Historic and inland championship success for racers

An enthusiastic crowd was treated to a splendid, if occasionally dramatic, show by an eclectic line-up of packed grids racing..

A successful day of racing at Zwartkops Raceway. Photo: Colin Wendell, www.motorsportmedia.co.za

Zwartkops kicked off fresh and frosty, but it soon warmed to a classic day of fourth round Historic and Inland championship racing on Saturday. An enthusiastic crowd was treated to a splendid, if occasionally dramatic, show by an eclectic line-up of packed grids racing.

According to Motorsport Media, the monster Marlboro Crane Hire V8 Legends entertained with as thunderous a display as ever. Ben Morgenrood kept his Mustang ahead of Seef Fourie Jr.’s Cougar.

Larry Wilford was the star of the Legends of the 9 Hour classic Sports and GTs in his spectacular green Lola T70. He rumbled to a double victory over Warren Lombard’s Cobra.

Class A driver Nicky Dicks beat Class B winner Andre van der Merwe and Hennie Groenewald’s Escort to win the opening Evapco HRSA Sprint Race.

In single seater action, Paul Gerber led Patrick Dunseith, Paul Richardson, Wihan Tiedt, and Ron Liddiard to a Formula Ford Historic Single Seaters top five, driving Colin Clay’s splendid Lotus 23 sportscar.

Formula M winner JM Gerber beat Libre winner Renzo Ribeiro’s Formula GTi, and Formula Ford men Louis van der Merwe, Hylton Morrow, Herman Krige and Aidan Morrow to win the more contemporary opening Monoposto race. The same six also topped the second race, in that order.

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On Track Clubmans and National Sportscars were joined by the Midvaal Historics for their races. Pieter Zeelie beat a 32-car field to the opening win from sports rivals Ismail Peck and Adriaan le Roux.

Silver Cup was also very well supported as Marius Jacobs’ Opel Tigra topped a 30-car grid to win the opening race from spaceframe rival Giulio Airaga’s similar Mazda-propelled car.

Loraine Badenhorst was first home in the opening handicap Evapco HRSA Pursuit race, pending break out adjustments, from Machiel Oberholzer’s Mercedes, Rob van Aarle in his Escort, Meredith Willis, Josef Kotze, and Wynand du Plessis Snr. Kotze took race 2 from Riaan de Ru, Johan Gouws, van Aarle, Badenhorst, and Oberholzer.

Rudi Barnard took a combined first Lotus Challenge race victory after the heat was red-flagged and restarted. He beat JP Nortje, David Jermy, Mackie Adlem, Jeff Gable, and Donavan le Roux. Andrew Fulton took the Locost class from Paul Vollmer. Jermy took the second heat of this, also well supported, class from Barnard, Adlem, Nortje, and le Roux as Sean Hepburn and Nick Hodgson popped up on top in Locost.