Great results for Alberton’s motor racers

The fourth round of the Inland Historic Tour held at the Zwartkops Raceway on August 24 provided exciting racing for spectators and drivers alike.

The Alberton racers raced to victory over the weekend during a nail-biting competition.

Rob van Aarle of Meyersdal, competing in the Evapco Historic Pursuit series in his Ace Auto Salvage ’69 Ford Escort, had a minor electrical issue which affected his qualifying.

“Some quick work by Rob and his team sorted out the Escort, allowing Rob to take part in the first heat, but from a lower grid position than Rob is used to. A strong recovery drive and a win in the second heat saw Rob take second in class for the day,” explained Bruce van Niekerk.

Brackenhurst’s van Niekerk also had an eventful day. Qualifying his ALS Omega ’91 for the Formula Monoposto race was hampered by some of his fellow competitors spinning off the track on cold tyres.

He only managed to complete one lap to set his grid position for the first race.

“I was a little bit further back than I would have liked. A solid drive in the first heat saw me work my way up to second in class. The second heat saw me have a small off-track excursion when challenging for the lead. This incident dropped me to fourth for heat two and third in class for the day,” Van Niekerk said.

He said there was no damage to the car and valuable lessons were learnt, “So I’m looking forward to the next race.”

“Da Mhre, Alberton’s music star and photographer, was also hard at work at Zwartkops. He is completing the MSA training courses for accredited photographers and took part in a two-day course at Zwartkops over the race weekend. This accreditation will grant Da Mhre access to additional areas of the track, and we look forward to seeing his photos from this new perspective,” Van Niekerk explained.

He also acknowledged event organisers, grounds staff, track marshals and medical staff for making the event possible.