The normal tranquil waters of the Ebotse Dam in Rynfield, Benoni, erupted into life as the third round of the South African Formula 1 Powerboat Championship burst into action on Saturday.
The large crowd that lined the banks of the immaculately kept East Rand Speedboat Club were treated to the thrills and guaranteed spills that powerboat racing presents.
Michael Wessels (Boaters World) racing in a Cauldwell Marine hull was the first victim to fall prey to the seemingly flat waters during time-trials to determine the grid positions for the start of heat one, when he blew the boat over backwards, performing a high-end back flip that damaged his boat and ruled him out of action for the rest of the day.
SA Championship leader Ronan Dixon (Dixon Batteries) did not participate in the time trials after blowing his motor during the early morning practice session and his crew were working feverishly behind the scenes to get a replacement motor fitted.
This meant that Dixon would start at the back of the field for race one.
Dixon Batteries team mate Keegan Frankiewicz posted a time of 53.92 seconds around the long circuit to snatch pole position from John-Ross Duncan (JR Racing) with Morne’ Herholdt (Velddrift Marine) in third just ahead of Nico Wessels.
From the moment the flags dropped, Ronan Dixon burst out of the dock from the back of the grid using the flat water on the outside to his advantage to get to the top turn-buoy in first place, where he stayed until the checkered flag came out 10 laps later.
Frankiewicz crossed the line in second making it a one-two finish for the Dixon Batteries Team with evergreen Morne’ Herholdt rounding out the podium.
In race two the finishing positions were exactly the same after another strong performance from Ronan Dixon, who was pushed hard by Frankiewicz and Herholdt.
Race three saw an improved performance from Morne’ Herholdt, after a calculated propeller change which gave him the edge over Frankiewicz and Duncan, which saw him coming home in second place behind the dominant Dixon.
Top five overall positions after three heats:
1st Ronan Dixon
2nd Keegan Frankiewicz
3rd Morne' Herholdt
4th John-Ross Duncan
5th Nico Wessels
The next round of the SA F1 Powerboat Championship will take place on the Witbank Dam in Mpumalanga on the May 25.
HeraldLIVE
Rynfield rises to the sound of F1 powerboats
Ronan Dixon dominates action in third round of championship in Benoni
Image: Russell Dixon
The normal tranquil waters of the Ebotse Dam in Rynfield, Benoni, erupted into life as the third round of the South African Formula 1 Powerboat Championship burst into action on Saturday.
The large crowd that lined the banks of the immaculately kept East Rand Speedboat Club were treated to the thrills and guaranteed spills that powerboat racing presents.
Michael Wessels (Boaters World) racing in a Cauldwell Marine hull was the first victim to fall prey to the seemingly flat waters during time-trials to determine the grid positions for the start of heat one, when he blew the boat over backwards, performing a high-end back flip that damaged his boat and ruled him out of action for the rest of the day.
SA Championship leader Ronan Dixon (Dixon Batteries) did not participate in the time trials after blowing his motor during the early morning practice session and his crew were working feverishly behind the scenes to get a replacement motor fitted.
This meant that Dixon would start at the back of the field for race one.
Dixon Batteries team mate Keegan Frankiewicz posted a time of 53.92 seconds around the long circuit to snatch pole position from John-Ross Duncan (JR Racing) with Morne’ Herholdt (Velddrift Marine) in third just ahead of Nico Wessels.
From the moment the flags dropped, Ronan Dixon burst out of the dock from the back of the grid using the flat water on the outside to his advantage to get to the top turn-buoy in first place, where he stayed until the checkered flag came out 10 laps later.
Frankiewicz crossed the line in second making it a one-two finish for the Dixon Batteries Team with evergreen Morne’ Herholdt rounding out the podium.
In race two the finishing positions were exactly the same after another strong performance from Ronan Dixon, who was pushed hard by Frankiewicz and Herholdt.
Race three saw an improved performance from Morne’ Herholdt, after a calculated propeller change which gave him the edge over Frankiewicz and Duncan, which saw him coming home in second place behind the dominant Dixon.
Top five overall positions after three heats:
1st Ronan Dixon
2nd Keegan Frankiewicz
3rd Morne' Herholdt
4th John-Ross Duncan
5th Nico Wessels
The next round of the SA F1 Powerboat Championship will take place on the Witbank Dam in Mpumalanga on the May 25.
HeraldLIVE
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