The young Welkom bike racer Arno Erasmus (14) waved the Free State flag high when he placed first in the Clubman’s class, and third in the 150 cc class, in the third round of the South African short circuit series held at the Formula-K race track in Benoni.
Arno is now far ahead in points in the South African series in the Clubman’s class on his KTM 390 cc, and is second overall in the 150 cc class.
In the 150 cc class, the biggest in the field, he got a holeshot in the first heat and was leading the pack for four laps. The holeshot describes the first racer to get through the apex of the first turn. Getting the holeshot gives the rider a competitive advantage and some level of control in the race.
Arno and two of his competitors were hot on each other’s tails and had the crowd on their feet. On the last lap, a backmarker threw a spanner in the works and Arno had to settle for second place.
In the second heat he had a poor start and finished fourth. The bad luck continued and in the third heat he had a flat tyre, was taken off the line for everyone else to start the race, and then allowed to join.
He managed to keep the bike on the track with a flat rear wheel and managed to finish the heat, and obtained a third place overall for the day.
In the Clubman’s class, he got pole position in all three heats and was flying around the track. He finished eight seconds ahead of the rider in second place, who is the South African champion in this class.
His performance on this difficult track was appreciated by the other riders and the crowd. Shaun Portman of Ride Fast Magazine did an interview with him.
Arno, a native of Riebeeckstad, is a Gr. 9 learner at the Trio High School in Kroonstad and practices on the Vereeniging short circuit track, as there is no other appropriate track in the Free State.
This young rider constantly faces adversity in his endeavours to prove himself in this sport.
Due to the lack of a track to train on, Arno’s father drives to Vereeniging about once a month for Arno to practise.
His grandmother Chrystelle Erasmus says most of the youngsters he competes against do home schooling and train at least three times a week.
“The track on which he now races and trains is the home track for the Gautengers and also the track on which Brad Binder races when he is in South Africa. For us, it is a long way to drive for training. He has no-one to ride with and he has no coach or trainer either. The only time he can measure himself against other riders is on a race day,” she says.
The fourth round of the series will be held in Polokwane in June.
