Klerksdorp Record, Orkney - The Vaal River boat club will this weekend be the host for the battle of the clubs championship on Sunday May 19.
This event is a first for the North West province and promises to be action packed. All the best inland inflatable boat pilots and co-pilots will be in action for the prestigious event that will start at 09:00 with the 60 km long haul. The circuit event that consists of two elimination heats and one finale will start at 12:00 at the club house.
The latest 2024 P750 modify world champions, Renier le Roux and Jan Human from Klerksdorp, will be in action in separate boats to compete against a very competitive field of pilots. The likes of Freddie O’Brian and son (boat M13) and Jono Schmidt (boat M66) will make the challenge very interesting.
Another big surprise and challenge will be Mark Shepherd from Mako racing team who loves speed on water. Shepherd who is well-known in the Formula 1 powerboat racing and SA champ in 2004 before competing in several international F1 events, will be in action to claim the titles for himself. He started inflatable boat racing in 2022 and will for sure be a tough competitor on the water in boat M66.
The P750 standard class will also cause a lot of interest. The likes of the very promising Renier Cronje (boat S14) and Armand du Plessis (boat S71) will be ready to show who is the fastest on the water against an older rival, Edwin Butler.
Butler, who is the brother of the famous inflatable boat world champions, Gordon and Donovan will have his eyes set on the podium. Tragically, he lost both his brothers in separate bike accidents. He will be in action in their boat, S88, which won them the worlds in 2010/2011.
What will make this an even bigger challenge is the team of Carpet Worx, the two Day brothers, Dusty and Tylor. They made a name for themselves in cycling and true to their competitive nature, they will have a surprise or two in place with their new Infanta boat. Together with the tough team from Reinkè spilpunte (S19), Heinrich and brother Marè Cloete it will be impossible to predict the winners in this class.
The P750 blueprint class will see the comeback of Jean Louw with his new sponsor, Van Zyl Boorwerke, competing against the experienced VAPS boat 34 with Vick Viljoen as pilot and Billie Bezuidenhout, boat 12, as probably the underdog.
Bezuidenhout who came from junior racing and started at the young age of 7, is also the captain and commodore of the challenging club Zodiac. The latest newcomer to the blueprint class, Kobus van Biljon, from team Electro will also be a tough challenger as he has spent many hours training on the water.
The program on the day consists of the top and excellent competitors and will make it difficult to determine who is going to take top honours.
This weekend’s racing will promise a full package of exciting racing and all will be seen at the Vaal River Boat Club near Orkney.
The club will be open to day visitors, family and friends to attend this big challenge. An entrance fee will be charged at the gate. Gates will be open from 07:00 till late. For any further enquiries, contact Heinrich at 067 884 7751.
