CAPE TORQUE - WESBANK REVIEW - Posted:04/03/2010

Following my comment about the opening round of the national Wesbank Super Series at Kyalami, in last weeks column, this event has now come and gone with results that bode well for what should be an exciting second leg here at Killarney on March 13.

The revamped Bridgestone Production Car Championship probably occupied pride of place. For the first time it was run as a three race promotion – two six lap sprints followed by a 10 lap feature event. The back to back six lappers took place consecutively in the middle of the day, while the longer race brought the curtain down at the end of the programme. An interesting feature of the sprints was that the cars were placed in quarantine after the first, during which time the teams were not permitted to work on them.

Unfortunately it was not the greatest day for Indy Oil Audi A4 quattro driver Johan Fourie. The Cape’s reigning champion actually did well to finish as runner-up in the opening event, just a split second behind Anthony Taylor’s flying Afrox BMW 335i – but that was his only appearance on the podium.

Taylor on the other hand was in fine form, and although beaten into second place by Michael Stephen’s Audi A4 in the second sprint, after paying the price of his initial victory and having to start well back on a partially inverted grid, he recovered well and was first across the line again in the final event.

Rookie Bridgestone driver Gennaro Bonafede provided the sensation factor in classT. After finishing second behind Graham Nathan’s Indy Oil VW GTi in the opening sprint events, he then stalked his mentor and team-mate in the longer third race before nipping past under braking on the last lap. It was the climax of a magnificent display by both drivers, and much appreciated by the crowd.

There was an upset in the big Wesbank V8 Supercar category when the favoured 18 year old whizzkid Brendan Auby appeared to slow on the last lap of the first race and the Free States’ Jaco Correia was able to sneak through and take the chequered flag.

With another inverted grid marking the start of the second event, it wasn’t long before the track resembled a battlefield. Early leader Terry Wilford soon spun off in his Fuchs Jaguar, while several others retired for various reasons. Correia took full advantage as he went on to record his second victory.

Although the tearaway Kosie Weyers, who is as well known on the Killarney stock car track as he is on the main circuit, was only able to claim a third in the second one make Engen VW Cup Series event, there was nothing to choose between the leading drivers and he could just as easily have been a winner.

In the Interfile Superbike events, local Bikefin Honda rider Lance Isaacs, who is a grizzled veteran despite his still youthful cherubic appearance, gave pre-race favourite Sheridan Morias a scare when he claimed pole position in the first event and then went on to finish just ahead of the hard riding Emtek Aprilia man.

And although Morias came through to claim the honours in the final event, he was made to work all the way.

Fourie, Weyers and Isaacs will all have home circuit advantage on March 13 and it is going to be interesting to see how they fare.

DRIVE TIMES - FIRST MEETING - Posted:24/02/2010

The first Western Cape championship main circuit meeting is always regarded as an indication of prospects for the rest of the season. Which is why competitors are burning the midnight oil in an effort to have their cars ready for Saturday’s opening event.

And with a programme of 17 events, that begins with the first race for the leading Midas Clubman class A,B,C&X cars waiting for the green light as early as 8.30 in the morning, spectators can look forward to a feast of high protein motorsport.

Here, late entries from the booming Beemers of Roshan Khan and Ashraf Ariefdien are expected keep the Golfs of Bennie Lodewyk and Clint Rennard battling to stay ahead on the fairway. But with the 325 exponents involved in a dispute of their own, and Dave Kopke (Honda Ballade), as well as impressive class X drivers like Ashley Johnson in his hot new Audi, the experienced Kosie Swanepoel (Mazda Capella), Ian Long (VW Golf) and Dean Fenn (1300 Toyota Conquest), also adding to the crowd, anything can happen.

The progress of Wayne Wilson’s rare Nissan Maxima in the Midas class D,E,F&X events will be noted with interest as he engages opposition from the likes of Ernest Roos (Golf Mk1) and Leon Swart (VW Jetta).

