Race 1 of the season was hosted on 17 July 2025 from Ventersburg a distance of 210km back to Carnival Lofts here just south of Heidelberg Gauteng. This marked the beginning of our 21st season here at Allflight Carnival Lofts. The team of about 761 pigeons were liberated at 07h15 in headwind conditions. The top 20 pigeons to clock on race 1 were:
| Ranking | Fancier | Pigeon | Arrival time | Speed |
| 1 | Team Oberholster | CARNIVAL 24 2796 | 17.07.2025 10:06:39.35 | 1223.378 |
| 2 | Badenhorst Lofts | SANPO 24 18419 | 17.07.2025 10:06:39.80 | 1223.325 |
| 3 | Francois Marais | EDEN 24 5344 | 17.07.2025 10:06:40.48 | 1223.244 |
| 4 | Lazy Lofts | MHPU 24 5948 | 17.07.2025 10:06:41.39 | 1223.136 |
| 5 | Francois Steinman | KHS 24 251 | 17.07.2025 10:06:41.62 | 1223.109 |
| 6 | Valerie Malherbe | VALERIE 24 51 | 17.07.2025 10:06:43.51 | 1222.884 |
| 7 | The Last 1”s | MHPU 24 5964 | 17.07.2025 10:06:45.03 | 1222.704 |
| 8 | SW Louw | JWDK 24 4253 | 17.07.2025 10:06:45.59 | 1222.637 |
| 9 | The 3 of us | GPU 24 1599 | 17.07.2025 10:06:48.59 | 1222.282 |
| 10 | Andre & Juan | OERF 24 4051 | 17.07.2025 10:06:56.79 | 1221.310 |
| 11 | SW Louw | JWDK 24 4218 | 17.07.2025 10:07:26.36 | 1217.820 |
| 12 | Alan Jordaan | BENZ 24 5496 | 17.07.2025 10:07:39.21 | 1216.309 |
| 13 | Tinus Boshoff | PWF 24 2373 | 17.07.2025 10:07:50.99 | 1214.927 |
| 14 | The 3 of us | EDEN 24 4394 | 17.07.2025 10:08:10.15 | 1212.687 |
| 15 | Hot Rod Racing | CPL 24 499 | 17.07.2025 10:08:13.65 | 1212.279 |
| 16 | Barend Greyling | ODRA 25 4244 | 17.07.2025 10:08:13.77 | 1212.265 |
| 17 | Tinus Boshoff | PWF 24 2382 | 17.07.2025 10:08:14.49 | 1212.181 |
| 18 | Nico & Justin | BPFD 25 1524 | 17.07.2025 10:08:14.51 | 1212.178 |
| 19 | Jaco Bekker | OVRK 24 430 | 17.07.2025 10:08:16.82 | 1211.909 |
| 20 | Farmers Lofts | ODRA 24 18856 | 17.07.2025 10:10:50.50 | 1194.256 |
This would mark the start of another tough series of races here at Carnival Lofts in the winter series.
Race 2 for the season was yet again from Ventersburg and the top 20 positions on race 2 were:
| Ranking | Fancier | Pigeon | Arrival time | Speed |
| 1 | Saltire Lofts | TRPF 24 7408 | 22.07.2025 09:48:39.79 | 1412.589 |
| 2 | Andre & Juan | OERF 24 4039 | 22.07.2025 09:48:40.63 | 1412.456 |
| 3 | SW Louw | JWDK 24 4253 | 22.07.2025 09:48:40.98 | 1412.401 |
| 4 | Hans & Cobus | GPU 24 3799 | 22.07.2025 09:48:41.16 | 1412.372 |
| 5 | TJ Hlabanelo | OP 24 10762 | 22.07.2025 09:48:41.25 | 1412.358 |
| 6 | Roberto & Boesman | CARNIVAL 24 1013 | 22.07.2025 09:48:41.50 | 1412.319 |
| 7 | Paul de Jesus | KUYS 24 121 | 22.07.2025 09:48:42.64 | 1412.138 |
| 8 | Stoyanovs Lofts | TURF PETS 24 3008 | 22.07.2025 09:48:43.36 | 1412.024 |
| 9 | Team Oberholster | PPK 25 1315 | 22.07.2025 09:48:46.05 | 1411.599 |
| 10 | Hot Rod Racing | CPL 24 499 | 22.07.2025 09:48:46.06 | 1411.597 |
| 11 | Tinus Boshoff | PWF 24 2382 | 22.07.2025 09:48:46.68 | 1411.499 |
