South African GT series ready for lights out at Zwartkops

The South African GT National Sports Car Series will celebrate its first birthday at the Zwartkops Raceway near Pretoria on Saturday and spectators will get the present.

Nobody will be charged to enter the Southern African Endurance Series’ Summer Motorsport Festival this weekend, with the programme to consist of two separate one-hour GT races, and one four-hour Endurance event.

Entry list

Heading up the GT entry list will be reigning champion Silvio Scribante and his seemingly bulletproof Cemza Cement Lamborghini Huracan.

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Last year, Scribante took 11 podiums in the 12 races with the car, and he will want more of the same this season.

His closest challengers should be Michael Stephen (Ultimate Outlaws Audi R8 LMS), Aldo Scribante (Scribante Concrete Lamborghini Huracan), Stuart White (Into Africa Aston Martin Vantage), Hein Lategan (BBR Porsche 911 GT3), Mo Mia (Toys-R-Us Porsche 911 GT3), plus Bigfoot Express Mercedes-AMG GT3 drivers Sun Moodley and Andrew Culbert.

Rounding out the entry will be two Pro-Am Ultimate Outlaws McLaren MP4-12Cs in the hands of veteran racers Izak Spies and Roelf du Plessis.

Heading the four-hour Endurance race entries will be reigning champion, 18-year-old Kwanda Mokoena and Andrew Rackstraw (Amandla Coal Audi R8 GT4).

They will face off against teams like Hein Lategan/ Verissimo Tavares (BBR Porsche 911 GT3), Charl Arangies/Clint Weston (Stradale Mercedes-AMG GT3), Xolile Letlaka/Stuart White (Into Africa Mining Lamborghini Huracan) and Mikaeel Pitamber/Gavin Cronje (MP17/Rico Barlow Ligier JS53).

Other teams to watch must include Mike/Brian McLoughlin/Rob Clark (Backdraft Roadster), Franco di Matteo/ Julian Familiaris/Warren Lombard (Ford Mustang), Keagan Masters/Daniel Rowe (VW Motorsport SuperPolo), Ricky/Gianni Giannoccaro (G&H Transport Toyota GR Yaris) and Karah Hill/Jurie Swart (Kalex VW SupaPolo).

Class E is a race-within-race among 11 identical Backdraft Roadsters, led by Index of performance Champions Harm and Barend Pretorius (Team Pesty), Fikile Holomisa/Baphumze Rubuluza (Qhubani  Backdraft), the Morgenrood entry of Benjamin, Crisjan and Ben, Fabienne Lanz/Elvéne Vonk/Clare Vale (The Truckman) and Jean Paul Briner, Anthony Hoare and CJ Blackman (Tradecore Steel).

Practice and qualifying for the South African Endurance Championship will take place on Friday with the four-hour race starting at 10h25 on Saturday.

For more information on the South African Endurance National Championship, click here.