Veteran driver sets new record at Tarlton Raceway
Her next race is on Saturday, June 2 at the same venue where she is hoping to improve on her new record.
Boksburg’s veteran driver Isabel Greyvenstein produced her best driving over the 400m dash to set a new South African women’s record at the Tarlton Raceway in Krugersdorp recently.
The Atlasville resident, 57, raced to 272km/ h in her rail race car before swiftly crossing the finishing line in 8.01 seconds.
This is the country’s fastest women’s time recorded over the distance, according to Motorsport South Africa.
Quizzed on the experience, the mother of three explained: “You get a little bit scared because the faster the car goes, the more narrow the road seems to get which can make you dizzy. If you’re not fit enough, rather do not do it.
“It feels great holding the country’s record; I’ve dreamed of this my whole life. People can’t tell me I can’t reach new heights at my age. All I can say is I keep on dreaming.”
What does one need to achieve such heights you may wonder?
Well, first you need a rail race car powered by a 1500BPH (1119KW) 364cc engine with a blower and married to a power glide 2-speed racing gearbox.
This impressive powertrain helps the car dash from 0-100km/ h in just 1.4 seconds.
You also need an experienced driver – a requirement Greyvenstein fits like hand-to-glove. She’s been racing since 1983 before achieving what she labels her greatest achievement in her career.
“I’d like to thank the people who are always there for me,” she added.
“This includes my son Andries who owns the car, Nico van Rensburg, who’s the owner of Tarlton Raceway and my husband, who is always there for me. For me, you can’t do this without family because you need their encouragement and support.”
“Every time I climb into that car, I get butterflies. It never changes but once you get the feel of it, the butterflies go away.
“It took me about four events to get used to the car because of its many features, but I know I’m going to better my time because my understanding of the car has improved. I’m aiming for a time of 7.8 seconds.” – @SabeloBoksburg
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