East London is good place to experience a V8 Cobra on the race track. Pictures: Dave Ledbitter
To date, the most powerful race car I’ve driven is my Datsun 1200. Yes, it’s a lemon, but an iLamuna endurance series winner nonetheless and has the princely sum of 103 horses.
My other race car is a Lotus 7 powered by a Ford Bantam mill. At least, the car doesn’t weigh much so it’s still quite sprightly.
But that all changed last month. Enter Backdraft Racing, who supply and maintain Cobras which anyone can rent to race in the South African Endurance Series. Powered by a Lexus V8 powerplant, the Cobra boasts more than three times the power of my Datsun.
The Backdraft Cobras runs as Class E within South African Endurance and the playing field is truly level. Identical engines, engine management control units, gearboxes, differentials, wheels, tyres and shock absorbers are the same across all the entrants.
Brian Martin, the man behind the Backdraft rent-to-race programme, invited me along to the East London Grand Prix circuit for a taste of his machinery.
The circuit is an old school one, known best for Potter’s Pass – the fastest corner in the country.
Run off is limited but the views out to sea are spectacular. What a place to experience the Cobra.
I joined Team Qhubani, a driver development programme run by Backdraft. Upon arrival on Thursday morning for practice, Fikile and Bapi showed me the ropes and explained how the weekend format works. I was given a few tips on how the car behaves, then suited up to head out for my practice session.
Right out the blocks I showed my rookie status by stalling when trying to exit the pit box. It helps if you prod the accelerator rather than the brake pedal while releasing the clutch. Oh well.
Out on circuit for my first lap I just tried to take in all the landmarks that would help me navigate East London’s eight corners. Then came my first full throttle burst as I entered the pit straight to start my second lap. The rear tyres lit up, as did the smile on my face.
The Cobras weigh just under 950kg and, as I discovered, have remarkably neutral handling characteristics. In many ways it felt like a slightly bigger, more powerful version of my Lotus 7.
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The set of corners known as the Complex really shouldn’t suit a big brutish V8, but the Cobra was able to carry remarkable speed through there while broadening my smile as I made the rear end dance with my right foot.
I ended the session with a lap time of one minute 36 seconds which people assured me was not bad going for my first time at the circuit, never mind first time in the car.
Race day is what it’s all about though, and I went to bed confident that Team Qhubani could make up places by keeping it clean and finishing what is quite a lengthy four-hour race.
On Friday morning Fikile, Bapi and I chatted about race strategy. I’d start and do an hour stint, then Bapi would take over, with Fikile next. Pit stops involve a choreographed driver swap while the crew refuel and check for anything that looks untoward.
Next thing I was lined up on the grid waiting for the green flag. I figured I’d let things unfold in front of me – endurance races aren’t won in the first corner after all.
I followed the pack into Potters, keeping my eyes cast ahead to spot trouble. Surprisingly there was no trouble. I settled in and started to chase down the grey Cobra in front of me.
I soon realised I was quicker through the Complex and started to line up a pass as I got better drive out of turn 7 and hoped to outbrake the chap into turn 8. Alas, as I arrived the marshals waved yellow flags and displayed the safety car board.
After a few laps the obstacle was cleared and racing resumed. My battle with the grey Cobra continued for lap after lap until my team displayed the “pit” instruction and just like that my session was over.
I couldn’t believe how quick the stint felt – probably because I was having an absolute blast taming the monstrous V8. I had also managed to shave 1.3 seconds off my lap time from practice, which I was rather chuffed about.
Bapi’s stint was dominated by the safety car which meant Team Qhubani was creeping up the leaderboard as competitors fell out of contention.
Fikile drove a solid stint – also his first time at East London. Then we put Bapi back in the car to have some fun, which he did. We ended the race fourth in our class and seventh overall.
Part of the appeal of racing a Cobra in this endurance series is the team vibe. It’s great to spend a weekend with a bunch of mates, thrashing a race car around South Africa’s circuits in a joint effort.
The other benefit of course is that costs are split among the team, rather than you bearing the brunt alone.
It’s a thoroughly enjoyable way to go racing and the daunting barrier to entry of buying an unknown race car and then having to figure it all out is removed by Backdraft’s rent-to-race concept. A crew along with a truck load of spares is at every event to help make sure you finish the event.
As I continue along my path to becoming a race car driver, I always like to look back at the event to understand what I learned and how I can hone my skills.
This one taught me that power is addictive but not necessarily the only route to being fast. Figuring out the Cobra’s ability to carry speed in tighter corners was key to extracting a decent lap time.
Hopefully I get the opportunity to exploit that trait in the future.
For more information on Backdraft Racing, click here.
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