| 12 | Tinus Boshoff | PWF 24 2373 | 22.07.2025 09:48:48.47 | 1411.216 |
| 13 | RMG Racing | FB 24 13012 | 22.07.2025 09:48:48.87 | 1411.153 |
| 14 | SW Louw | JWDK 24 4218 | 22.07.2025 09:48:48.96 | 1411.139 |
| 15 | Toppigeon/Beneke Lofts | SANPO 24 25910 | 22.07.2025 09:48:49.41 | 1411.068 |
| 16 | Hendrik & Daniel Moller | FB 24 19617 | 22.07.2025 09:48:49.94 | 1410.984 |
| 17 | Central Bridge | EDEN 24 4388 | 22.07.2025 09:48:50.79 | 1410.849 |
| 18 | Nico & Justin | BPFD 25 1524 | 22.07.2025 09:48:51.30 | 1410.769 |
| 19 | Spikkels Hokke | ODRA 25 3892 | 22.07.2025 09:48:51.77 | 1410.695 |
| 20 | Marnes Nel | WPU 24 5887 | 22.07.2025 09:48:51.86 | 1410.680 |
We saw some of the same names and same pigeons from the previous weeks race in the top 50. Over the last 21 years we have gotten used to seeing the same names appear on the top of the results sheet.
Race 3 was hosted from Glen (330km) soccer field on 29 July 2025
| Ranking | Fancier | Pigeon | Arrival time | Speed |
| 1 | Dave-Mike-Ivan | HHC 24 4474 | 29.07.2025 11:23:53.16 | 1373.593 |
| 2 | Jaco Bekker | OVRF 24 2071 | 29.07.2025 11:24:03.49 | 1372.624 |
| 3 | Johan & Johan | MPHU 24 4859 | 29.07.2025 11:24:04.44 | 1372.535 |
| 4 | Barend Greyling | ODRA 25 4187 | 29.07.2025 11:24:04.71 | 1372.509 |
| 5 | Boshoffs & Jabez | PWF 24 2361 | 29.07.2025 11:24:11.20 | 1371.901 |
| 6 | Andre & Juan | OERF 24 4029 | 29.07.2025 11:24:11.85 | 1371.840 |
| 7 | Pigeon Power | KUYS 24 23 | 29.07.2025 11:24:11.94 | 1371.832 |
| 8 | German Power | KUYS 24 30 | 29.07.2025 11:24:11.95 | 1371.831 |
| 9 | RMG Racing | RMG 24 121 | 29.07.2025 11:24:12.06 | 1371.821 |
| 10 | Abdool & Rabia | DUZI 24 3543 | 29.07.2025 11:24:12.72 | 1371.759 |
| 11 | Die van Tonders | Carnival 24 2579 | 29.07.2025 11:24:12.72 | 1371.759 |
| 12 | Echipa LXII | MHPU 24 5911 | 29.07.2025 11:24:12.84 | 1371.748 |
| 13 | Rain’s Pride | CARNIVAL 24 2569 | 29.07.2025 11:24:13.16 | 1371.718 |
| 14 | Herman Bohm | ODRA 24 18664 | 29.07.2025 11:24:13.41 | 1371.694 |
| 15 | MS Hope Charity Racers | SANPO 24 11765 | 29.07.2025 11:24:13.61 | 1371.676 |
| 16 | Die van Tonders | Carnival 24 2580 | 29.07.2025 11:24:13.70 | 1371.667 |
| 17 | Fourie & Olivier | FOURIE 24 85 | 29.07.2025 11:24:13.96 | 1371.643 |
| 18 | Nico & Justin | BPFD 25 1721 | 29.07.2025 11:24:14.63 | 1371.580 |
| 19 | German Power | KUYS 24 65 | 29.07.2025 11:24:15.14 | 1371.532 |
| 20 | Echipa LXII | MHPU 24 5902 | 29.07.2025 11:24:15.45 | 1371.503 |
Race 4 the midway mark for 2025 season was flown from Bloemfontein 360km this would turn out to be the first real test for the pigeons for some or other reason and the returns were a lot slower than the previous races yet the weather was fine with a light headwind, the top 20 positions were:
| Ranking | Fancier | Pigeon | Arrival time | Speed |
| 1 | Derick du Preez | OERF 24 7997 | 05.08.2025 12:17:23.05 | 1161.413 |
| 2 | SW Louw | JWDK 24 4218 | 05.08.2025 12:17:25.42 | 1161.264 |