The younger Wally Dolinschek is going to have to be at his athletic best in his muscular Mustang GT in the Industrial Abrasives & Tool Suppliers Sports and GT events, if he hopes to remove any of the gloss from Laurent Gross’s superfast Porsche GTZ. Other front runners in this one are likely to include Steve Humble in his Mk 14 Opel Mallock and Dawie Joubert (Lotus Exige).

It has been proven over time that splitting the established Neil Hawkins, Jess Huggett and Richard Schreuder trio, who are joined in fibreglass and have a long term lease on the Supercar podium, is never easy. However newcomer Dayne Angel, son of former national champion Marcel Angel, could just be the surprise package who manages it in the one make Makita Power Tool events.

Meanwhile Angel senior is going to see action in the big V8 Masters Series, where his main opposition seems likely to come from the experienced Armien Levy, Fanie Theron and Charles Arton.

The Shark Cage Diving Formula Libre single seater events are almost certain to be dominated by the powerful American V6 Reynards. However drivers like John Beekman in a more nimble Formula Renault and Didier Koeul (Formula GTi Swift), should never be discounted.

With practice and qualifying due to take place on Friday, Saturday is going to be an all race day. Admission is R40 for adults and R20 for scholars under 16. There is no charge for kiddies under 12.

FAMILY DAY - Posted:01/12/2009

Dec 5 final.

Because it’s that time of year, while the action on the track may be fierce, the organisers intend ensuring that Saturday’s Family Day meeting is also relaxing and enjoyable for family members of all ages.

For a start there is no admission charge for anyone under the age of 16 and there will be plenty to keep the youngsters busy. Most of the family activity is going to be centred around the clubhouse, where, with the youngsters occupied outside, there will be no shortage of sustenance inside for the more senior family members. Hopefully there will also be karting demonstrations on the kart circuit.

The clubhouse catering has already been voted the best at any motorsport venue in South Africa. For Family Day, the resident chef Gean Notnagel has promised that in addition to the normal pub grub, one plate specials will include items like beef and mushroom pie, creamy chicken and bacon tagliatelle pasta and mince and vegetable curry. The pub also has large screen television available.

Another positive in this respect is that restaurant guests who don’t want to miss the racing, can enjoy a view of the run into the first corner from the upstairs lounge, or the sight of competitors exiting the Malmesbury Corner and onto the back straight, from a position on the large rear patio.

Youngsters are going to be able to have their photographs taken in the cockpit and behind the steering wheel of one of the American imported Reynard Dodge V6 racers that is going to be on the lawn outside the building.

They can also have their faces painted, bounce on the jumping castle or climb the jungle gym.

The gates open at 07h.00 with practice and final qualifying from 08h.00. There are 17 events on the programme, the first of which is due off at 10h.15. Admission is R40 for adults, but there is no charge for anyone else.

FINAL MEETING - Posted:01/12/2009

While it might not be the famous Last Chance saloon in the wild west of long ago, Saturday’s final shootout at Killarney on Family Day is going to be the last chance leading competitors will have to claim one of the 2009 main circuit titles that are still up for grabs.

But it’s not going to be easy. And there will be surprises. In the hugely popular Indy Oil Clubman category for instance, the flamboyant Nieyaaz Modack has caught the eye at the head of the field in his speedy class A, NSI Motors 325 Beemer. It has been a magnificent performance and he is within range of the target -- but its not yet a bullseye.

Meanwhile the more consistent, but less conspicuous Pieter van der Poel (class C, Midas Toyota Conquest), did not put a wheel out of place while he piled up the points at every meeting. The result is that he is the current top scorer, ahead of Modack and PW Louw (class A, PWL Consulting, Mazda Capella), who was actually in the lead until the most recent meeting.

Although it could still go either which way, the odds appear to favour favour Van der Poel.

Tertius van Tonder (class C, Golf), leads a hyper-enthusiastic bunch of throttle benders in the Powerflow CTi Challenge, a form of (almost) one make racing where anything could happen -- and often does.

Former champion Greig Edwards (class B, Golf), is not far bind in second place, with the quick Rob Ferroli (class A, Jetta), who has won more races than either of the other two, in third.

