By The TT’s popularity, following is expanding ten-fold in South Africa, mainly thanks to the nations’ top Mountain Course rider, AJ Venter.
Fifteenth within the RST X D3O Superbike race, twenty fifth, thirteenth in opening Supersport, Super Twin competition bouts, the Royal London 360 Superstock encounter, saw the top Northwest 200 newcomer of 2024, set a new personal best lap-speed of 126.649 mph, on route to finishing 21st.
Collecting thus far across TT 2025, four bronze replica finishes, Venter whose S1000RR BMW steed, once this week’s race circulations conclude, will take via sea freight three months, before it returns to South Africa, stated last week, just what it means for him to be competing again at the ‘Road Racing Capital of The World’.
“It’s the road racing capital of the world, we are coming back from South Africa, it’s a long trip, but it plays a big part of our year, when we leave here, we start planning next year, when we are here, we reap what we’ve prepared for.”
Boosted by a new three-year sponsorship package with Future Exotics, Venter admitted that the partnership has arose at the right time.
“We’ve been lucky, Future Exotics, came at the right time, this is my seventh or my eighth year coming over here and it’s gets more harder every year.
Future Exotics have stepped up to the plate and made it possible for us to come here and they’ve given us a three-year deal.
So, it has taken a-lot of pressure off me, just to prep to get here but at the same time allows us to build on something over three years, build on the relationship.”
Pragmatic about the possibility, of clinching a top ten finish from Super Twin race bursts, (13th – Race 1), the twice fifth place finisher in the now defunct TT Zero class, said:
“I am going to take it as it comes, learn, put my head down, the boys at TH Racing have prepped, they always do, they always prep a good bike.
So, if I know the bikes good and we feel good and if all the planets line-up, maybe there is a good result there.”
Prior to TT 2025, Venter came ultra close to giving suitors, TH (Trevor Harbinson) Racing, their first Northwest 200 podium finish, finishing under 0.15 of a second behind Barry Furber in the second Super Twins race.
Discussing this, he said:
“The Northwest 200 for me was a surprise, you know we went there to prepare for the TT.
I was a newcomer there last year and I seemed to have a learnt the place and you’ve got to be sort of in it to win it, and we missed out on a podium by literally 0.1 of a second, so relights the candle next year, we’ve got to come back and try again.”
Whilst long-term, Venter is actively looking at reaching 130 Mph Club membership, his main aim lap speed wise for TT 2025, is to simply surpass his pace from last year, which he as spotlighted above, already has.
“I think for now we are with a new bike, new sponsor, we want to try and improve on what we did last year, I think that would be No.1, then come back next year and improve again, we’ll see where it gets us, you’ve got to take what your given.”
Words by Stevie Rial #dontletfearcontrolyou
