Summarize

The annual Zwartkops Passion for Speed is a Winter Edition this year after being lockdown postponed from its midsummer date to this coming 18-20 June weekend. And while competitors may miss the usual searing February Pretoria heat, rest assured that the racing will be red hot. 

Sadly spectators will not be allowed at the Pretoria passion festival, but the racing will be live streamed in keeping with lockdown fashion. Rest assured, there’s going to be more than enough action as part of a monster festival programme that encompasses both this meeting’s traditional historic races as well as a cracking selection of contemporary classes.

Starting with the epic historic racing action, the Auto Truck Tyre Pre'74 International Sports Racing Prototypes will be a definite Passion for Speed highlight. Its grid seems more a Kyalami 9 Hour a half century back! With Peter Bailey, Oliver Dalais and Rob Beaumont's Porsche 917s, Lola T70 pair, Colin Frost’s Coupé and Mark du Toit’s Doug Serrurier tribute spider, Franco Scribante’s Chevron B19 and Jonathan du Toit’s Chevron B8 in action, you’d have to pinch yourself that it's not 50 years ago!

There's plenty action behind too, as Rui Campos, Andre van der Merwe and Johan de Bruyn and George Avvakoumides' Porsche 911 RSRs take on Uli Sanne’s BMW 3.5 CSL Batmobile and Hennie Groenewald's Chevrolet Camaro. Add Rudolf de Vos and Eugene Gouws' Chevy Can-Ams, Seef Fourie Jr.’s Mazda R100, Geoff Mortimer and Juan Gerber’s Toyota Celicas and Franco Donadio and his Ford Escort MK1 in the Trans-Am Greats of the Past race. 

Passion for Speed will also call back SA’s halcyon Group 1, Group N and Modified Saloon Car years. Willie Hepburn will be out in the very Super Modified Opel Rekord he raced in the ‘80s, while Lee Thompson will drive the ex Peter Gough WesBank Astra V8. Mario Rossi and Bjorn Gert’s Alfa Romeo GTV6s celebrate the best of Group 1, Shuan van der Linde and Keegan Campos’ Group N BMW Shadowlines take Josh Broome’s Opel Kadett Superboss in a ‘90s throwback. And Johan van der Vyver’s Subaru WRX STI and Oliver Broome's Fiat Uno Turbo salute the more recent past.

Another classic Passion for Speed highlight is the 45-minute Castrol Pre'66 Le Mans Sports & GT Tourist Trophy, where Mark du Toit and Jonathan du Toit will be chasing yet another home victory in a Ford GT40 this year. They will need to contend with Oliver Dalias’ similar machine, James Temple and Djurk Venter’s Shelby Daytona Coupe Cobras and Allan Garrow, Chad Ten Doeschate and Warren Lombard's AC Cobras.

Porsche men Johan de Bruyn, Kobus Brits and Willem Brits’ 911Rs and Wernher Hartzenberg, Ishmael Baloyi and Jake Dovey's Dart Alfas, Ben van der Westerhuizen and John Simpson’s Marauder and Josh Dovey’s Ginetta G4R will chase GT honours, but they will need to beat a few super quick saloon Alfa Romeos too. Vincenzo Casillo's GTAM, Jan Jacobs and Paul Manegold's GTA, Marc Miller’s Gulia Sprint and Jaco Taylor’s Giulia are all quick too.

If the big banger Marlboro Crane Hire Pre'66 Legends of the 9 Hour V8s are supposed to be a Ford versus Chevy affair, then the field seems skewed in favour of the Blue Oval. A star studded Ford entry includes Supervan Sarel van der Merwe’s Galaxie, Hennie Groenewald’s Mercury Comet and Mark du Toit in a Fairlane to take care of the big banger attack. 

They will be backed by lightweight quartet, Ford Mustang trio Ben Morgenrood, Peter Lindenberg’s Shelby GT350 and Oliver Broome, and Paige Lindenberg in a Capri Perana. All of which means that Bowtie duo, Jonathan du Toit’s Chevy Nova and Jeffery Kruger’s Chevelle will clearly have their work cut out!

