In a dramatic twist of events the South African Formula one powerboat season ended with a cliff hanger at the Witbank Dam in Emalahleni on Saturday. Ronan Dixon of Team Dixon Batteries went into the event with one hand of the championship title with a five point lead over his teammate Keagan Frankiewicz. Dixon qualified in pole position alongside Frankiewicz for the first race of the day and stamped his authority on the race from the moment the flags dropped with Frankiewicz in close pursuit. Unfortunately with two laps to go Dixon made contact with a back-marker as he tried to overtake him as they rounded a turn-buoy leaving his boat with a hole punctured in the back of the right-hand side sponson. Dixon somehow managed to hold onto the lead to cross the line in first position but was forced to retire from the rest of the event to prevent any further damage to his brand new Italian built DAC hull. Frankiewicz finished in a close second followed home by Bruce Repsold in third, Michael Wessels (Boaters World) in fourth and Morne’ Herholdt (Velddrift Marine) taking fifth and Wynand de Jager sixth.

Race two was won by Frankiewicz with Wessels in second and Herholdt in third and Repsold in fourth.The race officials decided to cut the day short and cancel heat three due to fading light conditions much to the unhappiness of the expectant crowd. When all of the championship points were then added up the officials were left with the unique situation where Dixon and Frankiewicz were tied on points, with both having won the same amount of heats throughout the season and both with the same amount of second places. The decision was then taken to rather go back and analyse all points from the whole season before making the final decision as to who would be the 2023/24 South African Formula one Powerboat Champion.   

Making a welcome return to F1 powerboat racing were Wynand de Jager (Protein Lab) and Bruce Repsold (CC Crane Hire) who both performed admirably and got quicker and quicker as the day progressed. For de Jager it was his first race in eight years after last having competed in the European based F2 World Championship and Repsold who announced his retirement from racing, after enduring a frustrating second round of the championship in St. Helena Bay earlier in the year, decided he wasn’t quite ready to quit the sport just yet.

Dylan Moolman (Bikeshop & Carshop Rivonia) who has come through the ranks of junior and Formula 30 racing made his F1 debut on Saturday and performed well in race one coming home in eighth place after having a race long tussle with Chris Renke (Propves Management) and John-Ross Duncan (JR Racing). Unfortunately a loose bolt jammed Moolman’s steering system while lining up for race two which led to him withdrawing before the race got underway.

The final results of the day were as follows –

-1^st Keagan Frankiewicz

-2^nd Michael Wessels

-3^rd Ronan Dixon

-4^th Bruce Repsold

-5^th Morne’Herholdt

-6^th Wynand de Jager

-7^th Chris Renke

-8^th John-Ross Duncan

-9^th Dylan Moolman