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Clare Returns to Cape Town

Cape Town - Clare Vale goes to the second race of the season in Cape Town after a solid start to the season opener at Kyalami. The race takes place on the 13^th of March at the Killarney circuit near Table View. After the first round Clare is lying 7th in the Super GT championship. Only under-steer problems late in the race resulted in her missing out on a 3rd place finish. She will be looking forward to CT where the team will have an opportunity to get the setup right and get her on the podium.

Clare, a former Hout Bay resident, is looking forward to returning to her home track and hopes that the home town backing will help her get that podium finish. The racing promises to be close and she will be hoping to use the race to cement her challenge and take her Gatorback RAM Mustang to the front of the field.

Clare on the Killarney race: “I love racing at Killarney, and the big V8s are always exciting to drive at sea level. We’ve been working hard on our set up gremlins so we’re looking forward to some close racing in Cape Town!”

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1^st Franschhoek Motor Museum TT & Concours

27/28 February 2010 - more pictures from Patrick Vermaak

John Atkins - 1957 Aston Martin DBR2

Anton Rupert Jnr - 1968 Chevrolet Camaro RS

Sarel van der Merwe - Pietie Smit - Serge Damseaux

Chris Routledge - 1957 Maserait 250F

Saturday 27 Feb - the Tractor & engine show - and Zwartkops Inland Champs

...... sadly Gerrit de la Rey's Formula GTi suffered some damage ........

3 very good reasons to buy Fair Lady magazine!

Giniel de Villiers honoured as Bridgestone/Guild of

Motoring Journalists Motor Sportsman of the Year

Giniel de Villiers, winner of the 2009 Dakar Rally in Argentina and Chile in a factory Volkswagen Race Touareg, is the 2009 Bridgestone/Guild of Motoring Journalists Motor Sportsman of the Year.

Competing in his seventh Dakar, the 37-year-old professional motor sportsman from Stellenbosch improved on the second place he achieved in the 2006 Dakar in Africa in his first year with the VW team, winning three stages and beating team-mate Mark Miller of the United States by nearly nine minutes. He is the first South African to win this iconic event, arguably the world’s toughest motor race, and he gave VW its first victory in the diesel Touareg.

There were six other nominations for the prestigious award, which was first won in 1964 and has been sponsored by Bridgestone for the past 17 years. They were Gavin Cronje, winner of the inaugural Formula Le Mans Cup for prototype sports cars; Hergen Fekken and Pierre Arries, winners of the Sasol Rally Championship for the second year in a row; Evan Hutchison, winner of the Special Vehicle category of the Absa Off Road Car Championship as well as class A7 of the Sasol Rally Championship; Sheridan Morais, who won both the Interfile Superbike and Supersport championships in the same year; Ralph Pitchford, who started the year finishing second in the Dakar Rally as co-driver to American Mark Miller and ended the year as champion off road racing production car co-driver with Nissan Motorsport’s Duncan Vos; and Vos, champion off road production car driver for the third year in succession. ! ;

Winner of the Colin Watling Award for special achievement in motor sport by someone other than a competitor was Peter du Toit, owner of the popular Zwartkops Raceway near Pretoria, which he rebuilt and revived, and who has done more than anyone to popularise historic car and bike racing, importing cars and drivers from overseas for his annual International Historic Car Racing Festival.

Also nominated for the Colin Watling Award were Glyn Hall, who, in his last year as motor sport manager of Nissan, saw his off road team win an unprecedented ninth successive driver’s and co-drivers championship and who also managed a privateer team of South African-built Nissan Navaras that finished fourth, fifth and 21^st in the Dakar Rally; and Jan Hartzer, who has been in the forefront of filming and production of television programmes of all kinds of motor sport both on tar and in the dirt for many years, distinguishing himself by providing a service to many of the non-mainstream and grass roots forms of motor sport.

1^st Franschhoek Motor Museum TT & Concours

27/28 February 2010

The 1^st Franschhoek Motor Museum Time Trial and Concours D’Elegance on 27/28 February 2010 will finally see the South African motoring and motorsport heritage receive the recognition it so richly deserves. So much of our incredible motorsport heritage have been lost to international collectors and few have ever been publicly recognized for their individual contributions towards those milestone achievements.

The Rupert family fortunately recognize this and with the Franschhoek Motor Museum now without doubt the hub of motoring history in Africa the time have come to share the invaluable chest of classic and exotic history with the public at large. Even true enthusiasts have to date struggled to collect information and rued the fact that most of the truly historic cars have found new homes internationally.

The good news is that FMM have stemmed the tide with renewed interest and enthusiasm slowly but surely seeing cars return, being restored, and once again being presented to the interested general public in both static and moving displays. Forget the expensive trip overseas, you can now enjoy much more, for much less, by attending the many events planned at FMM for 2010 and beyond.