Then while Doug McDonald, Ernest Page and Didier Koeul have spent the most time on the podium in the Shark Cage Diving Formula Libre single seater category, the overall lead is being fought out between class C Lantis drivers, John Beekman and Marlon Mulder.

An unusual situation in the Makita Power Tool Supercar class sees multiple former titleholder Neil Hawkins down in third place behind Jesse Huggett and veteran Richard Schreuder and marginally ahead of Brad Wadeley. Here the crown almost certainly belongs to Huggett, with Schreuder and Hawkins due to slug it out for second spot.

There are also going to be events for the big V8 Masters Series where no overall championship points are scored. With lap times dropping as the drivers become more accustomed to the power available to them, the racing continues to improve. The experienced former national superkart champion Marcel Angel has shown he is the driver to beat, with others like Armien Levy, Dawie Joubert and Charles Arton fast emerging as challengers for the top spot.

Finally the Control Valve Technology Fine Car events are handicap races for a select category. These always become more exciting when the field closes up as the cars near the finish.

GREAT RACING AT KILLARNEY THIS WEEKEND - Posted:15/09/2009

WesBank V8 champion Hennie Groenewald is going to be in action at Killarney on Saturday, in his awesome Timken Holden.

The South African Championship WesBank Super Series meeting at Killarney on Saturday (September 26), promises to be the Cape’s most exciting motorsport event of the year.

Because in addition to all the national title events for V8 Supercars, Bridgestone Production Cars, VW Cup Cars, Volkswagen single seaters and Superbikes, a host of other activity has been planned.

Heading the list are the Citi Celebrity races that have attracted entries from many of the country’s greatest drivers. These include Giniel de Villiers, winner of the recent international Dakar Rally in South America, who was last seen at Killarney almost nine years ago.

Enzo Kuun, the 2007 national rally champion, who has just completed the BP Ultimate Rally in the Swartland, is also on the list.

Then there’s Terry Moss and Chris Aberdien, who will be remembered for their magnificent performances in their exhaust popping, turbocharged Audi Quattro projectiles in the late 1990’s.

However although he is the senior citizen among the entries, 11 times former South African rally champion and race driver of note, Sarel van der Merwe still believes he can show the younger drivers the way around.

Making matters more interesting is the fact that they will all be in identical Citi Golfs, with driver ability counting as the only variable.

There are also going to be displays of drifting by an expert from Japan.

As far as the championship events are concerned, although Hennie Groenewald got off to a slow start in the V8 Supercar class, he is busy closing on the leaders.

The Production Car category is still wide open as the Nissan 350Z’s, Audi A4’s and BMW 350i’s fight it out. Watch out for local Indy Oil Audi driver Johan Fourie, in this one.

Racing takes place all day on Saturday, with practice sessions on Friday afternoon.

WESBANK NATIONAL MEETING, SEPTEMBER 26 - Posted:15/09/2009

Giniel de Villiers, winner of the 2009 Dakar Rally -- a motorsport event acknowledged as the toughest on the planet -- is going to be in action at Killarney for the first time in nine years, during the national Wesbank Super Series meeting on September 26.

A Boland boykie, Giniel’s first mechanical experience was at the wheel of a home built kart on the family farm in the Robertson district. He then graduated to a low key competitive start in local Clubman events.

However he has not competed on the historic Cape circuit since he clinched the last of his four South African Touring Car titles here, in 2000.

Because since then, a tie-up with Volkswagen, and international recognition of his talent, has led to the hard work that has been rewarded by a string of victories in major competitive events around the world.

Before his triumph in the recent gruelling rally raid across South America, Giniel had almost wrapped up its North African predecessor in 2007, when he had to surrender a hard fought lead after his engine caught fire almost within sight of the finish on the beach outside Dakar.

Closer to home, he is going to be in the star studded line-up that will be on the grid at Killarney for the first ever one make Citi Celebrity Challenge.

Among the other champions who have indicated their eagerness to compete, are multiple national Touring Car titleholder Terry Moss, his former team-mate Chris Aberdein (who is also an accomplished professional helicopter pilot), Enzo Kuun, Geoff Mortimer, Glyn Hall and Sarel van der Merwe.

