Slamet reigns supreme
The fourth leg of the Namibian National Long Track Championship on Saturday at the Tony Rust racetrack provided exciting races between Richard Slamet, Mark Sternagel and Allen Martin in the supercar division.
Although Martin experienced a tense moment on 25 June during the third leg at the same venue when the brakes of his Golf 5 failed at top speed, he was back on the track over the week.
At the time, he tried to slow before a sharp left turn, but his brakes had failed and he had to apply the handbrake. His Golf 5 hit the tire guardrail, flew through the air, spun several times and came to rest outside the track. The end result was an unconscious Martin, a broken rib, several bruises and an out-of-action car.
Sternagel also had a freak accident last August at the Phakisa track near Welkom in South Africa during an MX event where he broke his right femur, right shoulder and collarbone. He was operated the next day and was under the impression that he would race again soon. But his leg, which was attached with pins, did not want to heal and he was soon under the knife again.
He spent two months in a wheelchair while his leg stubbornly followed its own healing process.
The recovery process was slow, but he decided earlier this year to relieve his frustration with long-track racing and performed excellently in his lightning-fast BMW. He broke his own national track record on Saturday.
Sternagel told Sport Wrap: "It was a successful day on the track. The first race ended without problems, but in the second heat I got a flat tire and had to limp back to the pits. In the second race, I improved my national track record of 63.72 seconds, which I achieved in the first race on Saturday to 63.57.
"Next Saturday at the Gallina MX track, I will participate in my MX event for the first time after almost a year. I will race in the open class and at the end of the day face the King of the Dirt competition with the top riders of the day."
Results
Supercar
1 Slamet
2 Sternagel
3 Martin.
Clubman
Class B: Michel Rust
Class D:
1 Ewald Bisschoff
2 Wayne Rust
3 Michael Strydom.
Class X: Hein Bisschoff.
Although Martin experienced a tense moment on 25 June during the third leg at the same venue when the brakes of his Golf 5 failed at top speed, he was back on the track over the week.
At the time, he tried to slow before a sharp left turn, but his brakes had failed and he had to apply the handbrake. His Golf 5 hit the tire guardrail, flew through the air, spun several times and came to rest outside the track. The end result was an unconscious Martin, a broken rib, several bruises and an out-of-action car.
Sternagel also had a freak accident last August at the Phakisa track near Welkom in South Africa during an MX event where he broke his right femur, right shoulder and collarbone. He was operated the next day and was under the impression that he would race again soon. But his leg, which was attached with pins, did not want to heal and he was soon under the knife again.
He spent two months in a wheelchair while his leg stubbornly followed its own healing process.
The recovery process was slow, but he decided earlier this year to relieve his frustration with long-track racing and performed excellently in his lightning-fast BMW. He broke his own national track record on Saturday.
Sternagel told Sport Wrap: "It was a successful day on the track. The first race ended without problems, but in the second heat I got a flat tire and had to limp back to the pits. In the second race, I improved my national track record of 63.72 seconds, which I achieved in the first race on Saturday to 63.57.
"Next Saturday at the Gallina MX track, I will participate in my MX event for the first time after almost a year. I will race in the open class and at the end of the day face the King of the Dirt competition with the top riders of the day."
Results
Supercar
1 Slamet
2 Sternagel
3 Martin.
Clubman
Class B: Michel Rust
Class D:
1 Ewald Bisschoff
2 Wayne Rust
3 Michael Strydom.
Class X: Hein Bisschoff.
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