Forty one years have passed since Peter Gough and Willie Meissner masterminded the entry of the very first Ford Escort in international motorsport. When Y151 started it’s first race it became the very first Ford Escort in the world to be utilised for motorsport and what an entry, winning ten consecutive races. Of the three cars built, one was destroyed and the third now in the hands of a British owner. Unbeknown the original Meissner Ford Escort was stored in a Somchem garage, Strand, for many a year and even after having acquired the car for a Clubmans project Louis Powell still doubted it’s originality.

Researched by Henry Korkie and confirmed by Peter Gough this is the most original Group 5 in existence today and what an absolute privilege to see it driven by the original driver after 41 years. Rebuilt to exact detail this combination alone should be reason enough not to miss this event.

Those present at the recent Springbok Series races at Killarney would have learnt that when Peter Lindenberg won overall in the Basil Green built Gunston Ford Capri Perana 5.0 the end of another era was witnessed as this car will now become another proud member of the FMM collection. In the hands of the late Bob Olthoff this car became legendary and to Ford supporters the presence of both the BG Perana and Meissner Escort must represent the ultimate attraction.

50 years of the South African Rally Championship will be celebrated by 10 times South African rally drivers champion, Serge Damseaux, driving the Audi Quattro beating, Owen Ashley designed and built, Toyota Dealer Team Conquest 4x4 Turbo. Ferdi de Vos may well find himself behind the wheel of an ex-Serge Damseaux, Hugh Turner restored, Toyota Liftback rally car.

More good news is the fact that Toyota will also have their pristine 1967 Toyota 2000GT present and Dr van Zyl will be entering his personal 1965 Toyota 800 Sport. Just as a matter of interest only 337 2000GT cars were built with two convertibles specifically for the fifth James Bond movie, You Only Live Twice. Strangely enough Sean Connery never drove the car in the movie – instead he was chauffeured by the beautiful Japanese agent Aki (Akiko Wakabayashi). In fact, being built to Japanese specs the 1.88m frame of Sean Connery simply could not be made to look comfortable in the conventional GT and thus the convertible was created at a Toyopat Service Centre near Yokohama. The convertibles actually running without a boot or side windows.

With the first Japanese Grand Prix held in 1963 Japanese manufacturers began developing sportscars. Satoru Nozaki designed a classic without the aid of full size models or wind tunnels and thanks to the engine expertise of Yamaha the GT2000 became one of the finest 2000 cars of it’s era. It would become known as the enduring Toyota after running for 72 hours at an average speed of 128mph but a hefty price tag prevented it from becoming a commercial success. With the 1998cc six cylinder twin cam engine delivering 150bhp at 6600rpm the car was capable of 137mph. Only 337 (351) cars being produced when production ceased in 1970.

Though You Only Live Twice premiered on 12 June 1967 the Toyota 2000GT is still considered as the most rare James Bond car to date.

Then 11 times South African rally drivers champion, Sarel van der Merwe, will be seen behind the wheel of the ex-Sir Stirling Moss 1955 Jaguar D-Type as well as the enormous Chevrolet Chevelle SS V8. Serge Damseaux will also be driving a completely original and almost priceless factory 1955 Aston Martin DB3S. Present as guest will be former South African rally drivers champion, Enzo Kuun.

Giniel de Villiers will attend the Sunday proceedings only as he will be celebrating another Dakar success with Volkswagen in Germany till Saturday.

Track racing will be proudly represented by 6x South African Drivers Champion, Ian Scheckter, and he will be driving his championship winning Lexington March 78B Formula Atlantic. Who knows, with a little luck, the Tyrrell 007 might just make an appearance as well. Ian will also be driving the ultra rare Mclaren M6 road registered sportscar.

Anton Rupert will take to the 3km circuit behind the wheel of both the 1968 Chevrolet RS Camaro and Shelby Mustang 350GT whilst Johann Rupert is scheduled to drive the beautiful 1963 Ferrari Lusso GT.

Di Dugmore has entered her neat 1957 Lotus 11 and Dave Alexander have entered his neat 1963 Lotus 23. Fitting to note that 2010 also sees the return of Lotus to the F1 Championship. Shannon Winterstein have a 1970 Renault Alpine A110 present and Charlkes Arton has a neat 1973 Datsun 240Z. Add Lourens Bester in a 1974 Porsche Carrera and Reinhart Schwendinger in a Ferrari 308. Quickest car on the day could however be the giant killer supercharged 1968 Mini Cooper S of Steve Miller.

Malcolm Uytenbogaardt will have his wheel lifting 1963 Ford Fairlane 500 present whilst Mark Uytenbogaardt will be driving the ex-Koos Swanepoel 1966 Ford Cortina GT 1600.

And the good news is that there is much more to look forward to!