Moss and Aberdein will probably be best remembered for their magnificent performances at the wheel of the awesome, exhaust popping, turbocharged, Audi Quattro projectiles that dominated the national saloon car scene in the mid 1990’s.

An interesting feature of the Van der Merwe and Mortimer rally careers was that the pair once finished a long national event in exactly the same time. Previously unheard of, it had the organisers in a quandary for a while and was finally settled when top honours were awarded to Mortimer, who had been one second quicker than Sarel in the final stage.

But while Supervan may have lost out that time, he remains the driver with more rally and road racing victories than you can shake a conrod at. In 1986 he even set a new South African land speed record of 358.9 km/h. in an Audi Quattro turbo.

Enzo Kuun has the advantage of still being an active competitor and he and Guy Hodgson were the South African rally driving and navigating champions in 2006. They are currently entrenched members of the works BP Ultimate Volkswagen rally team with a good chance of securing top honours in this weekend’s national BP Ultimate rally in the Western Cape.

The carefully chosen 12 competitors are going to be competing in identical Citi Golfs, in a contest where driving skill provides the only variable.

None of them are expecting any mercy!

PREVIEW - Posted:02/09/2009

Caption; Peet van der Walt (43), is expected to be among the front runners in the Powerflow GT1 Challenge events on Saturday.

With rumours about new energy inducing features doing the rounds, about several of the front runners in the CAR Magazine Classic events at Killarney on Saturday, predicting a winner is about as speculative as forecasting the front row of the next F1 grid.

Because in addition to Martin Richards, whose Datsun Q-ship caused an upset during its last appearance, the Keith Rose jointed Porsche 911 RS is almost certainly in line for a top of the podium finish. Then there’s Charles Arton (BMW 530), and Louis Powell’s magnificently restored Meissner Escort.

Others who should feature include Chris Carolin in his surprisingly quick rotary engined Mazda Capella and Anton Rollino, who is making a welcome return in his Chev Can-Am V8.

The Neil Hawkins race winning Astra V8 has been regraded as a Touring Car in the NA Carrera, Sports, GT and Touring Car discipline. Which shouldn’t make too much difference to the battle for overall honours he is likely to have with Laurent Gross (Porsche GT2-R) and Wally Dolinschek (Mustang V8).

Then the appearance of replicas like Mike Beachy Head’s rare Porsche 917, a pair Ford GT 40’s in the hands of Francis Carruthers and Jean Fourie, as well as Fred Phillips’ original Chevron B19, adds a touch of class to the rest of the field.

While the combined Volkswagen total easily outnumbers that of the other manufacturers in the Indy Oil Clubman events, the Beemers seem to have the firepower in the all-important class A.

So unless Volksie stalwarts Bennie Lodewyk, recently promoted Andre Johnson or possibly Francois van Tonder in a class X, VW Scirocco , can come up with something special, it’s going to be the 325’s of Nieyaaz Modack and Roshan Khan, or Achmat Achmat’s M3, at the head of the field.

While not necessarily the quickest, the hugely enthusiastic Powerflow GTi Challenge guys can always be relied on to provide a selection of the closest racing at any meeting. And while Rob Ferroli’s Jetta is probably going to be the car to catch, Ian Long and Peet van der Walt are certain to be among those trying.

The absence of V6 Dodge Reynards in the Shark Cage Diving Formula Libre events should leave room for Egmont Baumgartner (Formula BMW Scheubel) and Diedier Koeul, who will be at the wheel of a Rico Barlow Formula GTi Swift.

The handicap races for CVT Fine Cars are going to provide a different visual aspect as the field bunches up, before they all cross the line together. Well that’s the theory anyway.

As far as two wheelers are concerned the Suzuki South sponsored motorcycle events cater for five Superbike classes, as well as Powersport, BMW F800, Vintage , Classic and class D.

