Summarize

South Africa's oldest motor race has drawn a top class entry from around the country as competitors from far and wide head to the East London Grand Prix Circuit's December 15 Border 100 and a full program of highly entertaining support events to close off the 2018 SA circuit racing season in perfect holiday style.

The Border 100 goes back to 1933 and Saturday’s races will see SA’s quickest race cars and drivers make the trip to also try break Ian Scheckter's longstanding 1983 1-minute 16.2 second Formula Atlantic Grand Prix Circuit lap record - one of the few classic lap times that still stands to this day. The Border 100 races over 180km to keep it close to its traditional 1 hour 30 minutes, which means 46 laps of the current Grand Prix circuit that played host to the 1960s SA Grands Prix and it has attracted some rather special entries too...

Trevor and Shannon Frost's Ligier is plausibly the quickest car on the entry list, while Fritz Kleynhans and James Forbes will swap their usual Ligier for a Shelby-Nissan this weekend and Colin Elison from Springs is sharing his Scuderia Ellisoni Chevron with Greg Thornton. Another Durban Chevron duo David Hoal and Ben Havenga and Bigfoot Express Porsche pair Sun Moodley Andrew Culbert add to the drama, while the legend himself, Willie Hepburn will bring star appeal in his monster Opel Rekord V8.

All of them will however have to keep a beady eye on PE pair Phillip Weise and Dean Ball, who quite sensationally drove their Solid Pave BMW 328i to a shock PE 3-hour win a few weeks back — can they do the double at the Border 100? Well they would certainly have inspired the likes of Johannesburg trio Adrian Le Roux and Klippies Krige’s Nissans and Jan Jacobs’ Alfa Romeo; Keagan Pottas from Pretoria in his Honda and locals Quintin Lessing Treadz Tyres Lancer Evo), John Bronner (Alfa Romeo) Andrew Karshagen (Capri) and Kyle Rose (Anglia) from chasing another fairytale tin top victory.

They will however all first have to beat the lightweight brigade of Umhlanga Megapile Birkin trio Byron and John Oliver, the similar local machines of Carl and Frans Boshoff and Alwyn Kretzman from Port Elizabeth in his Lotus. Drivers are expected to share cars and there is a compulsory pit stop that will reflect in the timing on a lap at least 3 minutes slower than average, against the penalty of ten laps.

Top of the supporting act is the 26-lap Border 100 Endurance Race for motorcycles, where East London riders Bradley Rehse (Yamaha), Travis Warne (Kawasaki) Jason Lamb (Spindrift Kawasaki) and Gerrie Havenga (Yamaha) will take on Port Elizabeth riders Richard Hawkins (Conticare Suzuki), William Kew (Honda) and Chad Bilsbury (The Waterboy Honda) and Charlo Pharmacy Honda trio, Kevern Farley Mattie and Ray Wood. 

The two-wheeled Border 100 requires riders to either swap in the race or should there be only one rider racing a machine, he or she is expected to stop, dismount and run around to the other side of the pits before remounting and racing on. All the Border 100 bikers will race in the trio of two wheeler sprint races as well, where they will also take on PE visitor Jan Dorfling (Suzuki) and local Yamaha lads Bradley Rehse and Steven Bowie.

Three races of Open Tops machines will see Border 100 visitors, the Frost Ligier, Kleynhans Shelby and Elison Chevron chased by Durban trio, Rob Mordaunt (Allied Transport Lotus), Phil Clarke, Byron and John Oliver’s Megapile Birkins; Pretoria visitor Estelle Vermooten (Locost), Alwyn Kretzman from PE in a Lotus take on local regulars Frans Boshoff (Birkin) and Bruce Butler’s Nardini backed by his extensive team of Lotus four Cherne Marais, Sebastian Schutte, Jared De Kock and Kean Barnard, Gary (Harper) and Troy Marais (Lola).

Modified Saloons action will see the locals out to protect home honour against a healthy field of visiting entries over three heats. East London's favourites Bevan Swartz (Corvette), Shannon Barun (Mazda) and Carl Boshoff (Birkin), Bruce Butler (Nardini) and his team comprising Melindre (Polo) and Cherne Marais (Golf), Kean Barnard (BMW) and Bevan Choudree (Golf); Quintin Lessing (Treadz Tyres Mitsibushi), Craig Borges (Budget Kitchens Opel), Ashton Nell (Pro CV VW), Cameron Hall (BMW) and Andrew Karshagen (Golf) will however have their hands full...

That’s because Chevron drivers Colin Elison from Springs and Durbanite David Hoal and a gang of Durbs Porsches for Rajendhren Naidoo, Mo Mia and Mason Moodley, more KZN entries for Rob Mordaunt (Allied Transport Lotus) and Eljo Stigling’s Ford; Keagan Pottas all the way from Pretoria in his EV Dynamics Honda and Port Elizabeth trio Phillip Weise’s giant-killing BMW, Jeff Guscott (Porsche) and Thys Geyser (GDC VW) will be out to stop them.

The Historics races will also have a strong travelling party in attendance with Willie Hepurn running his Rekord there too, while Jan Jacobs also brings his Alfa Romeo from Johannesburg, Greg Thornton his Ford from Springs, Ian Thompson his Mercedes from Jeffreys Bay and Brendan Smith comes from PE to drive the Port Gudmanz Racing Chevy Can Am, while Alec Gudmanz will make the trip from Queenstown with his Perana to race against local family rivals Darron (Ford Capri Perana) and Matthew Gudmanz (Datsun). 

The rest of the East London regulars will be out too, including Mike Forsyth’s Cobra, Andrew Karshagen and Chris Blom’s Ford Capris Christopher Radloff (Toyota), Quintin Lessing, (Treadz Ford), John Bronner (Alfa Romeo), Ford gang Danian Staffen, Shane and Carl Fantham, Wayne Botha, Kyle Rose and Brett Franklin; Datsun duo Sean Taylor and Kyle Hart and Quintin Bates Treadz Mini.

The East London Grand Prix Circuit is situated at the end of Potters Pass off the R72 Settlers Way. Locals can purchase early bird tickets from the BMSC Office, at several outlets in the city or at the gate on raceday. Contact 043 736 4024, office@bmsc.co.za or visit bmsc.co.za for more.