Buying a ticket to attend also qualifies as an entry into the lucky draw that will see four lucky spectators on Saturday and Sunday fill the suicide seat in either the Ferrari F50, Porsche Carrera GT or McLaren F1. Giniel de Villiers, Dakar 2009 winner, will be driving the Porsche Carrera GT as a demonstration on Sunday and John Tingle is scheduled to drive the LDS Repco made famous by his father, Sam.

Did we mention the presence of the 1957 Maserati 250F, Bugatti variants including the Type 35 and even a Ford Model T Sportster? Simply too many to mention.

Dress the era or simply come and enjoy a classic day with the classics.

Visit www.fmm.co.za for all the details

Patrick Vermaak 083 701 8116

2^nd Kwik-Fit Bredasdorp Rally

Witezenberg Motorklub Sizzling Bredasdorp Opener 20 February 2010

Pic: Ettiene du Toit & Patrick Vermaak

Global warming took on a new perspective when the sun parked itself directly above the Overberg town of Bredasdorp on Saturday 20 February 2010. Twenty rally cars and forty live and colourful saunas (alias overheating drivers and navigators in nomex) really allowing for a fresh “very hot” air of expectancy before the start of round 1 of the Western Province Rally Championship for 2010.

Kwik-Fit Bredasdorp not only retaining their title sponsorship of the event but thanks to a sterling effort the event received good marketing via Jurgen Lesch and the Flames Pub and Grill prizegiving venue of Suna Lesch will undoubtedly become a rally institution! Even the new format Suidernuus newspaper attracted comment and will hopefully feature more motorsport this year.

What a surprise to arrive at Kwik-Fit Bredasdorp to find a brand new Porsche Panamera in front of the scrutineering bay. Just recently named the firm favourite acquisition by the MMWC (Main Manne Wot Count) it certainly attracted much deserved attention. A stroll through the “pits” left a very positive vibe about regional rallying despite the obvious economic restraints. Lance and Rosemarie Maytham as a always the backbone of this event and the 259.41km route would prove quite a challenge.

Pic: Jean-Pierre Damseaux & Carolyn Swan

Jean-Pierre Damseaux and Carolyn Swan got down to serious business and simply annihilated the field in preparation for their national campaign in the S2000 / S5 Team Total Evoluzione Toyota Run X RSi 2.0 4x4. Now running as number seven the popular Somerset West driver set to impress in 2010 as bad luck simply has to stop sometime. The presence of 10 time SA and 17 time WP champion driver, Serge Damseaux, kept the Total team on edge and their commitment was clearly visible. Expect to see the Damseaux name return to the podium.

The 2009 Junior Western Province Champions, Thorsten “Pau” Pey and Mark “Dipsey” Palmer, arrived armed with a pink Teletubby strapped to the roof vent of the S4 Winning Business Solutions / Forsdicks Tyger Valley WBMK BMW 325i and whilst those present were pondering the new, softer, pink approach the now much wiser Medulla Palmer saw to it that the almost invincible Beemer maintained it’s status as the best rear wheel drive car in the Western Cape by actually beating all the front wheel drive cars to second place overall. Thorsten admittedly scared himself once or twice, but really revels in the Overberg. A stupendous drive by the Teletubbies!

Pic: Thorsten Pey & Mark Palmer

Sharing the opening stage win with the S2000 Run X looked extremely impressive but the latter suffered a puncture. Times on stage six puts matters in better perspective and even so the BMW was most impressive.

Charl Strydom and Sakkie “no voice” Bosman returned to the fray and the always immaculately prepared Sabre Paints CPMCC class A6 / S3 VW Polo 1.6i gradually stepped up in pace. Hopefully Sakkie will soon have his voice back and it is expected that this team will be doing every round of the 2010 championship. Third overall on their return well deserved. With CPMCC 100 years young this year their presence on the podium certainly had Bill Bright in high “spirits”. Abduraghman Amlay and Garth Ritsch made their debut as a team in the rapid class N3 / S4 Amlay Motorsport CCMCC Toyota Run X RSi 1.8 and though they obviously enjoyed their event the fact that they arrived at the halfway service park with the engine VVT hiding in the sump did slow their pace.

Kesevan Naidoo and Daniël Blaser missed the oval gate but still managed to part company with the front bumper of their class S3 Feightmore CCMCC Toyota Conquest RSi 1600, officially claiming that it improved cooling of the crew and increased engine power. Beating their Conquest rivals was impressive and fifth overall was very satisfying on this high speed event. Team George was taking strain in the extreme heat. André George and George du Toit could not take in enough liquid to cool themselves whilst the trusty class S3 Flying Fridge CPMCC Toyota Conquest RSi 1600 proved as consistent as ever in sixth overall. Flying Fridge vs Overheating (better have a word with sponsor).

