Red-hot Pepper spices race up

South African racers starred across the globe last weekend, with lady racer Tasmin Pepper best capturing the imagination.

Driving in the inaugural W Series single-seater race for women at Hockenheim in Germany, Pepper delivered an epic come from behind performance to storm from 16th to eighth on Saturday.

Tasmin overcame a difficult qualifying session in the wet to score points on her debut in the series that challenges 18 ladies in a field of identical Taatus Formula 3 race cars. Forming part of the German Touring Car championship, the series will be held on a variety of European circuits. The next round will be at the Zolder circuit in Belgium in two weeks time.

“I am really happy with how I ended in my first W Series race,” Pepper said. “Qualifying was very difficult in the cold, wet conditions on Saturday morning and I struggled for grip and getting heat into the tyres.

“But the race was great. Plenty of good, close action and I was delighted with how I progressed up through the field throughout the race and getting into the points.” Sheldon van der Linde and Jonathan Aberdein meanwhile became the first South African drivers to race in the German Touring Car Masters championship, also at Hockenheim over the weekend.

Aberdein’s Audi was up to ninth in race one before pitting too early for slick tyres, dropping him down the field. He ran as high as fifth in race two, finishing 12th after another pit stop issue. Van der Linde qualified seventh for race one before driving his BMW home to a fine seventh. He then qualified 10th for race two, where he ended up 14th.

It was also a good weekend for South Africa’s 2019 CIK-FIA Academy karter Josh Coertze in Germany. The PE driver drove home a fine second in the Wackerkloof finals on Sunday. On two wheels, Brad Binder rode his Red Bull KTM to fifth in the Spanish Moto2 Grand Prix.

Fellow SA rider Steven Odendaal came home 18th for NTS, while younger Binder brother Darryn brought his KTM home 11th in Moto3. In America, SA rider Mathew Scholtz led the opening US Superbike race before sliding off to retire and then bounced back to fourth in race two. Cameron Petersen delivered a sixth and a fourth respectively in the two races.

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