The SA Endurance Samlin Racing Four Hours of Zwartkops got the new season off on a high note at Zwartkops Raceway, offering three GT Cup SA races, two Sports and GT events and a full house of Motorcycle Racing Series South Africa (MRSSA) to keep spectators and TV audiences entertained.
GT Cup SA
The maiden GT Cup SA races saw 17 Porsche GT3 cars take to the 2.4km track in Pretoria where Charl Arangies took a brace of victories in his brand new 911 GT3 R but not before he fended off the attentions of the 17-year-old matric sensation Ryan Naicker in his 992 Cup-specification Porsche.
In Friday’s opening race, Naicker and Arangies’ Stradale Motorsport-run car raced hard with the lead changing hands several times over the first four laps until the pair hit traffic which allowed Arangies to edge away. Naicker, pushing hard, dropped his tyres onto the grass heading into turn five and spun out, allowing Arnold Neveling to slip into second place with Mo Mia giving his new 991.2 Cup car a debut podium.
In the second race on Saturday morning, Arangies and Neveling again went at it hammer and tongs, swapping the lead much to the delight of the early-rising fans. Naicker, who started fifth, scythed through the field to take the final podium place, followed by Nicky Dicks’ Curvent GT3 Cup, Mia and Roy Obery.
The final race delivered a third helping of cat-and-mouse racing between Arangies, Naicker and Neveling, the three Stradale cars never giving an inch. Naicker took the second step of the podium in the closest finish of the day, 3.9 seconds behind Arangies with Neveling trailing the pair home in third. Dicks, Mia and Obery again rounded out the top six.
Sports and GT
After a troubled season last year, Andrew Horne refurbished his Xena Chemicals Ligier-Honda JS49 over the off season and used it to devastating effect to comfortably win the opening Sports and GT race in fading light on Friday evening.
Mike Verrier, the reigning SA Endurance 1-Hour Dash Champion, ran home in second place in his Shelby CanAm with Uli Sanne taking the third step of the podium in his G&H Transport BMW Z4 M. Barend Pretorius used the race to gain a little extra testing time ahead of the SAE Four Hour race and was rewarded with fourth overall.
The tables were turned on Saturday when Verrier got the jump on Horne at the start and what followed was an exciting battle for the lead between the Shelby CanAm and Ligier drivers. It took Horne three laps before he could make his move for the top spot and deliver another masterful drive over the remaining laps of the race. Nicky Dicks followed the Ligier home in his Porsche GT3 Cup followed by Mo Mia in a similar Porsche 991.2 GT3 Cup machine after overcooking his tyres and losing grip as a result.
Verrier brought his Shelby home in fourth followed by Moodley’s Bigfoot Porsche with Willie de Beer rounding out the top six in a Porsche Type 997 Cup.
MRSSA Motorcycles
46 MRSSA motorcycles took to the track across three categories with the 1000cc and 600cc machines being the dominant class with 21 entries.
The first Senior SBK race was red flagged after four laps when Luca Bertolini crashed heavily at turn four on lap five while holding seventh position overall.
The win went to the reigning class champion Adolf Boshoff (Honda CBR 1000 RRR) who was already over five seconds up on Tristin Pienaar (Honda CBR), Damon Purificati on his BMW S 1000RR, Themba Khumalo (Ducati Panigale) with Taigh Janse van Rensburg leading the 600cc brigade, a scant 0.278 seconds ahead of Ryan van Nieuwkerk when the race was curtailed. Jaco Gouws took the BOTTS/Masters class win.
Boshoff made short work of the second race, powering his Honda CBR 1000RRR around Zwartkops nearly a second per lap quicker than second placed Themba Khumalo on his Ducati Panigale V4R. The two front-runners resumed their rivalry from last season which bodes well for the premier class over the coming season.
Tristin Pienaar rode his Honda CBR to third in the opening race, 1.1 seconds behind the Ducati. Damon Purificati ended fourth and was the leading BMW some six seconds further back.
The 600cc riders provided top-drawer entertainment as the top three – all Yamaha YZF mounted – fought hard with Ora Phiri taking the chequered flag 0.291 seconds ahead of Troy Tonking who in turn was 0.8 seconds ahead of Ryan van Nieuwkerk.
Johan Le Roux took the Masters class honours aboard his Kawasaki ZX10 R with the BOTTS class going to Leon Horn on a Ducati Panigale.
The MRSSA Senior Club class races for Unlimited and Open Superbikes saw Clive Turnbull take the first race win on his Suzuki GSXR some 7.5 seconds ahead of Siya Shabalala (Yamaha YZF R1) and Simphiwe Mahlobo (Yamaha YZF-R6) taking the third step of the podium.
Turnbull won the second race from Tshabalala, but the winning margin came right down to 1.8 seconds while this time around Shaun Pietersen rode his BMW S 1000 R onto the final step of the podium.
The first Junior SBK race went to Fergal McAdam aboard his Honda VTR 1000, a dominant 23.4 seconds ahead of Wessel Kruger’s Suzuki GSX 750RJ and John Kosterman on a Suzuki GSX 1100R who was a further 10 seconds adrift.
The second race saw a repeat podium result with Macadam, Kruger and Kosterman filling the podium.
The next round of the SA GT Cup, Sports and GT and MRSSA championships takes place at the SAE Five Hours of Aldo Scribante on 5 April.
