Summarize

A damp start, a brisk and breezy day thereafter and television sport to die for could not deter Killarney’s faithful from flocking to the Cape Town Racetrack for the Wingfield Power Tour Independence Day races on Saturday. It was worth the effort too, as they were treated to brilliant end-to-end race action, thrills and spills on a most memorable day of racing.

Perhaps the most encouraging show of the day were the two Classic Car races, a category that has seen dwindling numbers of late, but a recent edict by officials to soften up the rules of engagement was met with a huge entry and some quite delightful racing too. In perhaps the races of the day, Class X men Franco Donadio (Ford Escort Cosworth) and Nian du Toit (VW Scirocco) put on an impeccable show as du Toit hunted Donadio’s far more powerful machine down around Killarney’s twists and turns every lap, before the Escort sped away down the straights to hold the nimble Scirocco off by the flag.

Class B winner Louis Powell (Escort) overcame an early tussle with Eric Mouton’s monster Chev de Ville, while Class S winner Robin Forbes came from behind to take Class S in his Corvette Stingray ahead of Derek Truscott (Porsche), Dave Alhadeff’s immaculate Class B Alfa Romeo GTA, while Deon Conradie (Conquest) took Class C and Bryon Bedien Class D in his Datsun. Elton Hurst (Skyline) took Shatterfix Fine Cars honours from Arnold Lambert (Jetta) Gunther Appelgryn (BMW) and Jan Koekemoer (Mazda).

Donadio was saved by a late race 2 red flag to beat du Toit, who had taken the lead after the start of that final lap when the race was red flagged, to allow Donadio to take the win by virtue of his leading at the start of that lap on the count-back. Forbes rumbled home to third from Alhadeff and Conradie, while Hurst beat Koekemoer and Lambert to the Fine cars win as a huge grid and great dices throughout kept the crowd at the edge of its seats in response to some most welcome classic common sense.

The Burly Pro GTI Challenge however lived right up to its lively expectation as Jano van der Westhuizen (Polo) survived to beat Colin Nicholas Meder (Polo Cup) and a slowed pole man Nian du Toit to win the first race after Jurie Swart retired early with a broken engine. Eden Thompson (Golf 1) beat Gideon Serfontein (Golf 2) and Divan Lazarus (Jetta) in a close GTI B race, but there was no brotherly love lost as Marco held Dario Busi off to take the all-Golf 1 Class C win after shaking Ebrahim Levy off, while Jacques Geldenhys held Chris Swart and pole man Giordano Lupini at bay for fourth.

Meder drove a brilliant second race to beat van der Westhuizen by half a second, with Chris and Arthur Roberts next up in another race of attrition. Mario Roux (Jetta) put one over Thompson, Serfontein and Emile Assure in another entertaining Class B dice, but the Brat Pack proved even more thrilling with Geldenhys, Dario and Marco Busi and Lupini all four split by just three-tenths of a second at the flag with Swart and Levy close behind.

Clint Rennard (Golf) won a two-part Mikes Place Clubmans first race after a red flag stopped proceedings when Eugene van Zyl’s Golf clobbered the Turn 3 tyre wall. More Golf men, Brennon Green and Michael le Sueur were second and third from Class C winner Ernest Roos (BMW), while Francois van Tonder (Polo) took Class D, Devin Camons (Jetta) won Class E and Anthony Carstens (Golf) Class F. Rennard beat Burger in race 2 with Class B winner Mansoor Parker (BMW) third from Class X winner Mark Fontini (Golf), Class C winner Roos after the race was red flagged early after Brennon Green hit the wall. Van Tonder took Class D, Anwar Levy (BMW) took Class E and Francois Immelman (Golf) Class F.

The quickest two-wheeler race of the day saw Brandon Haupt (Yamaha) beat Trevor Westman (Kawasaki) and Bernard Haupt (Kawaski) to the RST Suzuki South Superbikes win, with 600 class winner Hayden Jonas next up ahead of Andre Calvert (Ducati), Gerrit Visser (Yamaha) and Brandon Staffen (Kawasaki 600). Brandon beat Bernard Haupt in race 2, with Visser edging 600 men Jonas and Staffen and Calvert for third.

Clubmans men Willem Binedell (Suzuki) beat Chris Williams’ Ducati to the opening RST Trac Mac Classic, Clubman & Breakfast Run bike win, with Breakfast Run winner Romano di Leva (Aprilia) third as Wayne Arendse (Honda) took Clubmans B and John Kosterman (Suzuki) to Classic honours. Di Leva overcame Williams and Binedell to take race 2 as Arendse as Kosterman did class doubles. Chris Williams beat fellow Kawasaki rider Andrew Liebenberg and Joske Kotze (Suzuki) to the 650cc win, while Kewyn Snyman (KTM) took the 300 class. Williams took race 2 from Kawasaki men Mike van Rensburg and Ezio Miglietta as Snyman did the 300 double.

Class B man Steve Humble (Mallock) took the opening Pirelli Sports & GT car race from Clinton Thorne (Birkin 7) after the fastest car on the day, Dawie Joubert’s Class A Lotus Honda slowed, but held Gary Kieswetter’s Porsche, Sandro Biccari’s Juno and Gavin Gorman’s Class C winning Nardini off for third as Arno Church (7 replica) took class D. There was great drama when Biccari’s Juno ignited as it crossed the line and burst into a ball of flame — Killarney’s marshals quickly doused the inferno as Biccari escaped injury. Humble later beat Plit, Thorne, Kieswetter, Gorman and Martin Pugh (Shelby) to the second race win as Church took Class D again.

Fabio Tafani made short work of the first V8 Masters race as he cleared off to win from Mark Ridgway, Brian Evans, Richard Schreuder and Silver winner Rob Warrington. Tafani beat Ridgway again in race 2 with Warrington third from Evans, Schreuder and Peet van der Walt. A little further behind, Ryan McCarthy took the opening Makita Supercar win from veteran Jesse Huggett, with Glen Phillips third from Jarryd Evans as Shane Smith took the Silver class from Martin Bensch and  Stuart Spooner and Bronze winner Didier Koeul. Huggett kept out of trouble to take race 2 from Phillips, Evans and Silver winner Fourie, while Koeul won Bronze again.

Dee-Jay Booysen (Dico-Suzuki) comfortably cleared off to the first Formula Libre race to win from Formula Vee duo Thomas van der Merwe and Byron Mitchell, Sean le Riche (Formula Renault) Cyril Somerville and Isabelle Fowler in two more Vees and Graham Knight’s (Ray-VW). If ever there was a grandstand finish, it had to be the second Libre race as Booysen cleared off to lead by his usual large margin, only for his car to slow on the last lap as he spluttered to the line with Mitchell and van der Merwe closing in fast, but Booysen just edged them for the win, the trio split by less than a tenth of a second with Somerville, Isabelle and Delano Fowler and Graham Knight next up.

Take note that the next round of the Power Series is on a Public Holiday Thursday — diarise Woman’s Day 9 August for the motor races now!