After
more than a year without the series, an important gateway into South
African motorcycle racing is returning—and riders should support it
Motorcycle racing is returning to Zwartkops Raceway in a format many
Gauteng riders will remember fondly.
On Sunday, 25 October 2026, the Zwartkops Brunch Run and ThunderBikes
will return as part of a dedicated motorcycle race day at the Pretoria
circuit. It is not simply another date on the motorsport calendar. It is
the return of one of the most accessible links between an ordinary
motorcycle track day and competitive circuit racing.
For established racers, it means another opportunity to line up on a
grid at one of South Africa’s best-known circuits. For track-day riders
who have begun wondering what comes next, it could provide the step into
racing that has been missing. For the wider motorcycle community, it is
a chance to prove that affordable, welcoming club-level racing still
matters.
Most riders will never compete professionally. That does not mean
they should never experience a starting grid, a qualifying session or
the satisfaction of racing against people of similar pace. Brunch Run
and ThunderBikes helped make that experience attainable—and now they are
coming back.
Motorcycle racing at Zwartkops Raceway. Image: Zwartkops
Raceway.
What are Brunch Run and
ThunderBikes?
Brunch Run and ThunderBikes were designed to give riders a place to
compete against others with broadly comparable performance and
experience.
Rather than expecting a newcomer to immediately enter a highly
specialised national championship, the racing format divided competitors
into different classes, with lap times playing an important role in
class allocation. That structure allowed riders to compete within their
own part of the field instead of measuring success only against the
fastest motorcycle and most experienced racer present.
Previous events gave riders practice, qualifying and two races. That
is an important distinction from an ordinary track day. A track day
allows riders to learn a circuit, improve their lines and explore their
motorcycles in a controlled environment. Racing adds qualifying
pressure, a grid position, a standing start, overtaking under
competitive conditions and the challenge of maintaining concentration
and consistency over an entire race.
Brunch Run traditionally provided the more approachable entry into
this environment, while ThunderBikes catered for the faster and more
experienced end of the field. Previous grids contained everything from
600cc middleweight machines to litre-class superbikes, including
motorcycles that began life as ordinary road bikes.
Zwartkops has previously described the objective of its Brunch
Run-style competition as introducing riders of different ages and
motorcycles to the sport. Its own historical description makes the point
plainly: a fully prepared race bike could take part, but so could a
suitably prepared daily motorcycle.
That accessibility is what made the series valuable.
Part of a much
longer Pretoria racing story
Motorcycle competition has a deep connection with Zwartkops and the
Pretoria area.
When the 2024 Brunch Run and ThunderBikes champions were crowned,
Zwartkops looked back at motorcycle racing held close to the original
circuit more than seven decades earlier. The Pretoria Motorcycle Club
reportedly had more than 100 members as far back as 1939. Those early
club racers helped establish a culture that continues through today’s
circuits, riding schools, track days and championships.
Brunch Run and ThunderBikes became a modern expression of that
club-racing tradition. The series was not only about finding South
Africa’s next professional star. It offered experienced club competitors
somewhere to race, gave developing riders a measurable path forward and
allowed newcomers to share a paddock with people who understood how to
help them.
The final 2024 meeting showed the depth available in both categories.
The Brunch Run field included Yamaha R6s and R1s, Honda CBR600s, Suzuki
GSX-Rs, Kawasaki ZX-10s and other machinery. ThunderBikes attracted
experienced riders and fast superbikes, with Isle of Man TT competitor
AJ Venter winning both races at the December finale.
Organisers ended 2024 saying the championships would return the
following year—and they did.
The final ThunderBikes results from 8 December 2024. Image:
Zwartkops Raceway.
The difficult 2025 season
Brunch Run and ThunderBikes racing resumed during the first half of
2025, but the season was later overshadowed by a serious accident
involving young South African racer Taigh Janse van Rensburg.
Taigh crashed at Turn 4 during the first ThunderBikes race at
Zwartkops in April. Contemporary public updates reported that he was
airlifted to hospital. A later recovery update said he spent 12 weeks in
intensive care and underwent two brain operations.
The accident deeply affected the local motorcycle-racing community,
with riders, teams and supporters rallying around Taigh and his family
during his recovery.
Just over a month later, on 21 May 2025, organisers informed
competitors through the official ZRC ThunderBikes WhatsApp group that
both championships had been placed on hold:
“Please note that the ThunderBikes and Brunch Run seasons are
currently on hold while we re-evaluate the cost and structure of these
events. A lot of effort, time, and budget goes into making these race
days possible and we need to ensure they remain viable for both riders
and the venue. We’ll update you once a way forward has been
confirmed.”
The organisers therefore officially attributed the decision to the
cost, structure and financial viability of the events.
What we can say is that the accident and the subsequent suspension
made 2025 an exceptionally difficult year for the series and its racing
community.
Why club racing is
difficult to sustain
The organiser’s reference to cost and structure reflects a broader
challenge facing grassroots motorsport.
A race meeting requires far more than motorcycles and a circuit.
