The second round of the South African Formula 1 Powerboat Championship exploded into life at the East Rand Speed Boat Club on Rynfield Dam in Benoni on Saturday, delivering high drama, mechanical heartbreak and world-class racing in front of a packed and passionate crowd.
When the spray settled and the engines fell silent, it was Morne Herholdt who stood tallest – but his road to victory was anything but smooth.
Heading into the weekend, Herholdt looked poised for a dominant showing. However, disaster struck during Friday’s practice when he destroyed his preferred race propeller — a critical component in extracting maximum performance from his blisteringly fast F1 machine. Forced to experiment with a variety of backup props, Herholdt struggled to find his rhythm and pace.
Picture credit: Paul Bedford
In a remarkable show of sportsmanship, reigning SA F1 champion Keagan Frankiewicz, currently sidelined with a back injury, stepped into the story. Lending Herholdt a race propeller, Frankiewicz handed him a lifeline -and Herholdt grabbed it with both hands. The result? A scorching performance in time-trial to claim pole position, narrowly edging out the ever-competitive Michael Wessels.
From the drop of the green flag in Heat One, it was clear the day would turn into a high-speed chess match at over 200km/h. Wessels piled on relentless pressure, probing every corner, looking for the smallest opening. Lap after lap, the pair tore across the dam separated by mere metres, the rooster tails of spray creating a wall of water behind them. Despite Wessels’ fearless attempts, Herholdt drove an impressive, defensive race to snatch a hard-fought victory by the slimmest of margins.
Heat Two delivered more of the same heart-stopping action. Wessels, determined to turn the tables, pushed to the absolute limit and had a couple of heart-in-mouth moments as he searched for a way through. But once again, Herholdt remained ice-cool under pressure, putting together a clinical ten-lap masterclass to complete a clean sweep of the heats. Wessels followed home in second, with Nico Wessels securing third and impressive newcomer Kyle Merrington announcing his arrival with a strong fourth-place finish that earned him the coveted Eddie Lawrence Memorial Trophy that is presented to the F1 driver of the day.
Earlier in the day, the crowd gasped as Dylan Moolman suffered spectacular misfortune. In a frightening high-speed incident, Moolman’s boat “kited” and launched into a dramatic backflip, landing heavily and sustaining significant damage. Thankfully uninjured, Moolman was forced out for the remainder of the day, his weekend ending in disappointment.
Beyond the headline F1 battle, spectators were treated to a full program of exhilarating racing. The F30’s, GT10’s and GT15’s delivered tight, competitive heats, while the thunderous Hard-Bottoms thrilled with raw power and aggressive racing lines. Adding even more spectacle were three classes of Jet-Ski competitors who lit up the dam with daring manoeuvres and close-quarter duels.
Despite overcast conditions, the atmosphere at Rynfield Dam was electric, the East Rand faithful turning out in numbers to witness one of the most exciting rounds of the championship in recent memory.
If Benoni was any indication of what lies ahead, the 2026 championship is shaping up to be an unforgettable battle on water as it heads to Germiston Lake for the next round on the 28th March.
The class results were as follows.
Jetski Sport – 1st Jonathan Raulo, 2nd Hendrik Lloyd, 3rd Thea Frankiewicz
Jetski Stand-up – 1st Jacques Thornton, 2nd Thomas Campbell, 3rd Valter de Jesus
Jetski Sit-down – 1st Tristan Barham,2nd Jason Barham, 3rd Rudi Strydom
GT10 – 1st Ishan Arnold, 2nd Tiffany Fourie, 3rd Taylor Fourie
GT15 – 1st Mia Snyman, 2nd Nico Potgieter, 3rd Robbie Oosterlaag
F30 – 1st Jason Barham, 2nd Jordan Allen, 3rd Tristan Barham
Hard-bottoms – 1st Michael Fourie, 2nd Raymond Heysteck, 3rd Christo Gouws
F1 – 1st Morne Herholdt, 2nd Michael Wessels, 3rd Nico Wessels.
