DESPITE an unfortunate accident and starting from the back of the grid, Amanzimtoti’s Jesse Conci went on to win race 2 at Dezzi Raceway in Port Shepstone recently.
At the start of race day, riders were met with a chilly wind which dialed down just in time for the qualifier and free practice. Jesse reserved his energy, but still set a qualifying time of 1:25:755, positioning him to start the race in second position.
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“Due to an unfortunate accident, Jesse was in a collision with another rider, and did not get the opportunity to finish race 1. As every racer knows, crashing does happen, but it’s how you react to it that sets you apart from the average racer. Thankfully no one was seriously injured, but both bikes took a little beating,” said Helluvafast team admin manager, Carmen Conci.
Despite the crash, both Jesse and the rider he collided with worked together as good sportsmen and spent the time they had before the next race working hard to get each other’s bikes ready.
“We were very proud to find Jesse helping the other rider, and that other members in the class had gotten involved to get both boys ready for the next race. A very big shoutout to KZN Road Racing Club for establishing such a good environment in the club where riders won’t hesitate to help their competitors get back on the track,” she said.
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Due to the crash, Jesse had to start from the back of the grid and he had lost his front face fairing, which greatly affected his aerodynamics. “We all knew that getting into the lead would be extremely challenging with the disadvantages he had, but it did not stop him,” said Carmen.
Despite being advised to just get across the finish line to add points to his championship, racer by nature, Jesse did not listen. Right off the start line, he powered through the grid with possibly one of his best starts and within two laps, he was in the lead. He held the lead for the rest of the race and with the crowd on their feet, Jesse won race 2.
“It was definitely a challenging day, but the support I received was out of this world. From my competitors lending tools, to my family at Helluvafast Motorcycles coming all the way from Toti to bring me spares. Even my sponsors from Metzeler tyres got their hands dirty helping me get my bike running. Thank you to Helluvafast Motorcycles, Metzeler Tyres, SYM Motorcycles and Scooters, Startline, AGV and Sugar-Skull Dzign for all the support,” said Jesse.
The results placed Jesse in fourth overall for the day. “Even though it was not the best result, the day was good and we took home a lot more than just a fourth place,” said Carmen.
Jesse and his team are currently gearing up for the next race taking place on Saturday, August 20.
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