Stefanie and Willem Hugo had a mixed day of encouragement and disappointment. The disappointment came in the form of a left driveshaft that would simply dislodge itself from the gearbox. Sorting the car and gaining valuable seat time they persevered, posting good times on every clean stage with the Wiel / Select Cars class A6 / S3 WBMK Toyota Corolla RXi 1.6.

Shaun Jones and Ian Thebus encountered some interesting obstacles along the route when instructions arrived somewhat slower that the pace at which they happened to be travelling. Shaun is not known to be fond of the middle pedal on any car and the almost silent class S5 (do not know why it qualifies in this class) CPMCC VW Polo TDi only comes alive when the rather heavy right foot is buried in the corner. Should be an interesting combination to watch once the revitalised “nartjie” returns from Dynotech with turbocharged 4x4 propulsion. Eigth overall still managed to keep a smile on their faces though.

Newcomers, Divan de Goede and Henry Köhne, once again did themselves proud by finishing ninth overall in their ex-Wessel Venter class N2 / S3 CPMCC Toyota Corolla RSi 1.6. Taking matters in their stride the only hiccup occurred when the navigators electric window guide failed. They finished the event decidedly more dusty than they had planned . Good news was that the surprise Panamera also led to two more newcomers in the sport as brothers, Sebastiaan and Daniël Klaasen, completed their debut rally in tenth overall with the ex-Stephan van Dyk class N4 / S5 CPMCC Subaru Impreza STi Turbo 4x4. Wisely taking matters rather calmly it was also evident that this car was not in mint spec.

Running on just three cylinders for most of the day Paul-Hendrik Franken displayed maturity by nursing his obviously ailing class S2 WBMK VW Golf CSL 1600 to an eventual eleventh spot overall. Uwe Pey the ever cheerful navigator and a class win despite a torrid time was most rewarding for the young Gansbaai driver. The final team home Gavin Grierson and Darren van Greunen in the popular tail wagging class S4 CPMCC Nissan Skyline 2.8 GTX .

Ettiene du Toit and Patrick Vermaak were really excited about their debut in the ex-Huchison class A7 / S5 Toyota Run X RSi 2.0 20v and with just a short drive on public roads as experience they wisely opted to treat the Ugly Duckling Filmset Rental entry with gloves on. Unfortunately their lack of seat time in the Silver Dream Racer was to unseat them as early as stage one when a simple electrical problem saw them stranded 2.31km into SS1. Trying a variety of settings on their new toy the team continued until they were time barred at the halfway service park. Possibly a wise decision as the Run X was developing a serious appetite for oil. After many years in production based cars it was really an absolute joy to tackle a stage in what can only be termed a real rally car. Cannot wait for the next event!

Martin Esterhuyse Snr and Paul van Greunen were heading for a podium finish when the left rear suspension on the class S4 WBMK Nissan Sentra 200STi failed in a high speed sweep which saw the hapless crew roll quite spectacularly in SS6. Being rather solid countryside both crew members suffered a few cuts and bruises but by prizegiving a Sabre body had been sourced and they were planning their return in the Toyota Dealer Rally.

Warren Scholtz and Justin Gay also impressed with a determined effort in their class S3 VW Polo 1.8 but sadly they ran out of gears after SS5. Jerry Bailey and Brian Hoskins were really looking forward to a good event as many hours have gone into preparing this class A5 / S1 WPMC VW Golf Chico 1.4i. This is motorsport though and overheating saw them vanish after SS4. Slowing down they became quite a challenge to pass as Ettiene du Toit and Patrick Vermaak caught up with them approaching the yump made famous by Jon Williams.

Fortunately it saved the Toyota crew from having to take this now much higher yump flatout and it was somehow pleasing to think “eat our dust” when eventually squeezing past the veterans. (Okay, I accept the fact that this little personal pleasure will be used against me somewhere in the future)

Llewellyn Jones and Christopher Pichon retired the class S5 CPMCC VW Golf IV TDi 2.0 with a broken brake disc after SS3 and overheating saw the demise of the Derrick Benjamin and Jody Eadie class S4 CCMCC VW Polo 2.0 after SS2. Harry Giliomee and Fritz Blom made it through SS1 before their neat class S3 WBMK Toyota Corolla Breadvan 1800 developed terminal fuel pump problems.

Ashley Haigh-Smith and Hilton Auffray had an even shorter event in the much improved REACT Marketing class A5 / S2 CPMCC Toyota Yaris 1.3 when a spring broke in the throttle body enroute to SS1. Albertus Loubser eventually fixed the problem and they served clear notice of what the VW crews could expect before they too were time-barred from the event.

With the German Airforce completing missile tests nearby the Overberg really found itself in the news again and this event looks set to become even bigger and better in 2011. Rallying in the Western Cape holds great promise for 2010.

