Mr Rock takes top spot
An overcast start greeted the numerous drifters who flocked to The Rock Raceway circuit for the fourth round of the Cambees Midas Drift Championships, on Saturday, September 19.
However, the gloomy skies soon disappeared in the late afternoon, just before the start of the qualifying round of the championship series.
No fewer than 28 drifters made it to the start-line to participate in both the Silver and Gold Cup eliminations.
The main championship series is the Gold Cup eliminations and the drifters who did not qualify for the gold cup received a second chance to compete in the non-championship division Silver Cup eliminations.
Drifters from as far as Mozambique journeyed to Brakpan for the event.
Kicking off the event with the qualifying round was “Mr Rock” Tim Stephens, who powered his Kenda Tyres Nissan Skyline R33 to a second spot in the qualifying round in the Gold Cup eliminations.
Another Brakpan drifter, Pieter Smit, managed to out-drift his fellow competitors in the Silver Cup eliminations to finish on the podium in second place.
Stephens’ first tandem battle commenced when he was paired with “Mr SS”, Shaun Lampbrecht, drifting his Nissan Skyline GTX, powered by a V8.
Out-drifted by Stephens, Lamprecht was relegated to the stands as Mr Rock moved to the top eight eliminations.
In the Top Eight pairings The Rock Raceway circuit owner had to face Isuffo Ussuman, from Mozambique, in his Nissan R33 Skyline.
The battle was tough as the local driver was awarded another win, to put him into the semi-finals.
The second semi-final was a bumper-to-bumper battle, with Stephens facing Lee Roy Frans in his Nissan Silvia.
The pressure was on as Frans ran out of real estate, marking his territory with his rear bumper against the boundary wall, which cost him vital points.
Stephens was awarded the win and moved to the finals.
Another epic battle ensued between Zein Hussein, from Komatipoort, in his Nissan R34 Skyline and Stephens, as the two duelled for the final two passes of the night.
After winning the final tandem battle, Stephens managed to pull off another top podium finish by a one point difference between himself and Hussein.
The final scores, after plenty of tyre shredding, are:
- Silver Cup:
1 Robert Dyke, 2 Pieter Smit, 3 Fred Cooper Snr
- Cambees Midas Drift Champs Round Four (Gold Cup):
1 Tim Stephens, 2 Zein Hussein, 3 Lee Roy Frans.
The next drifting event will take place on Saturday, October 3.
For more information contact The Rock Raceway office on 011 740 8315/1206.
