South Africa Invitational Pigeon Race 2025 summer final winners

Background: The South Africa Invitational Pigeon Race

This One Loft concept was established in 2021 by Billy Kitchenbrand and Gerhard van Aswegen. They are both accomplished pigeon fanciers with more than 50 years’ experience between them.

They are also both well-travelled champion participants with a vast knowledge of all breeding and training aspects of pigeon sport. They are also experienced personal importers of quality racing pigeon stock and well connected to the global racing pigeon community.

Local and overseas fanciers are invited to enter their just-weaned young pigeons in teams of five (three main birds and two reserves) into SAIPR lofts at a cost R30 000/team. This fee covers the activation of the three main pigeons. If any of the main pigeons strays, it is replaced by an available reserve at no extra cost.

There are separate winter and summer series races, with various categories and cash prizes up for grabs.

After completion of the final race in a series, the pigeons are auctioned, with the breeder/entrant receiving a kickback after the deduction of the auction cost.

The SAIPR Pigeon Loft complex is situated in Krugersdorp, Gauteng, 30km west of Johannesburg. The annual temperatures range from 2°C to 24°C, rarely falling below -2°C or rising above 29°C. These conditions are ideal for keeping and training pigeons, helping to optimise their health and race preparation.

SAIPR Summer Final 2025 results

The 189 participating pigeons were liberated at 6am from Edenburg in the Free State. Five minutes short of seven hours on the wing, four pigeons arrived together, entering the loft within four seconds of each other. The speed of the winning entrant was 1 071,58m/minute or 64,3km/h.

Less than three minutes later, another seven pigeons arrived together and timed in within the same minute.

Top 10 SAIPR Summer Final 2025 money winners 

1^st – R420 000: Oliver Radford and Lionel Visser (ZA RADR 136-24; Blue Bar)

2^nd – R150 000: Beneke Lofts/Toppigeon (ZA KPU 1634-24, ‘Kwagga Blitz’; Blue Bar)

3^rd – R100 000: Alwyn Bester Lofts (ZA ABL 1310-24; Blue Checker)

4^th – R70 000: Wespoel Hokke (ZA WPU 4765-24; Blue Bar)

5^th – R60 000: Hans Paul Esser of Germany and Fouche Lofts of South Africa (ZA FFL 022-24; Blue Bar)

6^th – R50 000: Van Schoor Lofts (ZA VSL 1026-24; Blue Bar)

7^th – R40 000: Joy-Ride Hokke (ZA NSPES 3-24; Blue Bar)

8^th – R30 000: Adendorff Machines (ZA TRPF 368-24; Blue Bar)

9^th – R20 000: Joy-Ride Hokke (ZA NSPES 1-24; Blue Pied)

10^th – R10 000: Qui Racing & Sparks (ZA Carnival 0752-24, ‘Sparks’; Blue Bar)

Grand averages champion pigeons: SAIPR Summer 2025

1^st – R30 000: Butch Einkamerer (ZA Loft Einkamerer 90-24, ‘Scarlet 52’; Blue Bar)

2^nd – R20 000: TNT Elite Centre (ZA GPU 899-24, ‘Pidgey Smalls’; Blue Bar)

3rd – R10 000: Dragon x Stockholm Lofts (ZA VSL 1011-24, ‘Voorslag’; Light Checker; bred by Van Schoor Lofts)

The SAIPR Challenge Race Summer 2025

This race is held concurrently with the final race at the cost of R5 000/pigeon. Should one or both of an entrant’s reserve pigeons not be required to replace any of the three main during during the pre-final training phase, the entrant has first option to enter their reserves into a separate race category called the SAIPR Challenge Race. Should an entrant decline, punters may enter the reserve pigeons in their own name.

Top four SAIPR Challenge Race Summer 2025 money winners 

1^st – R40 000: Leohan Hokke (ZA VSD 91-24, ‘Reserve’; Blue Checker)

2^nd – R15 000: Team Rise UP (ZA DPL Lofts 422-24, ‘Unnamed’; Blue Bar)

3^rd – R12 500: Danie Erasmus (ZA Carnival 0706-24, ‘Unnamed’; Blue Bar)

4^th – R7 500: Cannistraro (ZA VSL 1063-24, ‘Unnamed’; Checker White Flight)

SAIPR Champ of Champs

Taking home prize money of R20 000, Melt van Schoor was the most successful breeder among the money winners in the recent winter and summer series.

Conclusion

A lesson in the breeding of skilful, high-quality racing pigeons is evident in the consistent results of the tough SAIPR 2025 Summer Series. The pedigrees of the front-flying birds clearly show that entrants made a deliberate effort to select superior pigeon genetics to breed for this race.