Gates open at 07.30, with practice and final warm-up sessions due to take place before the lights change at 10h.00, for the start of the first of the 17 races on the programme. Admission is R40 for adults and R20 for scholars under 16. Kiddies under 12 will be admitted free of charge.

PREVIEW - Posted:27/08/2009

Caption: Neil Hawkins’ Astra V8 is expected to pose a threat in the NA Carrera, Sports, GT and Touring Car events at Killarney on September 5.

Killarney’s preparation for a busy September gets under way on Saturday, with an official morning practice session for the regional main circuit meeting that is being combined with a karting event the following weekend -- on September 5.

After being allowed to sit out the most recent round of the championship, the CAR Magazine Classic events have attracted almost unprecedented interest. Here one of the questions being asked is whether the aggressive Martin Richards in his docile looking Datsun, can continue giving the finger to so many of the more sophisticated entries in the category.

Then, with Laurent Gross back in action in his menacing Porsche GT2-R after unexpectedly missing the August meeting, the NA Carrera, Sports, GT and Touring Car races seem likely to provide another highlight.

Although still the sports car class A points leader, Gross was somewhat surprisingly beaten by both Neil Hawkins and Wally Dolinschek in their big V8’s, earlier in the season. Word is that more urge has been sought from the Porsche in the intervening period and it is going to be interesting to see how successful the effort has been.

With the stock cars adhering to their summer season routine, this Saturday afternoon is being devoted to the first oval track trial session, before the opening meeting of the 2009 / 2010 Western Cape title chase, on September 12.

A number of new drivers are expected to make their debut that evening, including several youngsters who have reached the maximum age limit in the entry level Andre Groenewald Motors Mini class.

South African Championship events during the first month of spring, include the BP Ultimate Rally that is based at Killarney and takes place on Friday and Saturday, September 18 / 19.

Also, the final Cape round of the national Wesbank Super Series, on September 26 where there will be events for the Bridgestone Production Cars. Wesbank V8 Supercars, the Engen VW Cup, Formula Volkswagen single seaters, Interfile Superbikes and Interfile Supersport motorcycles.

There is no admission charge for either of Saturday’s practice sessions and spectators are welcome. The atmosphere is expected to be relaxed and the drivers all easily approachable.

MAIN CIRCUIT REVIEW - Posted:30/05/2009

The entry of two new and potentially potent single seaters in the next round of the Shark Diving Unlimited Formula Libre championship at Killarney on July 4, is certain to add to the adrenalin flow in that category.

Formula Libre first achieved prominence in Britain shortly after World War 2, when, apart from the popular motorcycle engined 500’s, there was still a shortage of genuine racing cars. So much so that almost any open wheeler was acceptable.

The Formula Libre cars that commanded the most attention in those days were a series of big 4-litre Ferraris that had been acquired by British industrialist Tony Vandervell and renamed the Thinwall Specials. In the hands mainly, of drivers like veteran Reg Parnell and occasionally a young Stirling Moss, they were extremely successful.

The new recruits at Killarney, a Formula 3 Renault and a Formula BMW, are smaller, more sophisticated and considerably faster. The 1720cc Renault produces 125 horsepower and has a top speed of about 250 km/h. It was built by Martini, a French company owned by former F1 driver Guy Ligier. Before achieving prominence in F1, the great Alain Prost won three Formula 3 titles in a Martini.

The Schuebel BMW is of German origin and was intended for a Series in Europe aimed at the training of promising young drivers, to help them along the path to F1. This particular car was first owned by Christian Klein, an Austrian who competed in F1 for a while. It was then acquired by Neel Jani, the A1 World Cup of Motorsport champion.

Both cars now belong to Egmont Baumgartner a South African who has been resident in Switzerland for several years. Baumgartner achieved considerable success in the Swiss Free Formula, a series that because motor racing is banned in Switzerland, is held mainly on grand prix circuits in other European countries. This factor has enabled him to acquire valuable experience at venues like Monza, Spa-Francorchamps, Magni Cours, Hockenheim and the Nurburgring.

Now back in South Africa again, he will be seen in action for the first time, at Killarney on July 4.