De la Rey is a five-time drag racing champion
Malvern East resident and local superbike racer Peter de la Rey is on a high after being named South African National Superbike Drag Racing Champion for the fifth time.
Malvern East resident and local superbike racer Peter de la Rey has revved his way to another title in the South African National Superbike Drag Racing Championships, on his BMW S1000RR, sponsored by Bavarian Motorcycles.
This was de la Rey’s fifth title in eight years, and this win earned him the title of oldest South African champion in his discipline.
“After round one and two, which were held in Port Elizabeth earlier this year, I managed to do a lot of development work on the bike, which really paid off,” he told the GCN after the third and fourth rounds of the championships, which were held at the Killarney Raceway earlier this year.
ALSO READ: De la Rey revs his way to the top
The two wins left de la Rey on a firm footing heading into round five and six of the championships which were held at Dezzi Raceway in Port Shepstone, last Saturday.
“I really had a good points lead heading into the event but being a racer that wasn’t enough, I wanted to go all out and win,” he said.
But after battling with qualifying at the event de la Ray began to question his performance.
“I questioned is it the bike, is it the set-up, is it me?” he said.
He further explained how sensitive superbikes can be.
“These machines are hyper sensitive to small changes and I have done some work on the clutch.
“I didn’t want to completely replace the clutch because of costs so I used a spares bin of parts, that were all serviceable, but it just didn’t work.
“When you are controlling 200 horse-power on a short wheel-base everything is delicate and everything needs to be spot on,” he explained.
This setback lost de la Rey 0.1/0.2 of a second, which can mean the difference between first and second place.
Another hurdle de la Rey needed to overcome was the track’s surface.
“There was plenty of oil on the track, which caused the championship leader in another class to fall off.
“So I had to take a step back and think,” he said.
De la Rey made the decision to ride defensively, which did not win him the leg, but secured him the championship title.
ALSO READ: Local racer takes top spot
“I came in second, deciding rather than putting it all on the line to win the race I should do everything right and win the championship,” he said.
Thrilled with the win de la Rey is looking forward to the new season, and a new bike.
“I will keep doing this as long I can.
“I will know when it is time to stop and that isn’t now, I feel that I still have a lot left in the tank,” he said.
Have a story?
Contact the newsroom by emailing: Melissa Hart (Editor) germistoncitynews@caxton.co.za or Leigh Hodgson (News Editor) leighh@caxton.co.za or Kgotsofalang Mashilo (journalist) kgotsofalangm@caxton.co.za
Remember to visit the Germiston City News on the following social media platforms:
Or add the GCN on WhatsApp 079 406 1181 or BBM (BBM Pin: 7F102137) today, to get all the latest news.
Catch-up on more local news with our sister newspapers Bedfordview Edenvale News, Alberton Record and Kempton Express.
