Jaco & Danie Opens Marlbank One Loft 2026 With a Statement Win in Hotspot 1 From Winburg.

The Race

Marlbank One Loft opened its 2026 season on 19 June with Hotspot 1, a 215 kilometre race from Winburg. The race consisted of 254 fanciers basketing 1,398 pigeons, setting an early benchmark for the season ahead. Liberation was set for 08:15 from Winburg, with Marlbank confirming increased prize payouts for this race: R15,000 for 1st, R10,000 for 2nd, R7,500 for 3rd, R5,000 for 4th, R3,500 for 5th through 8th, and R2,000 for 9th and 10th. As the first major test of the year, Hotspot 1 sets the tone for the competition Marlbank has built heading into the new season, with the road to the final starting here.

Liberation and Conditions

Liberation took place at 08:15 into a biting Free State winter morning, with temperatures between 5°C and 8°C under a clear, sunny sky that offered excellent early visibility. As the pigeons pushed north toward Sasolburg, conditions warmed steadily, reaching 12°C to 14°C by the time the first arrivals were clocked at Heron Banks Golf Course shortly after 10:51.

Wind played the decisive role. A steady east to northeast breeze of 11 to 22 km/h met the pigeons at an angle across their north-northeast line of flight, delivering a supportive cross-tailwind rather than a punishing headwind. The early morning cold demanded energy from the pigeons at the moment of release, but the dry, stable air and unobstructed visibility allowed the leading birds to hold a fast, unbroken line all the way to the Vaal River.

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The Top 10 Hot Spot 1

Jaco & Danie (ZA) won Marlbank One Loft Hotspot 1 with ZA-25-GPU-5322, taking the first major result of the new season and the R15,000 first prize. The margin was tight throughout the podium. SAIPR (ZA) finished 2nd with ZA-25-GPU-5639, separated from the winner by under two tenths of a second, claiming the R10,000 second prize. Jordaan & Bornman (ZA) completed the podium in 3rd with 'Raptor' for R7,500.

OOA&RVV&Kobus (ZA) was close behind in 4th with ZA-25-OOA-309, taking R5,000. Timeless Trio (ZA) placed 5th through ZA-25-CRU-4528, with Jagger Lofts (ZA) following in 6th via ZA-25-MOLO/D-336, both inside the R3,500 bracket covering 5th through 8th.

Leohan Hokke (ZA) took 7th with ZA-25-LEO-92. Fourie Forte (ZA) placed 8th through ZA-25-GPU-3526, completing the R3,500 positions. Niekie Peters (ZA) was 9th with ZA-25-MAC-870, and Francois Steinmann (ZA) rounded out the top 10 with ZA-25-KHS-2098, both earning R2,000.

What stood out beyond the podium was the depth shown by several lofts across the field, a sign that this season's competition runs deeper than the podium alone suggests.

The Deep Dive. Velocity News Fancier of the Race.

254 fanciers competed in Marlbank One Loft Hotspot 1, basketing 1,398 pigeons across the field. Beyond the race result itself, cross-referencing the basketing list against the top 69 (top 5%) arrivals reveals which lofts genuinely punched above their weight on race day.

How the ranking is calculated

Velocity News measured every fancier with three or more pigeons basketed against how many of those pigeons placed inside the top 5% of the field, the first 69 positions of 1,398 basketed. This produces a strike rate, the percentage of a fancier's own entries that reached the front of the race, rather than simply rewarding the largest teams for sheer volume. Where fanciers tied on strike rate, the average velocity across their top 5% finishes decided the placing, fastest to slowest. The result is a measure of genuine team efficiency rather than raw entry numbers.

Please Note: The table below can scroll horizontally from left to right.

Fancier of the Race

Marlbank One Loft Race - Hot Spot 1 Winburg 215km

Full top 5% field — every fancier who basketed 3 or more pigeons with at least one inside the top 5%. Ranked by strike rate, the percentage of basketed pigeons placed inside the top 5% of the field. Ties broken by average velocity across top 5% finishes, fastest to slowest.

