Monday, 17 October 2011 07:32
Jasper upstages Dawid with audacious gamble
Jasper Mockè upstaged his older brother Dawid in a thrilling end to the first race of the summer Discovery Sunglass Hut Surfski Series at Long Beach in Simonstown with an audacious gamble in the closing stages of the race held in tricky gale force winds.
The Mockè siblings swapped the lead throughout the four lap course Paddling Centre Reef Grading Race, and the duo were locked together as they approach the run into the finish. Jasper Mockè took a direct line into the finish by paddling ashore and running fifty metres up the beach, which his older brother and former world series champion Dawid turned at the offshore turn can before heading to the beach finish.
An elated Jasper Mockè said after the race that he had checked with series boss Billy Harker before the race as to where the finish-line would be and whether or not paddlers were required to round the marker-buoy anchored 20m in the surf directly in-line with the finish-point.
"Billy said we didn't have to go around the buoy on the final-lap as is usually the case, and I knew that if push came to shove I could outsprint most other guys along the beach, which fortunately proved to be the case against my own big-brother Dawid," said Jasper Mockè.
"It was tight and I took a chance, it could have gone either way but with the side on wind up towards the finish I thought it was worth it, and it paid off," said jasper Mockè. "That’s racing!”
"I had the edge on my little boet paddling into the gale and thought I could out-sprint him at the end but the little blighter out-smarted me, so well done to him," conceded Dawid Mockè.
Tom Schilperoort, Jasper Mockè's K2 partner in their recent podium finish in the Hansa Fish canoe marathon, finished third, just ahead of Simon van Gyssen and Sean Rice.
The junior title fell to Bergvliet High school prodigy Kenny Rice with a top ten finish overall, well clear of second placed Nick Notten of Wynberg Boys High.
The Ladies race was controlled from the start by Donia Tillsley, better known by her maiden surname Kamstra, who finished two and a half minutes ahead of SA Ladies Life Saving Captain, Kim Brugman.
After the race Tillsley said conditions were severe but she just put her head down and persevered and it paid off.
The race was contested by a field of 130 surf ski paddlers, of which 118 completed the race, which can be attributed to the wise decision of the race director in changing the course. The paddlers had to content with gusty thirty knot south-easterly winds not ideally suited to a season-opening grading race, with a sheltered for lap 2,7km course hedging the safety bets for the many novices in the field eager to secure their season grading.
The season shifts to the Driftwoods Lagoon Dash at Langebaan next weekend
More information can be found at www.surfski.co.za
SUMMARY OF RESULTS
PADDLING CENTRE REEF GRADING RACE
RACE ONE OF THE DISCOVERY SUNGLASS HUT SURFSKI SERIES
SINGLESKI ELITE MEN
1.Jasper Mockè 50:15
2.Dawid Mockè 50:18
3.Tom Schilperoort 51:51
4.Simon van Gyssen 52:37
5.Sean Rice 52:55
6. Gary Cromie 54:27
7.Jadon Loots 55:35
8.Ashley Carstens 56:10
9.Eugene van der Westhuizen 56:34
10.Kenny Rice 56:37
ELITE WOMEN :
1. Donna (Kamstra) Tillsley 65:14
2. Kimmy Brugmann 68:00
3.Angie Gafney 74:07
4.Samantha Murray 75:29
5.Eloise van Gyssen 76:49
7.Candice Murray 78:09
8.Bianca Beavitt 78:55
9.Amy Hare 80:20
JUNIOR MEN
1. Kenny Rice 56:37
2. Nick Notten 61:32
3.Alex Topliss 63:20
4.Tyrone Smulders 71:59
JUNIOR WOMEN
1.Candice Murray 73:09
2. Amy Hare 80:20
DOUBLESKI (Overall)
1. Ant Pearce / Gillian Anderson 62:51
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