Historic Racing South Africa’s Sports, GT and Saloon Car races will see Peter Bailey fighting it out with a gang of similar Porsche 911 RSRs including Fred Konig, Andre van der Merwe, Richard de Roos and George Avvakoumides. They will have their hands full with top Saloon men Willie Hepburn and Rudolf de Vos' ‘Little Chev’ Firenza Can-Am V8s, Franco Donadio’s wicked Ford Escort and Johann Smith, Deon van Vuuren and Seef Fourie’s Mazda rotaries. Behind them, war will rage between myriad VW Sciroccos, all sorts of classic Fords, Datsuns, Chevy, Toyotas, Alfa Romeos and more.

Another entertaining saloon car race is back-to-front HRSA Charlies Super Spar Pursuit. Back to front, because the slowest car starts first on handicap before the rest follow at intervals designed to see them all finish together. And that last lap is usually epic with gang of Porsches, Fords, Datsuns and Nissans, Sciroccos and even a Marauder and more fighting for every inch of the track. 

Just as thrilling, the smaller capacity Marlboro Pre-66 Legends and U2 classes call back SA’s brilliant saloon car history. There, the army of Alfa Romeos comprises Vincenzo Casillo’s GTAM, John Simpson, Chad Ten Doeschate, Riaan Lubbe, Nicolas Christofides and Jaco Taylor Senior and Junior’s GT Juniors and Marc Miller’s Giulia. Vic Campher and Alan Poulter will be out in Volvo 122s and the Austin attack comes from Terrence and Eddie Botes and Kyle Brink’s Mini Coopers and Jake Dovey’s A35.

Ben van der Westerhuizen and Carel Pienaar’s Lotus Cortinas lead the Ford charge backed by Gary Stacey's Cortina, Melanie Spurr in a Consul and Brian Rowlings and John Kruger's Anglias. John Ten Doeschate in a Ford Protea, Mark van Rooyen's Sunbeam Tiger, Andre de Kock GSM Dart Alfa and Ishmael Baloyi in a Mini Marcos will add variety.

If that’s a broad variety, then the Midvaal Pre-80 Historics sprint race certainly has a bit of everything. And a Datsun for everyone too. Ian Richards, Ian Kilburn, Johan Kruger, Tony and Gavin Lundin and Brendon Parker will be racing 1200 GX Coupés, Peder, Travis and Franz Jensen are in 1200 Deluxes, Seef Fourie Sr. and Cameron Foster drive 140Ys and Steven Heydenrych and JH Venter 160Ys, Meredith Willis a 510 and Andy Gossman's Sunny. Keeping Japanese, Wentzel Nortman’s will race a Toyota Corolla and HF Babast and Johann Coetzer’s Mazda Capella rotaries.

There’s an army of Midvaal Alfa Romeos too, with Miguel Ribeiro’s GTAM, Regard van Zyl and Tim Crossland’s GTVs, John Bronner and Paul Manegold's Juniors, Lourens van Zyl’s Berlina and Adrian McCaw's Alfetta. And there’s a platoon of Fords, from Jimbo Bennet, Terence Lander and Wesley Naidoo’s Capris to Jacques Blom in a Sierra and Daniel Lotter, Greg Steen, Michael Gaines, Andries Draper, Herman de Kock, Reg Sutton and Keagan Ward’s Escorts. And Chris Williams and Brian Fraser's Anglia, Garreth Ferreira's Renualt R8, Sean Fandam in a Fiat 124 Coupe, Daryl Mann’s Porsche 924, Martin and JJ Venter Jr's Jettas and Andre de Lange’s Kadett.

The Historic Single Seaters will highlight a variety of significant cars out of SA’s rich Formula racing history. Ian Schofield’s Formula Atlantic 1977 March 77B, Colin Clay in a 1962 Lotus 23C, Clive Winterstein’s 1965 Elva Porsche MKVII and a bunch of historic Formula Fords and Vees. Talking Formula Vee, that's still a national championship 60 years on and Passion for Speed will see a fraught field including Lushen Ramchander, Gert van den Berg and Greg Wilson, Peter and Brandon and Vaughn Hills and Blane de Meillon fighting it out yet again in their Golf-powered Beetle suspension single seaters.

