South African motorbike racing fans can look forward to a fast-paced year driven by efforts across the board to bring the sport within reach of more riders and spectators and increase the excitement factor.
To start with, a focus on altering the barriers to entry, especially for younger riders, is working to ramp up support for the existing short circuit (junior) championships and secure a pipeline of young talent for a bigger, more competitive line-up going forward.
This is according to Clint Seller, 11-time South African superbike champion and leader of the King Price Xtreme racing team. “Our young riders, Cayden and Blake Robert (16- and 13-years-old), have benefitted enormously from the insurers’ sponsorship but many young riders find that affordability is a huge stumbling block. Manufacturers in the industry are moving to standardise the bikes in the short circuit and 600cc-class, which will help address other cost factors with the aim of levelling the playing field.”
To this end, there are efforts to transform to a ‘1-make’ series – meaning that all the bikes in a class must have exactly the same specs. As things stand, riders who have the means to add or enhance features are starting in pole positions. The plan is that the riding series will ‘own’ all the bikes for the year, thus removing a massive cost burden for competitors. In addition, there’s a push for standardised annual entry fees rather than paying per race.
2025 will also see the testing and introduction of fitted airbags feature in riders’ gear locally. The airbag fits under the racing suit and inflates when abnormal g-forces are detected to protect internal organs, collarbone and neck. Seller will be piloting the local roll-out of this safety enhancement this season.
However, despite offering better protection, airbags present 2 distinct challenges. “Firstly, they weigh 2.5kg and this counterbalances riders’ efforts to keep their body weight as low as possible. Secondly, they’re expensive. They currently cost around R40,000 but we’re hoping that more widespread use will lead to lower costs in time.”
Good news for fans is that combining more bike races with car race event days will further entice motoring enthusiasts to watch from the trackside rather than the couch. Last year, this strategy resulted in record attendance at the Cape Town and East London circuits. From the competitors’ point of view, Seller says that racing in front of large crowds of his 20-year career was an incredibly humbling and motivating experience. Spectators can look forward to seeing races at upcoming events such as the Festival of Motoring later this year at Kyalami Grand Prix.
Seller and the Xtreme team are eagerly waiting for this year’s racing season to start. “We have continued to burn rubber during the off-season training periods, and I believe we are fit, strong, and mentally prepared to take on any challenge the 2025 season has for us, including winning more podium placement wins”.
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Author: Nhlalenhle Dlangalala from ByDesign Communications on behalf of King Price Xtreme.
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