Organisers need timing services, officials, marshals, medical personnel,
safety infrastructure, administration and insurance. The venue has
operating costs, while a championship needs enough entries to make the
numbers work without pricing its own riders out of participation.
Competitors face their own financial pressure. Beyond the entry fee,
there are tyres, fuel, protective equipment, motorcycle preparation,
licences, transport, maintenance and possible crash damage. When grids
shrink, the cost carried by each remaining participant can increase,
discouraging newcomers and placing the series under further
pressure.
This is why the return matters. It means organisers believe there is
once again a workable path forward—or at least an opportunity worth
testing.
Motorcycles never disappeared from Zwartkops during the racing
interruption. Brunch Cruise track days continued, offering separate
groups for fast riders, intermediates, novices and first-time circuit
riders. Instructors, marshals and medical support allowed riders to
build skill in a controlled environment.
What went missing was the next step: the transition from circulating
in track-day sessions to qualifying and lining up for a race.
The October comeback can restore that bridge.
Why riders should care
South African motorcycle racing needs visible and attainable entry
points.
Top-level racing is exciting, but it can look financially and
technically unreachable to someone watching from the grandstand. If the
only apparent choices are a casual track day or a major championship,
many capable riders will never investigate racing further.
Brunch Run changes that conversation. A rider can start in a novice
track-day group, receive instruction, learn the correct lines and
improve consistency. As confidence and pace develop, that rider can
progress through quicker groups and begin considering a class suited to
their lap times.
Not everyone following that path will become a national champion.
Some want to race as a weekend hobby, while others may discover genuine
ability and progress into regional or national competition. Every one of
them adds something to the sport.
Accessible racing also creates a safer place to explore speed than a
public road. A circuit provides a controlled direction of travel,
marshals, medical support and an environment designed around performance
riding. Racing will never be risk-free, as the events of 2025 painfully
demonstrated, but public roads introduce oncoming traffic,
intersections, barriers and unpredictable road users that a closed
circuit removes from the equation.
The answer to racing risk is not to pretend that it does not exist.
It is to manage it seriously through appropriate rider classification,
technical inspection, protective equipment, disciplined riding standards
and professional event support.
The final Brunch Run results from 8 December 2024 show the range
of classes and motorcycles involved. Image: Zwartkops Raceway.
Could this be
your opportunity to start racing?
If you have attended a Brunch Cruise or another motorcycle track day
and have started wondering what comes next, the return on 25 October
should have your attention.
The promotional poster lists an entry fee of R1,150 per class. Riders
should not assume that paying an entry fee is the only requirement.
Competitive racing normally involves sporting regulations, eligibility
requirements, scrutineering and specific motorcycle preparation beyond
what may be accepted at an ordinary track day.
Before entering, prospective racers should join the official event
WhatsApp group and request the latest regulations directly from the
organisers.
Important questions include:
- Which class matches your present lap time and experience?
- Is an MSA or club competition licence required?
- Can you enter a road-registered motorcycle?
- What safety preparation and lock-wiring are compulsory?
- Must mirrors, lights, stands or registration equipment be removed or
secured? - What protective clothing is required for each category?
- Are there tyre restrictions?
- When do entries close?
- Will newcomers receive guidance before practice and qualifying?
Do not wait until race morning to discover that your motorcycle or
paperwork does not comply.
If you are not yet ready to enter, attend as a spectator. Walk
through the paddock, speak to competitors and examine how the
motorcycles are prepared. The first step into racing does not have to be
an entry form; sometimes it begins with the right conversation.
The comeback needs support
It is easy for enthusiasts to say that South Africa needs more
affordable motorcycle racing. Building and sustaining it is much
harder.
The return of Brunch Run and ThunderBikes will become meaningful only
if the community supports it. That means riders entering, spectators
attending, businesses sponsoring, and motorcycle media treating local
racing as something worth covering.
One race day cannot resolve every cost and participation challenge. A
healthy grid and busy paddock can, however, show organisers and
potential sponsors that demand still exists.
The event poster describes the day as a combination of track action,
family-friendly entertainment and motorcycle culture. That positioning
is important. Club racing cannot survive as an isolated activity
understood only by the riders on the grid. It needs families, friends,
fans and curious road riders to feel welcome at the circuit.
If the October event succeeds, it could become more than a once-off
comeback. It could rebuild the progression between track days and club
racing at Zwartkops, introduce a new generation to motorsport and give
former competitors a reason to return.
After the uncertainty of 2025, seeing Brunch Run and ThunderBikes on
a Zwartkops poster again is genuinely significant.
The racing is coming back. The opportunity is there. Now South
Africa’s riders and motorcycle community must decide what happens
next.
Event information
Event: Zwartkops Brunch Run and ThunderBikes Race
Day
Date: Sunday, 25 October 2026
Venue: Zwartkops Raceway, Pretoria
Entry fee: R1,150 per class
Positioning: Track action, family-friendly
entertainment and motorcycle culture
Information: Join the
official event WhatsApp group
Torque & Throttle intends to follow the return of Brunch Run and
ThunderBikes and cover the race day at Zwartkops.
