MOSSEL BAY NEWS - The perfect run-up to Heritage Day – also known as Braai Day – on Tuesday, September 24 will take place along the coast of Mossel Bay this weekend, with circuit races in the bay itself providing lots of speedy action for land-based spectators.
The Six Gun Grill King of the Waves Boat Challenge is an official national race and forms the second event in this series to determine the South African champions per class.
It's a fast-paced, action-packed water sports event with more than 40 inflatable boats battling it out in the waves.
Entries have been coming in from regions throughout South Africa, both inland and coastal, and the race programme starts off with two days of circuit racing in the waves at Dias Beach from 08:30 to 15:00 today, Saturday and Sunday, 21 and 22 September.
On Monday, 23 September, it will be the long-haul race from Dias Beach with checkpoints at Great Brak and Little Brak and back to Dias. This circuit will be repeated four times, starting at 09:00 and expected to finish at 12:00.
Race founder Stefan Lindeque said there are classes in the event which all use 50hp outboard engines.
• The Stock Class allows for the least performance enhancement and has revolution limiters to control revs.
• In the Pro Stock Class, racers can remove the rev limiter and have a few extra blueprint specs they can apply to the motor to make it perform better and go faster.
• The Modified Class allows even more freedom when it comes to blueprint specs, which makes for higher revs and faster speeds than the other two classes.
"All three categories have attracted the best of inflatable boat racers from across South Africa, with 17 teams in the Stock Class featuring our current national champ and a couple of lady co-pilots in the form of twin sisters, Carla and Carlien Engelbrecht," says Lindeque.
Mossel Bay's Engelbrecht siblings join local star racer Wilko du Preez, who will compete in the Stock class with co-driver Deon Hough.
Du Preez competed in his first Trans Agulhas Challenge in December 2023.
"In the Pro Stock Class, 13 teams have entered. There will be a bid to try to dethrone current SA champ Wehan Malan in Boat #1, with Harry Erasmus as co-driver."
Lindeque says veteran Wimpie Ackerman will race in Boat #44 along with Robbie Loots, who started boating in the late 80s. Father and son team Dreyer and JD van Niekerk will also be worth watching.
In the Modified class, number one pilot Mark Gleed and co-driver Jaco van Deventer will have to watch their backs, since current Trans Agulhas champion Eben de Bod with Henco Nel will not hold back.
The 13 teams that entered this class will also see experienced riders such as Ruben Scholtz and Hugo Erasmus face a bunch of hungry, young speed freaks.
"On Saturday at Dias Beach, the King of the Waves surf circuit race will start in full force. We call this an M Circuit and it's basically an obstacle course between the waves, with teams in each class having two goes at the circuit and the top 12 going through to race on Sunday."
The weather will dictate whether the action is moved to Santos Beach on Sunday, since warnings of severe swells featured in weather forecasts for the weekend.
‘We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news’
