A huge crash during a practice session just before the SA SuperBike championship resumed after the Covid-19 enforced break saw Brett Roberts (Lights by Linea Yamaha R6) on the sidelines for round three of the 2020 championship which took place at Zwartkops Raceway on 7 & 8 August. Team leader David McFadden was, however, able to take two podium positions on his Stunt SA Yamaha R1.

In the first couple of events of the season, McFadden ran what was very much a stock 2020 Yamaha R1. Once the lockdown restrictions were relaxed slightly, now parts for the bike arrived and were fitted but there wasn’t any time to test them and develop a baseline setup before the team made the trip to Pretoria from Cape Town. Friday’s qualifying sessions were spent improving the bike, resulting in a starting position in the middle of the front row of the grid for Saturday’s races.

In the opening heat, McFadden tucked in behind Clint Seller and pole-sitter Garrick Vlok but didn’t have the pace to mount a challenge for the lead. With no pressure from the rest of the pack, McFadden decided to bank the points for third and come back to fight again in the next heat.

A few setup changes between the races paid early dividends as McFadden grabbed the hole-shot at the start of the second race. He was able to fend off attacks from Seller and Vlok in the early stages of the race, but eventually, both of them forced their way through. With the other riders, led by former champion Michael White, again some distance back, McFadden decided not to risk pushing the bike too hard and settled for third and the points that come with it.

Speaking at the end of the day, McFadden said, “Overall still a successful weekend scoring points and using the time in the saddle to collect data. We know of a few small improvements on the bike we need to do before the next round. The changes for race 2 were 100% a step in the right direction.”

The next national outing for the team is scheduled to take place at Red Star Raceway towards the end of September, however, with the uncertainty around the Covid-19 situation in the country, changes to that may occur.

In addition to the sponsorship from Stunt SA and Lights by Linea, the team acknowledges the support received from RST, Nix Graphics, Arata by Racetec, Forma Boots, TBR Engineering and Schuberth Helmets.

Published by: Paul Bedford (Action Images)

Picture Caption: David McFadden leads Clint Seller and Garrick Vlok