AN HISTORIC PRETORIA DAY

Historic Racing South Africa joined Zwartkops regional racing weekend in Pretoria on Saturday where its three classes delivered some great racing, not least in the Universal Healthcare Pre-80 Saloons and the Charlie’s SuperSpar Pursuit handicap races, while the Sports & GT Porsche RSR parade added a certain classic touch of class.

 

Jannie van Rooyen (VW Scirocco) and Johann Smith (SPS Racing Mazda Capella RS) made notice of a great day’s Universal Healthcare Pre-1980 Saloon Car racing by qualifying a few tenths of a second apart ahead of the ever-present Alan Green’s stunning Meissner Ford Escort and Stuart Konig (Northern Bolt and Tool VW Scirocco). Class E leader Martin Botha (Team Climax Datsun 1200GX Coupe was fifth overall, while Dave Leyshon (VW Scirocco) beat overall championship leader Sean Hepburn (Hi-Q Midrand Datsun 1200 Deluxe) to the Class F top spot and Jan Jacobs (Olifantsfontein) Alfa Romeo GT Junior took the Class G pole.

 

Van Rooyen and Smith then went on to deliver a delightful spat throughout the opening heat as Jannie and his Scirocco pipped Johan’s wailing rotary at the post as they left the rest in their wake as Green took third from Konig and Sophos Pantazis (Datsun 240 Z). Martin Botha took Class E from Daniel Lotter (SAC Ford Escort Mk1) and Andre ten Napel (Scirocco) with Class D runners Mario Rossi (FAS Alfa Romeo GTV6) and Johann Barnard (Industrial & Mining Ford Capri) rounding off the top ten.

 

Sean Hepburn managed to squeeze past the line on the lead lap to prevent the lapped Hubi von Moltke (Mercedes 280CE) from a last lap move on the Class F winner, with Willem Vonk (Frog Security Escort) close behind and John Simpson (Alfa Giulia sport GT) next up. Jan Jacobs took Class G from Eugene Malan (Renault R10) and Harm Beens Sr. (H3 Generator Fort Escort), while Class E men Rene van Rensburg (SVTech Ford Escort) and Richard Pott (Alfa Junior) and F trio Willem Vorster (Advanced Digital Escort), Dave Leyshon (Scirocco) and Marco Verwey (Datsun GX Coupe) retired.

 

Van Rooyen took no prisoners in the second race as he led Smith and Konig and Class E leader Botha and Lotter home. Pantazis was sixth ahead of a gaggle of E and F cars including, ten Napel, Rossi, van Rensburg and Barnard, while Leyshon put one over Hepburn in Class F ahead of Vonk, von Moltke and Simpson, and Jacobs did the Class G double over Klopper, Beens and Malan, while late starter Mike O’Sullivan (Chevy SS) and Alan Green took early showers.

 

Overall, van Rooyen took the day and Class D from Smith and Konig, while Botha beat Lotter and ten Napel to E honours and Sean Hepburn cemented his place at the top of the overall title table with the Class F win from von Moltke and Vonk and Jan Jacobs took the baby class from Beens Sr. and Malan.

 

Fines driver Bert van Aarle (Lotus Elite) took the opening Charlie’s SuperSpar Pursuit handicap race ahead of Trophy class top two, Riaan Roux (VW Scirocco) and John Simpson (Alfa Guilia) and fines trio Mercedes-Benz 190E pair Richard Tudor-Owen and Machiel Oberholzer and Frans Venter (Nissan 280ZX). Kola de Klerk (Nissan 300ZX) was next up from Johan Steenkamp (Porsche 924), Andre Hattingh (Mercedes Benz 190E) and Werner Hartzenberg (Porsche 928S) in tenth. 

 

Debutant Jacques Loumeau (Birkin 7) was next home from FJ Smit, (MGA), Michelle Smit (Skyline), Rickus Botha (MG B), Althea Pretorius (Porsche 924), Harm Beens Jr. (Escort) and Rob Clark in his substitute flying lounge Citroen CX Pallas. Henk de Klerk (Civic), Nadine von Moltke (Mercedes), Tim Crossland (Alfa GT Junior) and Gordon Brown (Alfetta) rounded off the scoring after Willem van Niekerk (Marauder), Rob van Aarle (Escort), Stan Stacey (Alfa GTV) and Brad Schafer (Porsche 944) all broke out of their fastest allowed time and were not classified.

 

Fines driver Oberholzer took the second race win ahead of Trophy top two Steenkamp and Kola de Klerk with Fines runners Clark and Venter next, while Simpson was sixth from Bert van Aarle, Schafer, Hattingh, and Hartzenberg in tenth, with Botha, Pretorius, Stacey and Henk de Klerk in pursuit. Beens, von Moltke, Smith, Brown and Smit closed off the rear after Tudor-Owen, Rob van Aarle, van Niekerk, Roux, Loumeau and Crossland all broke out. Fines driver Machiel Oberholzer who emerged the winner of the day ahead of Bert van Aarle and Trophy top three John Simpson, Johan Steenkamp and Kola de Klerk with Frans Venter sixth.

 

Richard Schuhardt was the quickest of the HRSA Pre-90 runners in the Sports & GT race aboard his Class A R5 Motorsport Botswana Porsche 911 RS ahead of Stefan Snyders’ similar Class B STETON Investments machine and Class C men Andre van der Merwe (EVAPCO Porsche 911 RSR), Peter Bailey (Bailey Cars Porsche 911 RSR), Johan de Bruyn’s Class D OdorCure 911, Kobus Brits and Fred Konig’s similar Class C cars and Johan Steenkamp (Class F Porsche 924). Schuhardt trotted off to an easy Class A win ahead of B winner Snyders, while van der Merwe beat Bailey, Konig and Brits to C ahead of F winner Steenkamp in both races and overall.

 

Next stop for the Historic Racing South Africa crew is the Midvaal Raceway near Meyerton in the Vaal Triangle on 12 October.