Leon Esterhuyse drove the 00 Mazda Rustler with Johann and Petra Zulch as always in the 0 Toyota Hilux and the Follow-up Chrysler Neon had Lance and Rosemarie Maytham in command. Pieter Hugo, Stefan Brand and Jean van der Westhuizen the much valued Arrowing and Pick-Up crew. The latter three really doing a fantastic job in the searing heat.

Pic: Willem Hugo, Derek Jacobs, Stephanie Hugo

Patrick Vermaak

083 701 8116

Nicholas Tennant February 19 at 6:36pm Reply

Hi all just a quick cut and paste from MSA:
"The historic East London Grand Prix circuit, proved to be a happy hunting ground, for nineteen year old Nicolas Tennant and he came away from the first round of the 2010 South African National Formula Vee Championship, with two wins and the Championship lead, for the first time in his brief Formula Vee career.

As expected, seasoned campaigner Peter Hills (MLS Brokers Rhema 2) took pole position, for race one, while Tennant lined up alongside Hills, in his recently acquired ex Chad Van Beurden (Tennant Life Benefits Execuline Rhema 2), with Paul Venter (Nashua Mobile Laser) and Nico Blignaut (Gilus IT SAP Rhema 2), occupying the second row of the grid, for the first time in their National Formula Vee careers.

Everyone was expecting Hills to dominate the race but after leading for the first few laps, his motor started overheating and he was forced to surrender the lead, to Tennant. Venter had a moment early on, losing a number of positions in the process and then proceeded to battle it out with Greg Wilson (Reflex Technology Rhema 2). They swapped places, on a regular basis and Venter managed to use Wilson’s tow to good effect and set the fastest lap of the race, to secure the bonus point for the day. Also swapping places, a little further back, where Hugo Wallendorf (Lantis) and Mile Stewart (Rhema 1), with Formula Vee debutant Mark Stewart (Rhema 2), having to play second fiddle, to his more experienced son.

It was however Tennant who came home, to record the first victory of his Formula Vee career, ahead of a struggling Hills, while Alan Eustice (Tennant Life Benefits Execuline Rhema 2) had passed Blignaut, who had picked up a problem selecting fourth gear, to finish third. In the end, Eustice beat Blignaut to the line, by less than a second and they where followed home, by Venter, Wilson, Mile Stewart, Wallendorf and Mark Stewart.

A change of motor between heats, did not resolve Hills’ problem and although he also led for the first couple of laps, of the second heat, the overheating problem persisted and Tennant swept by, to take the lead again. This time the problem was even worse than before and Hills was soon passed by Venter. The following lap, Hills regained the position but the next time around, Eustice, Venter and Blignaut had all slipped past. Then Wilson and Wallendorf, went by as well and Hills retired, with a couple of laps to go. Wilson was also in trouble, retiring just ahead of Hills, when his carburetors came loose.

Out front, there was no stopping Tennant and he romped home to his second win of the day, ahead of teammate Eustice and they where followed across the line, by Blignaut, Venter, Wallendorf, Mile Stewart and Mark Stewart."

Below is the championship standings:)

Formula Vee South Africa 2010
National Standings after Round 1/8

1 Nicholas Tennant 30
2 Nico Blignaut 22
3 Paul Venter 20
4 Peter Hills 17
5 Mile Stewart 15
6 Hugo Wallendorf 15
7 Greg Wilson 14
8 Mark Stewart 12

3de Fairbridge Mall Gymkhana 13 Februarie 2010

Izak van Zyl en Danye Louw wen die 3de Fairbridge Mall Gymkhana in hul Dynotech Turbo VW Golf met Günther en Louise Appelgryn tweede in hul klas B VW Golf 1800. Derde plek ingeneem deur Danye en Marcile Louw in hul klas B H&H VW Golf 1800. Heelwat nuwelinge in klaswenner posisies en dag het gesorg vir n goeie opening vir die 2010 seisoen.

Klas A Leon Engelbrecht en Marius Swart - Eikestad Plastic Repairs VW Golf MkI 2.0

Klas B Günther en Louise Appelgryn - WBMK VW Golf MkI 1800

Klas C Jacques du Plessis en Walter van Dyk - du Plessis Auto Toyota Conquest RSi 1600

Klas D Jan van der Vyver en Herman Mathee - VW Golf Citi 1.4i

Klas E Deon en Maralize Conradie - FFR Buggy 2.3

Klas F Herman Mathee en Jan van der Vyver - Datsun 1400 LDV

Klas G Izak van Zyl en Danye Louw - Dynotech VW Golf Turbo 2.0

Klas H Izak van Zyl - Dynotech VW Golf Turbo 2.0

Mees skouspelagtige span : Kobus Wilson Snr en Herman Mathee - Datsun Skyline GTX 5.0 V8

Izak van Zyl and Danye Louw started the 2010 Witzenberg Gymkhana Championship in much the same way as they finished the 2009 season – simply dominating the opening round in their Dynotech class G VW Golf GTi 2.0 Turbo. Setting the fastest outright time of the day and also winning the single seater category had Izak van Zyl in confident mood to reach his wedding date on 4 December as champion for the second successive year. Fiancé, Jolanda van der Merwe, sharing the success going into Valentine’s Day.

