they only managed to complete the installation with minutes remaining before the start of the race, however, he still did well initially but again the rear tyre gave up the chase and he finished 7th. Nic Grobler managed to finish the race once again in top ten.

Superbike Overall:
Isaacs 6th
Grobler 9th

Team Comments:

Owner Brad Anassis – All in all I was very happy as it was a successful result at our first home race for PS Honda. Two PS Honda’s on the front row made me really proud. I know the wins are in site and we are going to keep working real hard to achieve this goal. We tried the new Metzeler tyres which was a HUGE gamble, it worked for Peskens as he fought his way to the front of the field becoming the first Honda to lead a race this year and in doing so he set the fastest lap for the day in the 600 Super Sport class. In the Superbike class we were not so fortunate Lance ended the Fridays test as the fastest man on the track and we knew we could achieve a podium finish but we needed more so we took the gamble with the new Metzeler tyre and it did not pay off. The grip just was not there and he kept his cool to bring the bike home and gain some valuable points.   On the teams 600’s we received the new Brocks exhaust systems which worked exceptionally well.

Nicolas and Janine continue to impress me with brilliant lap times and consistent placing. Their time will come they just have to be patient and grow with the knowledge of the professionals  around them. With continued work in progress we will reach the right set up for our next race and bring them closer to the front of the field.

I was very happy our professionalism, we again conducted and presented ourselves in high spirit as the professionals we are. Thank you to all our sponsors for their great support.

Crew Chief - Alfie Swanepoel – We have made huge strides forward since PE and I can’t wait to continue to develop the Honda motorcycles, Brad is always striving and pushing the envelope and I know we will be up front soon, we just have to be patient.

Suspension engineer - Martin Paetzold – We are heading in the right direction with the 600’s, but we need to spend a lot more time on the 1000’s to find the balance and set up, it needs specific attention in certain areas and we will find the sweat spot it’s just a matter of time. 

CBR 1000 Superbike #38 - Lance Isaacs – Overall huge improvement since PE. We unfortunately took a gamble on Saturday which did not pay off. I can’t wait for our next race at my home track to put my Honda on the podium where I belong.

CBR 1000 Superbike #22 - Nic Grobler – I struggled a bit with grip in the first race, the team set my bike up the same as Lance’s but I need to find my own settings as I could not turn the bike in mid corner and kept running wide with the settings of Lance. I will work hard to understand the settings again I will try push harder in Cape Town.

CBR 600 Supersport #89 - Jacques Peskens – I had a very good day considering the struggle I went through on Friday to gain grip.  We all put our heads together a managed to come up with the right set up which resulted in my great result. I want to thank Metzeler for the great rear tyre and PS Honda.

CBR 600 Supersport #81 - James Egan – We tried a lot of new things for the weekend, and have gained immense knowledge for the future. I am looking forward to Cape Town.

CBR 600 Supersport #79 - Janine Mitchell – I had a great day, bike was awesome in race 1 – thanks to Martin. I struggled with handling in race 2, but I am going in the right direction.  Thanks to all my team for their support.