Tuck City Flash Race – Event Recap

Written by: Elster Pieterse
Photos by: Juan White

I arrived at the hill at 4pm, running around looking for the guards who had to be bribed to let us skate in peace. At 5pm a few more of the local skaters arrived and we began sweeping excess sand from the road and discussed the racing format. Moments later, the Black Sheep (aka Flash Race Employees) was on the hill with the shuttle van, podium, and foam for protection. Game On! Big thanks to Julian who is now handing over the driving reigns to join us on a board!

Once the foam was in place it was time to get a few practices runs in before darkness. A quick riders meeting was held with guys registering and paying their 30 bucks to cover the cost of the foam and shuttle. Thanks to Taz for handling all the admin on the night.

Before racing, we had a tux run with everyone wearing their tuxedo. Check the following video below filmed by Graham Gerber: 

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As the dark night crept in, we had a couple more practice runs with some small falls but nothing serious. After practice, it was time for a faff session and the best trick competition. With Nick Simic on the mic, the crowd got hyped and guys pulled off some crazy tricks to win themselves some sweet prizes from the sponsors.

7pm came around and it was time to race! It was so dark by this point and I felt terrible for the guys who were skating the hill for the first time. 

With 30 riders having entered the race, coming from Bloemfontein, Potchefstroom, Pretoria, and Johannesburg (of course), from as young as 10 years to as old as Craig Harvey (HaHa, pulling your leg Craig), it was quite a sight to see when all 30 of us lined up on the start line for the Grand Prix style start!

The first heat was a qualification round and the position you were in when you crossed the finish line would be the position you would start the next round in. All 30 guys raced together in every round. In the dark. Gnarly stuff!

Racing was tight with no major upsets. Guys were passing each other up to four times on this slow hill. Drafting was a crucial strategy thanks to the tricky headwind. The top speed was only 58km/h.

At Flash races we push for more runs, meaning when you get to the bottom of the hill there is no time for faffing, get in the van or you miss your heat. At times the guys think I’m an ass for rushing them but they thank me later for the extra runs. 

After 4 rounds of racing, the top 10 qualifiers went straight into a semi-final heat. 

QUALIFICATION RESULTS:

1. Nick Simic
2. Elster Pieterse
3. Alic Mabie
4. Leandro Abreu (Grom) (tie)
4. Nick Fischer (tie)
6. Kyle Vermulen (tie)
6. Mark Jansen Van Rensburg (tie)
8. Craig Harvey
9. Juan (Grom)
10. Robin Moodley

Only the top 5 finishers in the semi-final went through to the finals. 

Nick and Kyle pulled away from the back 3 early on in the final and had a tight battle all the way to the end. Ultimately it was Nick who came out tops. Alic and I were super close all the way down chasing the last spot on the podium. I made a pass too early and Alic passed me again before the finish but at the same time, Craig caught our double draft and came speeding past to snatch third place from both of us. 

FINAL RESULTS:

1. Nick Simic (First Flash Win. Congrats!)
2. Kyle Vermulen
3. Craig Harvey (Back in the game after a shoulder injury)
4. Alic Mabie
5. Elster Pieterse

Before the final, we had an ‘all in buttboard race’ with everyone sitting on their skateboards except for Maryka and Berni who raced on their Luges. Well done to the girls for riding between long boarders and showing us how it’s done!

BUTTBOARD RESULTS:

1. Elster Pieterse
2. Berni Moolman
3. Markya (Most Improved rider)
4. Devin Simpson
5. Mark Jansen Van Rensburg
6. Leandro Abreu
7. Kyle Vermulen
8. Julian Upton

Thanks to all the skaters, for riding with the lugers!

To end off, thanks to all the skaters who joined. Thanks to the sponsors: Longboarding SA, Pioneer DJ Institute, and the Black Sheep. 

The Jo’burg Longboarders Club FLASH RACE series is growing fast! Make sure you’re at the next one hosted by local grom Victor Peenz at Bones on the 31st of October. The final Flash Race of the season will be at end of November or the beginning of December, look out for that one too!

Elster.