Round one of the 2010 Championship took 37 teams to Fairbridge Mall Brackenfell for the third time and thanks to the sterling efforts of Jaco Matthee and Robin Wakeford the venue was prepared to perfection very early on Saturday 13 February. Weather conditions near perfect despite warnings of light rain with a fair sized crowd enjoying some great action.

Günther and Louise Appelgryn raised their game for 2010 and second overall in their class B VW Golf Chico 1800 was very well deserved after some very determined driving. The Durbanville couple taking the fight to the opposition and showing that they can now hold their own amongst the senior competitors in the sport. Sadly, many of those were not present for the opening round, but are set to return later in the year.

Danye and Marcile Louw had to accept second in class B and third overall with their regular H& H Wellington / Boland Trade Centre VW Golf MkI 1800 and given the performance of the Appelgryn couple some midnight oil will be required to see the Moorreesburg team take up the challenge. The ever consistent Bonnie Brae combination of Morné Roux and Monica Robbertse just beaten into fourth overall in the ex-Fanie du Toit class A winning Mazda 323 EGi 2.0 16v. Morné losing a potential second overall with a single mistake on his final run.

Another pleasant surprise was the vastly improved performance of Stellenbosch based Leon Engelbrecht and Marius Swart in their Eikestad Plastic Repairs class A VW Golf MkI 2.0. Trading seats Marius Swart and Leon Engelbrecht showed that they are truly competitive this season by placing the orange Golf fifth and sixth respectively.

Much was expected from Nashrene Schloss and Louise Appelgryn in the Duncan Jepthas class G VW Golf TSi 2.0 and though they certainly treated the powerful machine with due respect they gradually truned on the pace to eventually finish in an encouraging seventh position overall. Now challenging the men for overall honours these ladies deserve to be watched closely in 2010! Jacques du Plessis and Walter van Dyk won the first Fairbridge event but simply cannot find the rhythm to repeat that performance. The du Plessis Auto class C Toyota Conquest RSi 1600 at times looked incredibly quick but a clean run was not achieved and eighth overall possibly a disappointing result.

Brent Laurings and Duncan Andrews and the yellow class A Opel Kadett GTE 2.0 8v ran like clockwork and ninth place added another encouraging result on the long CV of the Opel. Lourens van Litsenborgh and Jacques du Plessis tenth for Ceres in the silver class C Honda Civic VTec 1600 and clearly there is more to come from this combination. Deon and Maralize Conradie gave air head fans something to cheer about when they won class E in their very well prepared FFR Buggy 2.3. Lightning fast off the line the short wheel base buggy struggled with understeer but it clearly will be a serious pain to the BMW squad in this class for the balance of the season.

Johann and Petra Zulch a close second in their Van der Merwe Houtsaery BMW 325i. Unfortunately the class champion, Danie Smuts, tore the ligaments in his right knee whilst playing a friendly game of cricket and he will have to miss a number of rounds. Jacobus and Albertus Loubser broke a cv early in the day but the class C Toyota Conquest RSi 1600 20v recovered to finish 13^th and 14^th. Just interesting to note that Albertus was once again beaten by his younger brother in his own car. There must be some truth in the fact that a car owned by somebody else always revs that little higher! Albertus is better known as service crew for the REACT Marketing star in the making, Ashley Haigh-Smith, and serious performance advances is envisaged for the Conquest.

Herman Mathee and Jan van der Vyver showed that they can do more than just chat on radios in support of local rallying when they managed to win class F in their hard working Datsun LDV 1400, complete with radio ham aerial mounts. This class also delivering surprises in the absence of champions Jacques Otto and Emile Blanché and their Nissan LDV 1600. The similar Innovative Woodwork 1600 Toyota powered Nissan LDV of Anton Smit and Albertus Loubser did make the trip from Van Rhynsdorp on the West Coast, finishing a close second in class and sixteenth overall.

Pierre Schoeman and Marinelle Kock admitted to being more nervous of the fact that they are getting married on 3 April than the event but certainly enjoyed their outing in the neat Strand Fitment Centre class A VW Golf GTi 2.0 to finish seventeenth overall. Expected to challenge for top honours Fanie du Toit and Morné Roux found themselves in eighteenth overall after a disastrous day in the very capable clas A Mazda Rustler 2.0 16v LDV. Setting the quickest time on the first run they incurred a ten second penalty, then on the second run they snapped a cv, then they managed to take out the Jayen timer at the finish of the third run to incur another ten second penalty and finally they just cruised through run four to record a single clean run for the day. Definitely the dark horse for 2010!

