Summarize

Spectacular race season starts Saturday

The Algoa Motorsport Club’s season-opening race meeting is all set to go at Aldo Scribante this Saturday 8 February with local racers raring to compete and fans anticipating a cracking start to what promises to be a record season for Port Elizabeth motorsport. The pipe-opening regional raceday carries more than enough intrigue all on its own with new car and driver, bike and rider combinations and a few format changes including the Sports & GT cars now racing together with the ever popular Eastern Province Modified Saloons.

The EP Modifieds will top Saturday's regional bill as always, but there will be more than just a couple of Addo elephants in the room come this first race weekend of the year, with a number of men racing new machines for the first time in. All of them must start in Class X this race, which results will determine their future classes and that also means that to call a result may not be all that easy this time around. 

There are a few most exciting cars among those X runners including Nick Davidson’s much massaged Hella Audi S5 and Sports & GT refugee Gordon Nicholson Brights Motorsport/Fuchs Skyline GTR, both of which should find their way into Class A, while VW Polo duo George Van Baalen (Emerald Fire) and Gordon Nolan (GB Racing/HR Focus) will be closely watched — will they end up in Class A or B? And where will Mesradox Lotus 7 duo Jeandre and Pikkie Marais fit in?

What we can tell you is that Deon Slabbert’s rudely quick Emerald Fire Polo and Duncan Lethbridge St Francis Marine Audi TT will continue in Class A, while former champion Ian Riddle is back after a season away in his Mastercrete BMW E46 to take on Thys Geyser’s GDC VW Golf and Steve High’s S&K/Brights/Fuchs Chevy Cruze in Class B and reigning champion Stephan Aucamp’s Injection Technik/A1 Cooling BMW is back for more of Class C.

Other Class X men looking for a new home are Alistair Mew’s interesting Klinicare Pharmacies Opel Tigra, Andrew Raaff (iTTS Internet BMW), Ruan van Tonder (JBM Bodyworks Golf) and Club chair Ashwin Harri, who should cause a stir with his Uitenhage Volkswagen day job colleagues by racing an Opel Astra! Whatever happens, the EP Modifieds are all set to wow Port Elizabeth race fans with another cracking year of racing.

Historic race fans will be kept entertained by the SAMSI Coastal Challenge, where the likes of Shaun Rudolph’s rapid MR Ford Escort Johan Coetzee's Porsche, Dinesh Coopoo (BMW 2002ti) and Mark Schulpfort (Goodwrench Auto Alfa Romeo) will be out to score early championship points as possible. Add straight-six Nissan Skyline duo Rane Berry (Goodwrench) and Tom Hugo (Algoa GP Karts) and Ford Escort gang Neil Van Eyk (Lokhose), Ronald Scott, Anton Ehlers, Robert Halgreen (Rob2Go), Opel men Gordon Bennett (Tiger Wheel J Bay Rekord) and Kean Barnard (All Out Kadett), Tom Flynn Datsun 120Y and more - and you're set for some great oldtimer racing.

An Aldo Scribante regional race meet is not an Aldo Scribante Regional race meet without the regular two-wheeler action and the bikers will also be back with a vengeance this weekend. There you can expect the likes of Historic Suzuki GSXR 750 riders Glen Elliott (Red Dragon) and Malcolm Burrows (MK Racing), Kawasaki 650cc gang Chad Bilsbury (The Water Boy), Paul Jansen and Richard Hawkins (Conticare) and Breakfast Run man Wayne Molloy (Yamaha) to deliver ultimate knee-scraping bike-to-bike action.

Last but not least, Aldo Scribante is famous for its fun Street Car racing and those enthusiasts can't wait to get out and racing with the likes of Honda lads Phillip and Royce Griffin (RPG Fuels) and Corne Botes, Kelsey Davidson (Stu Davidson & Sons Polo) and Andrew Boshoff (Golf MK1) to fight it out on Saturday.

Saturday's races are only the start of a dreamy Port Elizabeth race season with all form of racing heading to Aldo Scribante through the year, including two national championship Extreme Festival rounds, one being the championship deciding finale, two endurance races and so much more.

Sounds like the perfect reason to pack the pals, the kids, that shade tent, deck chairs and cooler box and head out to the Aldo Scribante Race Track in the Coega industrial zone just off the N2 North on Saturday. Entry fee is R50 per person and under-12s are free, there are full catering and bar facilities on site.
 
ENDS

Issued on behalf of Aldo Scribante Racetrack

What:Eastern Province Championship Round 1 Preview
Where:Aldo Scribante Racetrack, Port Elizabeth
When:Saturday 8 February 2020
Community:Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape.

For further information please contact sparkyb@vodamail.co.za

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