| 3 | SW Louw | JWDK 24 4253 | 05.08.2025 12:17:31.20 | 1160.900 |
| 4 | Tinus Boshoff | PWF 24 2382 | 05.08.2025 12:17:32.82 | 1160.798 |
| 5 | Lazy Lofts | MHPU 24 5948 | 05.08.2025 12:18:00.59 | 1159.054 |
| 6 | Barend Greyling | ODRA 25 4187 | 05.08.2025 12:18:01.17 | 1159.018 |
| 7 | Barend Greyling | ODRA 25 4244 | 05.08.2025 12:18:01.36 | 1159.006 |
| 8 | Hendrik & Daniel Moller | FB 24 19617 | 05.08.2025 12:18:01.37 | 1159.005 |
| 9 | German Power | KUYS 24 142 | 05.08.2025 12:18:01.40 | 1159.003 |
| 10 | Louwrens Lofts | OP 24 5844 | 05.08.2025 12:18:01.86 | 1158.974 |
| 11 | Central Bridge | EDEN 24 4388 | 05.08.2025 12:18:03.03 | 1158.901 |
| 12 | Jaco Bekker | OVRK 24 430 | 05.08.2025 12:18:05.28 | 1158.760 |
| 13 | Engelbrecht Racing Team | TRPF 24 7301 | 05.08.2025 12:21:59.71 | 1144.249 |
| 14 | Badenhorst Lofts | SANPO 24 18449 | 05.08.2025 12:22:03.84 | 1143.996 |
| 15 | Herman Bohm | ODRA 24 18664 | 05.08.2025 12:22:27.41 | 1142.558 |
| 16 | German Power | KUYS 24 65 | 05.08.2025 12:22:48.57 | 1141.270 |
| 17 | Shahzad Family Loft | SHAZ 24 81 | 05.08.2025 12:35:38.80 | 1096.280 |
| 18 | Shahzad Family Loft | SHAZ 24 84 | 05.08.2025 12:35:45.21 | 1095.921 |
| 19 | Central Bridge | EDEN 24 4384 | 05.08.2025 12:35:54.41 | 1095.405 |
| 20 | Bela Vista | GPU 24 1577 | 05.08.2025 12:36:12.09 | 1094.416 |
Race 5 on 14 August 2025 was flown from a new liberation point, Meadows Farm situated between Bloemfontein and Trompsburg a distance of 436km back to the lofts. Yet another tough day with the temps now rising as we were now nearing
| Ranking | Fancier | Pigeon | Arrival time | Speed |
| 1 | Toppigeon/Beneke Lofts | SANPO 24 25910 | 14.08.2025 13:10:55.75 | 1207.993 |
| 2 | Barend Greyling | ODRA 25 4187 | 14.08.2025 13:10:57.75 | 1207.882 |
| 3 | Farmers Lofts | SLIM 24 2687 | 14.08.2025 13:10:58.77 | 1207.825 |
| 4 | Derick du Preez | OERF 24 7997 | 14.08.2025 13:11:01.36 | 1207.680 |
| 5 | Louwrens Lofts | OP 24 5844 | 14.08.2025 13:12:36.35 | 1202.408 |
| 6 | Farmers Lofts | ODRA 24 18856 | 14.08.2025 13:16:31.19 | 1189.567 |
| 7 | Andre & Juan | OERF 24 4056 | 14.08.2025 13:16:34.81 | 1189.372 |
| 8 | Ronnie Huebsch | KSFC 24 689 | 14.08.2025 13:16:37.14 | 1189.246 |
| 9 | Badenhorst Lofts | SANPO 24 18435 | 14.08.2025 13:18:08.70 | 1184.316 |
| 10 | Fourie & Olivier | FOURIE 24 70 | 14.08.2025 13:18:09.47 | 1184.275 |
| 11 | Nico & Justin | BPFD 25 1524 | 14.08.2025 13:18:11.02 | 1184.192 |
| 12 | Barend Greyling | ODRA 25 4244 | 14.08.2025 13:18:25.83 | 1183.398 |
| 13 | Heindrich Marcus | WYNL 24 1816 | 14.08.2025 13:22:17.65 | 1171.117 |
| 14 | Taliep Family Lofts / Samuel Loft | MPHU 24 3703 | 14.08.2025 13:22:17.95 | 1171.101 |
| 15 | Pigeon Power | KUYS 24 55 | 14.08.2025 13:22:18.34 | 1171.081 |
| 16 | Johan & Johan | MPHU 24 4859 | 14.08.2025 13:22:18.46 | 1171.075 |
| 17 | Desert Queen Racing Pigeons | SANPO 24 28312 | 14.08.2025 13:22:18.79 | 1171.057 |