Walter van Dyk is another getting married on 3 April but with Jacques du Plessis as navigator in the class G VW Golf CTi 2.0 Turbo they had to drive neatly to protect clearly ailing cv’s. Jan van der Vyver and Herman Mathee traded cars and seats to record a second class win when they netted first place in class D with their VW Golf Citi 1.4i after a sterling effort. Ettiene Swart almost withdrew from the event with a serious stomach ailment but with Izak van Zyl as navigator managed to finish a close second with the Dynotech tuned VW Golf Citi 1.4i. Another class that will become very entertaining this year.

Gymkhana debutant, Riaan Snijman, and Herman Mathee 22^nd overall in the neat 1600 Lotus 7 replica. Their only concern was getting toasted in the sun whilst waiting for their start and Richard Hough provided the umbrella ala F1. Try as hard as only he could, Charl Carr could not match the VW teams on the day and with nashrene Schloss showing the way they had to accept third spot in class D with the silver Opel Cors Classic 1.4i.

Hennie Odendaal had Donals Loubser as new navigator in the neat Boetzendaal class B VW Golf MkI 1800 and settled for a confidence building 24^th spot. Danye and Marcile Louw 25^th in their standard class D Mazda Sting 130 with the KS Panelshop class E BMW 325i of Jacobus and Lizelle Smit 26^th. Monica Robbertse and Marcile Louw winners of the all ladies category in the Mazda EGi 2.0 16v with Hermie de Kock and Pieter Hugo celebrating their return to the sport in 28^th spot with the neat class D Opel Corsa 1.4i. Donald Loubser (newcomer) and Hennie Odendaal 29^th in their standard class D Mini 1275.

Kobus Wilson Snr made quite an impact on the day with two JPW Transport entries creating quite a stir. The regular class E BMW 535i have become a crowd favourite and is now joined by what is almost certainly going to become the most spectacular car at any event – a 5.0 V8 Ford powered Datsun Skyline GTX. This car simply has excessive power available and lights up the rear end at the touch of the accelerator. Herman Mathee enjoyed the ride as navigator in both machines and only his ears stopped the grin from splitting his head!

Izak van Zyl also dominated the single seater class H with the Dynotech VW Golf GTi 2.0 Turbo and was followed home by Günther Appelgryn in the VW Golf MkI Chico 1800. Izak also entered the Duncan Jepthas VW Golf TSi 2.0 and finished third in the strange car with Nashrene Schloss fourth in the same car, about a second per run down on Izak. Jan van der Vyver fifth in his 1.4i Citi Golf.

As always it was André Brinkman in control of the Pit Area with Dewald Nortjé on the Startline and Meghan Nortjé at the Stage Finish. Jaco Matthee and Robin Wakeford accepted the responsibilities of Judge of Fact whilst Ari Stylen managed the on track marshalling. Clerk of the Course, Pierre van der Westhuizen, ably assisted by Danie Terblanché as the MSA appointed Steward and Dave Malan as MSA appointed Environmental Steward. Anette Vermaak the very capable Secretary of the event whilst Neville Gleeson (Jayen Timer) and André Mitchell (Scorer) provided rapid results.

In the twelve year existence of the Witzenberg Motorklub Gymkhana Championship the 37 team entry represented the worst entry of all time with respect to numbers and not only reflects the current tough economic times but also the fact that little support exists to retain true grass root motorsport where competitors from all categories of the sport could enjoy their sport without breaking the bank.

Round two is set for 10 April 2010

Patrick Vermaak

083 701 8116

News from Cindy Evans-Finney

The Extra Mile / Drivelines team ended the year off really well with 4 trophies, including 1st Overall on index for the Springbok Series at Kyalami in December. How “Old Faithful” lasted so many races in the year, plus a 3 hour at Kyalami still amazes me.

As a bonus I also got to race one of the Forza Racing Ferraris [the F360 Challenge] for the first time at the Superstars event a week later. Awesome, awesome, awesome is all I can say. Unfortunately I had some gear problems in both races but I at least got to lead both for a brief moment before our client’s in their super-fast F430’s came flying past and Ross and Andrew gave me a hard time in their 360’s! Ladies, Valentine’s day is coming up – check out our website if you think your man would like to drive or be driven in a Ferrari around a race track - www.forzaracing.co.za – well worth it!

Back to Renault land. Sadly “old Faithful” finally gave up on us at the Zwartkops leg of the Springbok Series a couple of weeks ago. We were doing really well in the championship but because of overheating problems in the endurance race we had to call it quits. “Old Faithful” will be parked and have a well deserved rest whilst we get “Blue Bomb” back on track [excuse the pun]! Thank you Old Faithful – you will never be forgotten!

