Summarize

Historic Racing South Africa bounced back from its lockdown blues with a wonderful display of classic car racing at Zwartkops’ Historic Regional Racing Day in Pretoria on Saturday. Peter Bailey made no mistakes as he trotted to a double Pre-80 Historic Saloon victory in his Bailey Porsche 911 as he held Johann Smith’s JMS Mazda Capella RS and George Avvakoumides Liqui-Moly Porsche off for the overall win, while Rob van Aarle took Charlies SuperSpar Pursuit honours in his Datsun SSS.

Bailey set the pace in qualifying when he powered to pole position ahead of Richard de Roos’ similar Porsche and rapid Class D man Jannie van Rooyen’s VW Scirocco. His efforts saw him break out into Class C for the weekend. Deon van Vuuren’s Hoosier Mazda R100 topped Class C, while 2021 season newcomers Peter Jenkins’ Nucleus Ford Escort Class E and Ian Odendaal in an AIM Escort took Class F, John Simpson was back on top of Class G in his Evoke Realty Alfa Sprint GT.

Bailey made off to an easy 12-second first race win over de Roos and Class C leaders, van Rooyen and van Vuuren and Smith’s rasping rotaries next up. Stuart Konig’s Northen Bolts Scirocco put Avvakoumides’ Class A Porsche between him and his Class D rivals, Rene Janse van Rensburg’s SvTech Escort, Mike O’Sullivan’s rumbling V8 East Coast Classics Chevy SS and Andre ten Napel’s TNMC Medical Scirocco.

Behind them, Peter Jenkins turned his Class E pole into a first race win over Riaan Roux’s Addfin Scirocco and Ian Odendaal did the same in Class F ahead of Sean Hepburn’s Automobile Association Datsun 1200 Deluxe, with Class G winner John Simpson in chase. Class F quartet Steve Pickering’s Porsche 914, Willem Vorster’s LightLink Escort, Cam McLeod’s Mercedes 280CE and Andries Draper’s DRD Escort were next up ahead of Class D Escort duo Harm Beens and Kirsten Venter.

Bailey did the double in race 2 ahead of the duelling van Vuuren and van Rooyen, Avvakoumides, Konig and Johann Smith with Janse van Rensburg next up from  Jenkins, Roux and Tony Lundin. Ian Odendaal followed from Simpson, Pickering, Draper and McLeod, Beens, Venter and a delayed Hepburn. So Peter Bailey took the day and Class A, from Class C winner Smith, van Rooyen beat van Vuuren to Class C, Konig took Class D, Jenkins E, Odendaal Class F and John Simpson won Class G.

Fines Class man Bert van Aarle beat the Charlies SuperSpar Pursuit handicappers best and the rest, to bring his Mazda MX5 to the first race win from Modified Fines duo Rob van Aarle's Datsun 180U SSS and Althea Pretorius' Nissan Exa. Trophy trio, Gerrit Murray’s Alfa Romeo GTV Les Mcleod’s Mercedes 280 Coupe and Riaan Roux's Scirocco were next up from Modified Fines trio Werner Hartzenberg's Porsche 916 Kola de Klerk’s Nissan 300ZX and Wynand du Plessis Sr's Porsche 944.

Rob Clark’s Fines Citroen GS 1220 Club was next home from Trophy lad Devon Martin Datsun GX and Mercedes 190E trio Andre Hattingh, Richard Tudor-Owen and Machiel Oberholzer, Willem van Niekerk's Marauder, Tihan van Rooyen in a Porsche 924, Michelle Smith’s Skyline and Harm Beens Jr's Escort. Hendrik van Zyl’s Lotus 501 Elite and Heinrich Norton's Porsche 924 were not classified when they beat their breakout times.

Rob van Aarle took race 2 from du Plessis Sr, Oberholzer, Clark, Hattingh, Tudor-Owen and Hartzenberg. De Klerk, Roux, Martin and Bert van Aarle were next up.  Norton beat Beens Jr, Smith, Murray, van Rooyen, Macleod and Pretorius home in the pack, while van Niekerk and van Zyl broke out. So Modified Fines men Rob van Aarle and Wynand du Plessis Sr took the day overall from Fines winner Bert van Aarle, Werner Hartzenberg, Rob Clark and Trophy winner Riaan Roux.

The Historic Racing South Africa gang returns for its next round, as originally planned at Red Star Raceway, Saturday 16 October.