Summarize

Among Dunlop Motorsport’s many South African motorsport projects, it’s involvement in the Backdraft Roadster Endurance Series is among the tyre company’s favourite. Founded in 2001 by 1980 South Africa Driver’s champion and Daytona 24 Hour winner Tony Martin and Reg Dodd, Backdraft Racing is among South Africa’s better kept special interest car industry secrets.

As its name suggests, Backdraft Racing has a virile racing arm too. Born, bred and built in Durban just like its owners, an authentic Backdraft Racing Roadster stands out from the crowd by its heritage, quality, design, performance and attention to detail. The company evolved into a state-of-the-art facility over the years, today serving a buoyant market via among others, its Boynton Beach Backdraft Park US sales facility.

As one may expect by its founder’s racing heritage, Backdraft has always raced. The company has long supported the South African Endurance Series, where the team run by Tony’s cousin Brian Martin, has enjoyed many years of success. Then around eight years ago, Tony Martin made a bold move and donated a fleet of identical race ready Backdraft Roadsters for a new development class within the SA Endurance Series.

The deal was simple. Teams applied to Backdraft, raced the Roadster at their cost in its identical specification. And returned the car in the same condition it was delivered after the season. The series has nit just proven a great success with a brilliant, level endurance racing field, but the Backdraft Roadsters also realised many a driver’s racing dream. Saturday’s Kyalami 4 Hour was no exception.

“The Backdraft Roadster Series in the SA Endurance Series is a natural fit for Dunlop, and it has become one of our favourite racing involvements,” Sumitomo Rubber South Africa PR & Events Manager Joanne de Freitas explains. “Not only is it a brilliant racing formula and a great grassroots competition, but it’s also a cool Durban hometown link with a famous local brand in Backdraft Racing, and a KZN legend in Tony Martin.”

Looking at Saturday’s SAEC Kyalami 4 Hour action, Gavin Rooke and Richard van Heerde’s Dutchmann Browndeck Roadster qualified second and diced hard with pole crew Pesty racing until they were delayed in the second hour. That allowed the Browndeck car to rumble home to the Backdraft win in a fine 13th overall. 

Tradecore crew, Anthony Hoare, CJ Blackman and JP Briner qualified fifth among the Backdrafts and drove a steady race to move up to second after two and a half hours. That’s where they remained as they thundered home fifteenth overall. The Tradecore trio stood alongside the winners and third-placed Strong Racing duo Stuart Miles Armstrong and Leo Branders, on the Roadster podium.

Fire Boys, Robert Mordaunt and Mark Futcher gained twelve positions overall through the race to clinch fourth among the Roadsters. Troubled pole men Pesty Racing’s Barend and Harm Pretorius followed with Team Qhubani’s Fiks Holomisa and Baphiwe Rubuluza sixth in class. US driver Dan Hirsch and SA racing heroine Fabienne Lanz,  happy to finish seventh after their difficult weekend in the Backdraft Racing SA entry.

Cobra White trio, Johan Minnaar, Leonard Marshall and Craig Czank were next home, but it was also a tough weekend for Car 23 Racing’s Phillip Meyer, Mark Harvey and Dean Wolson. They were up to second, hit trouble and fought back to end up ninth among the Cobras. All nine Backdraft Roadsters were still running at the finish.

Talking of tough weekends, Backdraft Racing factory pair Steven Clark and Mike McLoughlin were up to fourth overall in their radical sportscar open Class A Backdraft Carbon around mid-distance. A long pitstop however saw them plummet down the field before fighting back to come home 17th overall among the Backdraft Roadsters.

“We are proud that the entire Backdraft Racing operation runs on Dunlop Racing tyres,” Manager Joanne de Freitas concluded. “This weekend’s Roadster action was as good as it always is at Kyalami, which makes it such a thrill and also so much fun to be involved. Dunlop salutes all involved in the Backdraft Roadster Series.”