Ranking	Team Name	Pigeons Participated	Positions	Strike Rate	Avg Speed
1	Hans De Noon 🇿🇦	7	16th, 38th, 39th	42.9%	1364.39 m/min
2	Niekie Peters 🇿🇦	3	9th	33.3%	1369.78 m/min
3	Frost Lofts 🇿🇦	3	23rd	33.3%	1368.69 m/min
4	Tsunami Hokke 🇿🇦	6	30th, 67th	33.3%	1355.65 m/min
5	Charl Nel 🇿🇦	6	35th, 62nd	33.3%	1355.44 m/min
6	Chapmar 🇿🇦	3	60th	33.3%	1344.66 m/min
7	Gavin Rous 🇿🇦	7	54th, 57th	28.6%	1345.10 m/min
8	Harry Wilson 🇿🇦	7	59th, 61st	28.6%	1344.68 m/min
9	Splendidior 🇿🇦	11	11th, 24th, 55th	27.3%	1361.13 m/min
10	Jordaan & Bornman 🇿🇦	4	3rd	25.0%	1370.61 m/min
11	Jaco & Danie 🇿🇦	16	1st, 14th, 28th, 44th	25.0%	1363.70 m/min
12	Jerry Right 🇬🇧	4	45th	25.0%	1345.80 m/min
13	Andre Fivaz 🇿🇦	4	50th	25.0%	1345.38 m/min
14	Uitzicht 🇿🇦	4	51st	25.0%	1345.36 m/min
15	Jaco Fourie 🇿🇦	9	22nd, 27th	22.2%	1368.58 m/min
16	Pigeon Power Lofts 🇿🇦	9	25th, 49th	22.2%	1357.03 m/min
17	Jagger Lofts 🇿🇦	5	6th	20.0%	1370.12 m/min
18	Fourie Forte 🇿🇦	5	8th	20.0%	1369.82 m/min
19	Smit Racing Lofts 🇿🇦	5	17th	20.0%	1369.29 m/min
20	R.A.M. Annandale 🇿🇦	5	26th	20.0%	1368.46 m/min
21	Bertus Nel 🇿🇦	10	21st, 37th	20.0%	1367.58 m/min
22	Sam & Judels 🇿🇦	5	46th	20.0%	1345.79 m/min
23	Ngobeni Van Niekerk Syndicate 🇿🇦	5	63rd	20.0%	1344.24 m/min
24	Rhyno Botha 🇿🇦	5	66th	20.0%	1344.07 m/min
25	Ronnie Huebsch 🇿🇦	11	15th, 18th	18.2%	1369.37 m/min
26	Amper Irish 🇿🇦	6	48th	16.7%	1345.52 m/min
27	Frik & Herman 🇿🇦	7	64th	14.3%	1344.23 m/min
28	Theunissen & Labuschagne 🇿🇦	15	33rd, 53rd	13.3%	1355.88 m/min
29	Andre Greyling 🇿🇦	8	47th	12.5%	1345.59 m/min
30	Exclusive Pigeon Paridise 🇿🇦	17	19th, 29th	11.8%	1368.53 m/min
31	SAIPR 🇿🇦	26	2nd, 34th, 40th	11.5%	1364.51 m/min
32	Botha Lofts 🇿🇦	9	41st	11.1%	1348.88 m/min
33	Francois Steinmann 🇿🇦	20	10th, 43rd	10.0%	1358.23 m/min
34	JJJ VD Linde & Banie 🇿🇦	10	58th	10.0%	1344.72 m/min
35	Feather Lofts 🇿🇦	10	69th	10.0%	1343.99 m/min
36	Thone Pigeons & R&R Lofts 🇧🇪	21	13th, 20th	9.5%	1369.38 m/min
37	Timeless Trio 🇿🇦	22	5th, 31st	9.1%	1368.39 m/min
38	Burgers & Muller 🇿🇦	11	36th	9.1%	1366.23 m/min
39	Leohan Hokke 🇿🇦	13	7th	7.7%	1369.88 m/min
40	Inkwe & Fritz 🇿🇦	13	65th	7.7%	1344.09 m/min
41	Hans Paul Esser & Fouche 🇩🇪	16	42nd	6.2%	1347.00 m/min
42	OOA&RVV&Kobus 🇿🇦	21	4th	4.8%	1370.52 m/min
43	Loft Einkamerer 🇿🇦	35	12th	2.9%	1369.64 m/min

Velocity News Fancier of the Race — official ranking — velocitypigeonnews.com

Velocity News Fancier of the Race Top 10

Hans De Noon (ZA) takes the Velocity News Fancier of the Race award. Three of seven pigeons basketed landed inside the top 5%, finishing 16th, 38th and 39th for a 42.9% strike rate, comfortably the strongest conversion in the field.

A group of four fanciers tied on a 33.3% strike rate, separated by average velocity across their top 5% finishes. Niekie Peters (ZA) led that group with a single pigeon basketed from three landing 9th at 1369.78 mpm. Frost Lofts (ZA) followed with one from three at 23rd, averaging 1368.69 mpm. Tsunami Hokke (ZA) placed two pigeons from six basketed, 30th and 67th, averaging 1355.65 mpm. Charl Nel (ZA) matched that with two from six, 35th and 62nd, at 1355.44 mpm. Chapmar (ZA) completed the group with one from three at 60th, averaging 1344.66 mpm.

Gavin Rous (ZA) and Harry Wilson (ZA) both posted a 28.6% strike rate from seven pigeons basketed, with two reaching the top 5% apiece. Gavin Rous finished 54th and 57th at an average of 1345.10 mpm, while Harry Wilson finished 59th and 61st averaging 1344.68 mpm.

Splendidior (ZA) rounds out the top 10 with a 27.3% strike rate, the strongest three-pigeon return of the chasing pack, placing 11th, 24th and 55th from 11 basketed for an average velocity of 1361.13 mpm.

Looking Ahead

Marlbank One Loft has opened its season with a result that sets a high bar for the rest of the participants to chase. Jaco & Danie (ZA) took the win and the R15,000 first prize, but Hans De Noon (ZA) showed that consistency and conversion across a smaller team can be just as telling a sign of form. With the road to the final now underway and strong strike rates already on the board from several lofts, the competition through the rest of the season promises to be tightly contested from front to back.