CHAMPIONSHIP CLASSIC

With only two rounds left to run, it’s coming down to championship time as Historic Racing South Africa’s trio of classic car title chases head to the Red Star Raceway near Delmas Saturday 12 October for their penultimate appointment of the 2019 series. There is much to look forward to in the Universal Healthcare HRSA Pre-80 Saloon Car series, where most classes remain poised on a knife’s edge and while the overall situation looks well set, there are also several scores to be settled in Charlies Superspar HRSA Pursuit Series and the rapid HRSA Sports & GT chase.

 

Jannie van Rooyen VW Scirocco sits four points clear of Alan Green’s glorious Meissner Ford Escort in the top Universal Healthcare HRSA Pre-80 Saloon Car Class D, with Mario Rossi (Alfa Romeo GTV 6) and Johann Smith (SPS Racing Mazda Capella) both close enough to cause trouble and Johann Barnard (Industrial & Mining Ford Capri) and Stuart Konig (VW Scirocco) are ready to run interference. It’s just as close in Class E, where six championship points split Andre Ten Napel (TNMC Medical Devices VW Scirocco) and Rene van Rensburg (SV Tech Ford Escort Mk II) in that title chase.

 

The main Pre-’80 interest centres around Class F, where class championship leaders Sean Hepburn and his HiQ Midrand Datsun 1200 Deluxe and Hubi von Moltke (Mercedes-Benz 280 CE) also find themselves fighting it out for the overall title, although Hepburn does hold a handy points advantage in both chases. In class G, Harm Beens Sr. (H3 Generator Works Ford Escort) holds sway over Jan Jacobs (Olifantsfontein Alfa Romeo GT Junior), with Harry Lombard (A-B Brickworks/PSA VW Beetle) out to beat them both.

 

The ever-entertaining Charlies SuperSpar HRSA Pursuit Series is run on a handicap basis, so each car sets off on its own with all of them supposed to get to the finish at once if they race to their ideal lap times, so it becomes hectic at the end. It will take some doing to prevent Trophy class driver Wernher Hartzenberg and his expertly pedalled Aircooled Wonders Porsche 928 from taking the title this year, but second placed Kola de Klerk (Nissan 300) has Althea Pretorius (Carinvest Porsche 924) on his case, while Harm Beens Jr. (H3 Generator Works Ford Escort) and Nadine von Moltke Todd (Mercedes-Benz CE) are keen to make an impression this weekend. 

 

Rob Clark similarly holds a sizeable Fines class championship lead as he sits third in the overall chase and he has dug his ‘flying lounge’ Containerforce Citroen CX2200 out to defend his advantage after rolling his GS1220 in East London. The Fines fight is for second though, with just 12 points separating Henk de Klerk (Pajero Maintenance Honda Civic), Frans Venter (Nissan 280 ZX) and Mercedes-Benz men Richard Tudor-Owen (Flower-Pac/Gey ) and Andre Hattingh (Mercedes Benz 190E).

 

Charlie’s Superspar Pursuit also entertains through a broad variety of machinery on track, with classics the likes of Denis McBeath’s Mpiti sports racer, Bert van Aarle (Lotus Elite), Brad Schafer (Porsche 944) and Riaan Roux (Addfin VW Scirocco) taking on historic racers like Michelle Smith (SPS Nissan Skyline), Rob van Aarle (Ace Auto Salvage Ford Escort Mk1) and Machiel Oberholzer (Aquaperm Mercedes-Benz 190E) in these concertina races.

 

The quick HRCR Sports & GTs will see Rey Cornelissen (Glashoff Maughan Consulting TVR Tuscan) out to beat a horde of Porsches including Fred Konig and Stefan Snyders (Stenton Investments) in a pair of 911 RSRs and Stefan Puschavez (MI Equipment 911 RS). Snyders, Cornelissen and Puschavez are also entered in Saturday’s 1-hour endurance race alongside Pre-80 runners, Jan Jacobs’ Alfa and Hubi von Moltke sharing his Benz with Jose Vasques.

 

The HRSA classes run as part of a full Red Star race program Saturday 12 October, Red Star Raceway is on the Zonderfout Farm near Delmas, just off the Groenfontein-Dryden Turn Off Exit 485 on the N12 freeway towards Witbank.