Sticking to the lightweight theme, the Lotus Challenge will see Jeffrey Kruger, Mackie Adlem and Thomas Falkiner taking on David Jermy, Jeff Gable Miles Downard and Ian Young in a full field of wieldy Lotus 7s and their Brikin and Locost replicas.

Moving on to the more contemporary Passion for Speed races, the spectacular G&H Extreme Supercars will see brothers Mark and Jonathan du Toit's Ferraris and Gianni and Ricky Giannoccaro and Greg Parton’s Lamborghinis at full speed. Let alone Xolile Letlaka's McLaren 650S GTS and Charl Arangies, Ant Blunden among the Porsches. There are exotics aplenty too, with Dawie Joubert fearsome new Ferrari 488-powered Lotus Exige, Kris Budnik's Dodge Viper, Marius Jackson’s Audi R8, Pieter Zeelie’s wild Toyota MR2 and Deon du Plessis’ KTM X-Bow, never mind a gang of BMWs taking on Ben Morgenrood’s Lexus V8 too.

Another super-quick attraction will be the more modern thunderous Mobil 1 V8 Supercars we once knew as the WesBank V8s. That's where Mackie Adlem and Franco di Matteo’s Jaguar XKRs will take on Terry Wilford’s Ford Falcon and Thomas Reib in a Chevy Lumina. The Corvette gang will be headed by maiden winner last time out Julian Fameliaris and including Johnny Eekhout, Steve Herbst and Bevan Schwarz.

The Bridgestone BMW Car Club has attracted a number of star wildcards racing some exotic machinery the likes of Jaki Scheckter’s ex Tony Viana 745, Paolo Cavalieri’s 3.5 CSL Batmobile, Graeme Nathan in a 3.0 CSL and Roelf du Plessis in a Group N 325i. They take on class regulars Nicholas van Zyl, Andreas Meier, Varish Ganpath, Mark Jones, Oz Biagioni, Adrian Dalton, Salvi Gualtieri, Troy Cochran, Jagger Robertson and Lyle Ramsey, among others. Driving everything from wild 328i Turbos, 325Cis and 335is to M3s of every E36, E46 and other variety.

Always entertaining at Zwartkops, the Pozidrive VW Challenge will see Rory Atkinson, Wayne and Bevin Masters, Dawie van der Merwe, Mike Barbaglia, Derick Smalberger, Waldie Meintjies and Chris and Sam Dale chasing Class A glory. Stuart Mack, Gavin and Ian Ross, Stiaan Kriel, Leon Odendaal and Chris Davison, Elna Croeser and Mohamed Dangor will meanwhile have one objective in Class B — to beat flying teenager Leyton Fourie. And Dino Smith, Philip Croeser, Pierluigi Muzzulini, Reno van Heerden and Martin de Beer will fight it out in Class C of this all-Polo class.

Two more Zwartkops favourites, the 111 Sports & Saloons and Superhatch will share a 40 minute Car Care Clinic enduro and also race alone. Porsche RSR duo Richard de Roos and Stefan Snyders will take on Phillip Meyer and Mark Harvey’s 924s, Harry Arangies’ Nissan 370Z, Mark du Toit in a BMW Z4, Johan van der Vyver’s Subaru WRX STI and George Smalberger, Adrian Dalton and Wayne Lebotschy’s VW Golfs in the 111s. The Superhatches will see regular door banging action between the likes of Brett Garland and Jonathan du Toit’s Honda Civics, Opel men Shane Forget and Andre Dannhauser among a field of Polos, Lasers, Sabres, a Hyundai and a Peugeot.

A number of other Passion for Speed attractions will include a Minardi M189 Cosworth setting hot laps as well as numerous other parades and displays. As noted, spectators sadly remain taboo at South African sporting events. The 2021 Passion for Speed will however be live streamed throughout the 18 to 20 June weekend. Search YouTube for Passion for Speed or tune in via www.zwartkops.co.za or the circuit’s Facebook page for a full weekend of racing passion, straight from Zwartkops.