Summarize

Among the most enjoyable races in Zwartkops’ action packed annual calendar, the Pretoria racetrack’s 2026 fifth Zwartkopanapolis 500 endurance race delivered great action over the weekend. Eight hours and 500 miles later, Jacques and Marius van der Bergh and Edward Nel piloted their classic Jensen Motorsport Team Lemon Bully Datsun 1600 SSS to a compelling victory to close off another great day at the races. 

Ismail Peck, Ian Gilley, and Dumisani Mazibuko put their National Motorsport Msanzi BMW 130i on pole position ahead of the Ricky Silberman, Marc Miller, and Josh Schachat Alfa Holics Anonymous Alfa Romeo Mito on Saturday morning. Werner and Denise Joubert, Giovanni Seccai and Setshaba Mashingo’s Jensen Motorsport Chill Datsun 1200 GX sat third on the grid.

They lined up alongside the JP Nortje, Mackie Adlem, Rudi Barnard, Willi le Roux and Walter Menin Volkswagen Polo Classic. The van der Berghs and Nel’s Jensen Lemon Bully Datsun 1600 SSS and Mark and Joshua du Toit and Leon Bredenkamp’s Team Shooshi Honda Civic sat on the third row as the rolling start grid formed bright and early to race into a splendid Zwartkops Saturday.

Split into three sectors, the bright yellow Top Gun Polo Classic made the early running from the Jensen and Lemon Bully Datsuns, Alfa Holics Anonymous, the Team Mad Spanners, Andre van Heerden, Andre du Toit and Peet Scheepers’ Volkswagen Polo Playa and the Shooshi Civic. The lead ebbed and flowed as the race progressed with Alfa Holics leading Shooshi, Mad Spanners and Quintin, Esme and Donivin Duvenage, Richard Raman, and Marnus Greeff’s Flippen Blixem VW Citi Golf a third of the way in.

It was however an all-Datsun affair as the Lemon Bully SSS led the Jensen 1200GX at mid distance. The Mad Spanners followed from Shooshi, The Girls and Team Grello’s Martin and Chris de Beer and Armad du Toit’s VW Beetle. Team Lemon Bully was still ahead of the Shooshi Honda, Mad Spanners Polo, Flippen Blixem Citi Golf and the two Jensen Datsun 1200 GXs heading into the final stages.

500 miles of racing later, the 1971 Team Lemon Bully Datsun 1600 SSS held on to win the 2026 Zwartkopanapolis 500 from the Mad Spanners Polo, Team Shooshi’s Honda Civic, Flippen Blixem’s Citi Golf and the two Jensen Datsuns. The top three also topped the Class A standings, while the Mad Spanners won Class B from Flippen Blixem and The Girls. Team Thunderbirds’ Dirk and Rohan van Loggenberg, Reiner Smith and Arrie van den Berg’s Nissan Sentra won Class C.

Jensen Motorsport was crowned 2026 Zwartkopanapolis 500 champion. “The Zwartkopanapolis 500 is a tribute to true grassroots motorsport in South Africa.” Zwartkops Raceway’s Peter du Toit concludes. “Not only does this race expose the sport in general to new competitors, but it also gives drivers more than ample seat time in a great race for one and all. A success once again, we now look forward to an even better Zwartkopanapolis 500 next year, when the race will also run into the night.”