And, with a full contingent of Rebel cars on track, action was the name of the game. Nic de Witt did a makeover on his car. At first I thought he had become a grandfather, thus the reason for the exuberance. But no: “I thought it was time for change and am quite happy with the result,” said Nic.
He has also fitted a passenger seat in his car. The intention being that he can offer those brave enough a seat during an actual race at the oval. And on this day, that brave enough person was none other than Inge Ann Menge. “I have never done anything like this. It was kind of wild and extremely exiting,” she said after the heat.
Nic was still visibly pumping adrenalin, because he had had a rare near-miss encounter with the barrier during a the very crowded race. He did, however, eventually wind his way through the traffic to win the heat.
The Rebels, with their 1400cc 90+kW rear-wheel drive engines, struggled a little through the wet corners.
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Many of the drivers – although experienced in oval track racing – were seriously challenged by these light and quite brutal cars. But, it brought energy to the event. The Rebel drivers also change cars between heats, so it is difficult to know who drives which car when.
The day also saw the introduction of a number of rookies to oval tracking. The nerves were shot and bodies shaking from the adrenalin.
Some drove cars that belong to other racers, which of course added to the nervousness. I mean, you don’t want to damage someone else’s car, do you? And then, years ago the Porra parade were quite famous for their own style of aggressive, unforgiving racing.
They are all back, except for Carlos de Almeida – although I saw him in the spectator stand. They all sport a little flag on their cars and have matured somewhat. (Yeah, right. Matured as in being married and having kids.)
Will the parade, once again, become the fearmongers of their competition before, during and after a race? Only time will tell. In the Rookies class, Hanneke Brits has been served with a notice from her competition: “We are coming for you!” I think Oupa Hennie will have to do some more “fine-tuning” on her car. So, if all of this sounds mildly exciting to you, book these dates on your calendar – November 2 and 23.
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