We decided to “test drive” Blue Bomb during the sprint races at Zwartkops so we would be ready for the first championship round on 6 March. Jay spent night after night for a month building the Gordini engine himself. After stripping everything we discovered that the oil pump had been the problem all along. All seemed perfect and the car was very strong! Unfortunately I was so ill that day that I didn’t drive the car so Jay took it out. He was happy but the gauge seemed to be faulty so he came in to double check that the oil pressure was in fact okay, rather than tempting fate.

Now that “Old Faithful” was damaged and parked, we towed “Blue Bomb” down to Cape Town last weekend and treated her to a new set of Dunlops. Wow... is all I can say. I went out for a few laps and I fell in love all over again. With that engine and those Dunlops there was no better car in the world to drive. The power was just unreal and it felt like I was driving on rails. A misfire started to develop though so I came in.

Jay promptly sorted the problem out and drove it on the road outside the pits to make sure it had cleared. Our hearts sank when we saw him walking back to the pits with a long face. Now what!??

The diff had broken. The team took the engine out and stripped the gear box to see what and where exactly it had broken. It was the pinion gear. As all us “historic racing” people know, we definitely weren’t going to be able to pop down to the spares shop and find another 40 year old Renault Gordini pinion gear, so there was just one thing left to do, pack up, enjoy the beauty of Cape Town for a couple of days and go back to Jo’burg. It was obviously 40 years of wear and tear.

Most of you are probably wondering why on earth we haven’t given up by now. If it is not the engine, it’s the gear box or something else. We are determined to get “Blue Bomb” to not just finish races but to win a championship. The potential of the Gordini is extraordinary, but with a lot of horse power being pushed out of a small and very old car, parts are going to keep on breaking. We will just keep trying, keep on replacing the parts and get that car to live up to the expectations of the team and of all those Gordini fans out there if it is the last thing we do!

Midvaal, 6 March...we'll be there - we need all your positive thoughts sent out way!

From the Drivelines / The Extra Mile Team

KILLARNEY - 6 FEBRUARY

Pics: Patrick Vermaak

Irvine Laidlaw - Aston Martin DBR2

above: Killarney - Martin richard's Datsun 140Z repaired and doing fine

below: Expensive lawnmowers....

Nick Clark - Ford GT 40

Ian Scheckter - Tiga Sports 2000

Dave Peterson - Suzuki

Sarel van der Merwe in Paolo Caveleiri's Chevelle, built by John Ten

Franz Bezuidenhout - Porsche 956

Gerrit van Zyl's Anglia

WAYNE MASTERS – THE 16-YEAR CHALLENGE

Apologies to Wayne Masters for the errors which occured in the article printed in Motorheads 2010

It was back in 1993 that Wayne Masters, qualified engineer technologest and these days the owner of a successful body-shop business, began spending his weekends racing Volkswagen tin-tops.
In those days the series for VW hatches was known as the GTi Challenge, these days it’s the VW Challenge, and Wayne Masters and his immaculate Volkswagens have been front-runners for what seems like forever.
He’s won a bunch of titles and as this was written for Motorheads 2009 he was once again challenging for the overall Class A title in his Jonnnesway Golf.
“It wasn’t an easy decision,” says Wayne
“But the biggest change has been that my son Keagan, who’s nine-years-old, has started karting and he’s really been doing well. In 2008 he was given the Iain Pepper trophy for the newcomer to karting showing the most potential.
And he won races in the GP Junior national championship in 2009, only his second season in karting.
“We looked at our situation and we were spending 36 weekends of the year at the race circuit. My wife Keryn brought up our daughter Danielle at the race track, and although she’s been a star racing wife, it hasn’t been easy. So karting is the way to go.”
Wayne, who runs Elite Auto Body in Kya Sands, north of Jo’burg, has produced some wonderful weekend racers over the years. He was the first Challenge competitor to run a Polo Classic in the Challenge series, and also the first to run a Golf III and a Golf IV. Since 2005 he has run his cars in Jonnesway colours, placing 2nd in Class A VW Challenge title in 2008, losing out by a single point. And 2nd in 2009, and always in there, mixing it with the likes of Ray Wilford and, lately, Lee Thompson.
“The big trick we learned was to run a stiff anti-roll bar at the rear and soften the rear springs. You still get stiffness at the back that enables you to point the car in and get the power down, but it makes the car much more forgiving, as far as snap-oversteer is concerned.”
So what is Wayne, at the tender age of 43, going to do with all his weekend time in 2010? Well, in between running Keagan in karting, he’s driving a Rotax Max DD2 two-speed kart.
“It’s a real challenge, it’s so hard on the body compared to a Golf racing. I’m still a second or two off the pace, but I’m working on that for the coming season”