| 18 | Roberto & Boesman | CARNIVAL 24 1013 | 14.08.2025 13:22:20.38 | 1170.974 |
| 19 | Pigeon Power | KUYS 24 136 | 14.08.2025 13:22:20.40 | 1170.973 |
| 20 | Charlie Rude | NFS 24 289 | 14.08.2025 13:22:21.56 | 1170.912 |
By now some of the team had slept out and learned to make it back to the lofts after a night out and they learned that they must stop for a water break along the flight path. Race 6 was from one of my favorite liberation points being Springfontein (490km). From here till the final the real stamina and bloodline comes to the fore. The team would be split up into smaller kits along the flight path and the pigeons with most determination would make it home in a good time. The top 20 from race 6 on 27 August 2025 were:
| Ranking | Fancier | Pigeon | Arrival time | Speed |
| 1 | SW Louw | JWDK 24 4255 | 27.08.2025 14:14:29.22 | 1127.767 |
| 2 | German Power | KUYS 24 56 | 27.08.2025 14:14:30.29 | 1127.721 |
| 3 | Nico & Justin | BPFD 25 1526 | 27.08.2025 14:14:30.97 | 1127.691 |
| 4 | The Last 1”s | MHPU 24 5960 | 27.08.2025 14:14:34.54 | 1127.537 |
| 5 | Hendrik & Daniel Moller | FB 24 19609 | 27.08.2025 14:14:56.21 | 1126.600 |
| 6 | Herman Bohm | ODRA 24 18662 | 27.08.2025 14:18:52.70 | 1116.483 |
| 7 | Pigeon Power | KUYS 24 52 | 27.08.2025 14:18:57.39 | 1116.284 |
| 8 | Fourie & Olivier | FOURIE 24 85 | 27.08.2025 14:19:00.09 | 1116.169 |
| 9 | Toppigeon/Beneke Lofts | SANPO 24 25910 | 27.08.2025 14:22:04.27 | 1108.419 |
| 10 | Echipa LXII | MHPU 24 5947 | 27.08.2025 14:22:25.55 | 1107.530 |
| 11 | Heindrich Marcus | WYNL 24 1816 | 27.08.2025 14:25:51.26 | 1099.014 |
| 12 | Kriek Hokke | MPHU 24 4582 | 27.08.2025 14:26:00.56 | 1098.632 |
| 13 | Alan Jordaan | BENZ 24 5499 | 27.08.2025 14:27:12.20 | 1095.699 |
| 14 | Team Oberholster | CARNIVAL 24 2772 | 27.08.2025 14:27:24.73 | 1095.187 |
| 15 | Tommy du Toit | TURF PET 24 1476 | 27.08.2025 14:27:29.74 | 1094.983 |
| 16 | Desert Queen Racing Pigeons | SANPO 24 28321 | 27.08.2025 14:27:57.70 | 1093.844 |
| 17 | Central Bridge | EDEN 24 4360 | 27.08.2025 14:27:59.94 | 1093.752 |
| 18 | Ian Doyle | GHT 24 179 | 27.08.2025 14:30:29.15 | 1087.715 |
| 19 | Echipa LXII | MHPU 24 5939 | 27.08.2025 14:30:30.59 | 1087.657 |
| 20 | Paul de Jesus | KUYS 24 104 | 27.08.2025 14:31:04.75 | 1086.284 |
Suddenly a few new names appeared on the results sheet and we would see different pigeons that has been a few minutes late on previous races start to move up the results sheet. But some names remained in the top 50 and would start the climb when it comes to the Ace pigeons. The top 20 from the next race again from Springfontein on yet another warm day with headwind conditions all the way from liberation and temps reaching 28 degrees along the flight path would make this another tough day at the races! As you can see from these results there were no easy tailwind races again this season here at Carnival Lofts.
