Newly created GT National series revving up for Red Star debut

Sports car spectacle will be the name of the game at the Red Star Raceway near Delmas this Saturday, with the start of a new national racing discipline, plus the resumption of a long-time favourite category on the programme.

Heading up events will be the inaugural rounds of the South African GT National Championship, comprising two 60-minute races, each with a compulsory pit stop.

Topping the entry list will be a pair of Cemza Cement Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo entries for Aldo and Silvio Scribante.

Xolile Letlaka and Tschops Sipuka will share the Africa Mining Lamborghini Huracan GT3, while Izak Spies and Michael Stephen will take to the track in their Ultimate Outlaws McLaren MP4-12C.

The father and son team of Kishoor and Mikaeel Pitamber will man a new Creative Ink-supported Porsche 911 GT3, Ferrari will be represented by Dayne Angel (Autohaus Angel 488 GT3) and Jason Ibbotson (458 GT3), while Bigfoot Express CEO Sun Moodley will debut a Mercedes-AMG GT3.

Saturday’s race one is scheduled for 8.45 am and race two at noon. The Championship runs on Michelin tyres and is fuelled by Fast Fuels.

The races will be livestreamed courtesy of Toys-R-Us South Africa.

Backing the GT activities will be the opening round of this year’s South African Endurance Racing Series, with a total of 24 entries tackling a four-hour race.

Former champions Nick Adcock and Michael Jensen will top the entry list in their AidCall24/7 Ligier- Honda JS53 Evo2, challenged by the identical Auto Investments Ligier-Honda JS53 Evo of Riaan Botma and the McLaren MP4-12C of Letlaka and Sipuka.

Team Bucketlist has entered Peter Zeelie and Peter Jenkins in a Volkswagen SupaPolo, plus Rob Clark/Christopher Pretorius in a Mini Cooper JCW.

A total of eight Lexus V8-powered Backdraft Roadsters will be led by the works team of Brian Martin/Mike McLoughlin, taking on Colin Ellison/ Greg Thornton (Titan Historic F1), Benjamin and Crisjan Morgenrood (Morgenrood Ford & Mazda), Phillip Meyer/ Mark Harvey (Pple Group/Adapt), Fikile Holomisa/Baphumze Rubuluza (Backdraft), Carl/Michael Nel (Gears for Africa) and Harm/Barend Pretorius (Backdraft).

Rounding out the entry list will be Andrew Horne/Nico Roets (Xena Chemicals Nash) and Jaco Pienaar/Johan Nel (Pinard Motor Works Nash).

The four-hour will get under way at 3 pm. Spectators are welcome and tickets will be available at the gate for R100.