A youngster from Welkom, Arno Erasmus (15), flew the flag high in South Africa’s competitive racing arena when he was crowned the 2023 MSA short circuit champion in the Clubmans racing series on his 390cc KTM.
On average this year, he has finished eight seconds ahead of the rider in second place, who is the South African champion in the class.
He also obtained a second place in the competitive 150cc Cup, racing against riders who compete in Spain.
He has been chosen, for the second year, to represent the national youth bike team to compete in the eight-hour endurance bike race at the Killarney International Racetrack in Cape Town on 16 December.
Last year he and his teammates gained a fifth place out of a total of 26 teams from all over South Africa. The four youngsters did 534 laps (each 133 laps), spent two hours in the saddle, and surprised friend and foe to achieve this excellent position against the best of the best. All four had to share one bike that was specially built in Cape Town by team manger, Mitch Robinson.
The Livingstone Baths 8-hour endurance race for lightweight motorcycles, now in its 41st year, is the longest running event on the Killarney calendar. Arno was, and still is, the only rider from the Free State.
He is also the only rider from the Free State in the South African short circuit championship that is held over eight rounds across the country.
Arno was part of the Honda Racing Academy, which develops and trains young, upcoming riders. The academy was also the stepping stone for the Binder Brothers, Brad and Darren, of MotoGP fame.
Arno started on-road racing in February 2021 on the NSF100 and a CBR150 model. In his first race he was lapped twice by the front runners. Mid-year he started getting podiums and towards the end of the year he made it to first place. He finished 2021 in third place despite not being able to ride the first round and not being able to finish the last round after a crash.
As there is no short circuit track in the Free State, he can only practise on tracks in Vereeniging and Benoni.
In 2022 he competed in the 150cc cup on his CBR150, as well as in the SSP300 cup, on his KTM RC 390 built to world SSP300 specifications.
Mid-year he had a huge crash, broke his arm, and missed two championships, but he still managed to gain a second place on his KTM and a fifth place in the 150cc cup.
– Chrystelle Erasmus
