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HISTORIC SURPRISES AT ZWARTKOPS

Unexpected winners at Historic and Inland races

A perfect Zwartkops spring afternoon played a great backdrop to a fine day of Historic and Inland championship racing in Pretoria on Saturday. There was a little bit of everything as ten different classes entertained the enthusiastic crowd with several surprise winners through an enjoyable afternoon.

Among the stars of the show were the Legends of the 9 Hour sports and saloon cars saw a little turn up for the books when Jonathan du Toit’s nimble Chevron B8 took a giant killing win over Peter Bailey’s Porsche 917 and brother Mark du Toit’s Lola T70 roadster after Larry Wilford’s T70 coupe cried enough. Warren Lombard’s Cobra followed from Andre van der Merwe’s Porsche and Seef Fourie’s Astra. It was a du Toit 1-2 as Jonathan beat Mark, Lombard, Fourie van der Merwe, and James Temple’s Escort to take race 2.

Ben Morgenrood’s familiar Ford Mustang fought Jonathan du Toit’s surprisingly agile ’57 Chevy off in the first monster Marlboro Crane Hire V8 Legends encounter, with Hennie Groenewald’s Camaro, the Seef Fourie Cougar and Mark du Toit’s Chev Nova in chase, as James Temple’s Escort led the four-cylinder brigade. Morgenrood then cleared off to a more decisive second race win over Jonathan du Toit, Temple, Mark du Toit and Alan Poulter’s Volvo.

In the monoposto races, Andrew Horne took both Historic Single Seaters wins, from Paul Gerber, Ben van der Westhuizen, Patrick Dunseith, Paul Richardson and Wihan Tiedt each time. Colin Clay’s splendid Lotus 23 sportscar provided variety as Tony Beecher led the Formula Vees home. JM Gerber won the more contemporary Formula M opening heat from Neville van den Berg, Libre winner Damien Archer, Kennedy Torres and Hylton Morrow. Gerber then did the double from race 2 Libre victor Allen Meyer, Archer, Morrow Torres and Herman Krige.

David Jermy was another driver to surprise when he beat Rudi Barnard, Andre Human and Tinus Botes to the first Lotus Challenge race victory as Nick Hodgson beat Sean Hepburn and Andrew Fulton to Locost class honours. Jermy went on to do the double from Barnard, Human and Grant Findlay, where Hepburn beat Hodgson and Fulton in the Locost race. Unknown quantity Ricardo Tebbutt was another unexpected winner when he beat regulars Richard van Heerde, Sebastian Venkov, Torben Roos and Jayden Goosen to the opening Liqui Moly INEX Legends race. Lady racer Tyler Robinson bounced back to win the second and third race from Goosen van Heerde and Gavin Botha each time as Tebbutt, and Cyril Jacobs shared out the fifth places.

Andre van der Merwe’s Porsche won the opening Evapco HRSA Sprint Race from Hennie Groenewald’s Escort and Scirocco trio, Class C top two, Stuart Konig and Andre ten Napel, D winner Jonathan Konig and Gavin Lundin’s Datsun. Sophos Pantazis won Class C from Jannie van Rooyen and Sean Hepburn’s Datsun, George Eysselein took Class F and Mike Bishop’s Renault Class G. Van der Merwe went on to do the double, but it was all change behind as ten Napel was second from Lundin, John McLachlin, Pantazis and van Rooyen and Grant Cramer as Eysselein and Bishop took the smaller classes.

Hedley Whitehead took the opening Evapco HRSA Pursuit race from George Eysselein and Wynand du Plessis’ Porsche, before any handicap break out adjustments were applied. Rob van Aarle’s Escort was third from Gerrit Murray and Loraine Badenhorst, before the same top three quite unusually repeated that result in the second race. Jannie van Rooyen was fourth from van Aarle and Gary Stacy in the second race.

Deon du Plessis’ KTM won the opening On Track Clubmans, National Sportscar and Midvaal Historics race from sportscar rival Adriaan le Roux and top Clubmen from Dirk Lawrence’s Honda Anton Bitzer and Rodney Kruis, as Eugene Gouws’ Little Chev rumbled to the MHCC win. Le Roux struck back to take the second race win from du Plessis, Bitzer, Gouws, Kruis and Devin Robertson.

Always a Zwartkops favourite, a packed Silver Cup grid entertained as ever and was also very well supported as Marius Jacobs’ Opel Tigra edged Marnus du Plessis’ Primera Paul van Niekerk, Anton Bitzer, Johan van Heerden and Marius Truter. Giulio Airaga’s Mazda-propelled spaceframe then bounced back to take a completely different look race 2 from Riaan Draper’s Toyota Beams, Jacobs, Karel Stols’ RX7, van Niekerk and Johan van Heerden.

That concludes the Historic and Inland racing action for 2024, with the big one next, when the annal Zwartkops Passion for Speed festival opens the 2025 racing season as always at the end of January.