The race from Springfontein on 11 September 2025 will undoubtedly go down as one of the toughest of the season—one that could easily have passed for a final. And I must admit, I thoroughly enjoyed it. From the moment of liberation, I knew the pigeons would face stiff challenges: headwinds and steadily rising temperatures along the entire flight path.
Over the past 20+ years, most fanciers entering Carnival Lofts know that I prefer racing under testing conditions—especially days with headwinds and higher-than-average temperatures. While not everyone’s cup of tea, I believe these races are the truest tests of a pigeon’s endurance and a loft’s breeding and training program.
In the early years of Allflight, we used to conclude the season on the public holiday of 9 August, typically resulting in fast races. I vividly remember a year when over 40 pigeons arrived together on the final. With pay-outs limited to the top 20, that kind of finish left little to distinguish the best from the rest. That experience pushed me to start monitoring weather patterns more closely and selecting tougher races, particularly for the final.
This shift has earned Carnival Lofts both supporters and critics. But my view is simple: if there’s no “on the drop” pay out, then we need to find a way to separate the truly exceptional pigeons from the pack. The most natural way to do that is with headwinds and heat—conditions that demand real grit.
Of course, this approach has its drawbacks. It often means we finish our season later than other local lofts, which requires us to keep the birds for an extra 6 to 8 weeks, with added costs for training, feeding, and management. It’s a significant financial factor. That’s why, starting next season, we’ll aim to finish racing before mid-August, allowing us to reduce overheads while still maintaining race integrity. The other factor is that the new owners wants to breed from the pigeons and by having the final so late each season we have the auctions late as well so hence the decision to change the race program to finish sooner as from 2026.
The top 20 from race 7 were:
| Ranking | Fancier | Pigeon | Arrival time | Speed |
| 1 | German Power | KUYS 24 65 | 11.09.2025 14:48:34.18 | 1002.928 |
| 2 | German Power | KUYS 24 64 | 11.09.2025 14:52:06.72 | 995.708 |
| 3 | Johan & Johan | MPHU 24 4859 | 11.09.2025 14:52:30.56 | 994.905 |
| 4 | Taliep Family Lofts / Samuel Loft | MPHU 24 3701 | 11.09.2025 14:52:31.95 | 994.858 |
| 5 | Team Oberholster | F1 LOFT 24 1044 | 11.09.2025 14:58:28.53 | 982.997 |
| 6 | Pigeon Power | KUYS 24 122 | 11.09.2025 14:58:31.96 | 982.884 |
| 7 | The Last 1”s | MHPU 24 5960 | 11.09.2025 14:58:33.00 | 982.850 |
| 8 | Roberto & Boesman | CARNIVAL 24 1014 | 11.09.2025 14:58:37.51 | 982.702 |
| 9 | Andre & Juan | OERF 24 4052 | 11.09.2025 14:58:37.85 | 982.691 |
| 10 | German Power | KUYS 24 142 | 11.09.2025 14:58:39.18 | 982.647 |
| 11 | Out of Africa Lofts | REN LOFT 24 132 | 11.09.2025 14:58:42.02 | 982.554 |
| 12 | Midlands Lofts | MIDL 24 1419 | 11.09.2025 14:59:12.05 | 981.569 |
| 13 | German Power | KUYS 24 56 | 11.09.2025 14:59:13.87 | 981.509 |
| 14 | Nico & Justin | BPFD 25 1524 | 11.09.2025 15:00:29.34 | 979.043 |
| 15 | Central Bridge | EDEN 24 4370 | 11.09.2025 15:05:59.77 | 968.387 |
| 16 | Oudeluck Luck | ZA OUD 24 070 | 11.09.2025 15:08:20.90 | 963.906 |
| 17 | Paul de Jesus | KUYS 24 146 | 11.09.2025 15:09:49.88 | 961.102 |
| 18 | Pigeon Power | KUYS 24 52 | 11.09.2025 15:14:01.19 | 953.271 |
| 19 | Hot Rod Racing | CPL 24 499 | 11.09.2025 15:14:31.59 | 952.332 |
| 20 | Francois Marais | EDEN 24 5345 | 11.09.2025 15:15:23.39 | 950.737 |
Onto the final we go with one last race from Hanover on Friday 26 September 2025 weather permitting, a race distance of 630km. This race has been a tough one the last few years and Friday I think will be no different! Best of luck to every entrant who has pigeons going to the final race!!
Regards
Carnival Lofts team
A special thank you for your support the last 21 years I really do appreciate it!