Summarize

Zwartkops’ splendid day-long marathon of Regional racing not only thrilled Pretoria race fans this Saturday past, but that meeting once again proved why Dunlop’s 15-inch Direzza semi slick race tyre is the tyre of choice across most of South Africa's most popular regional circuit racing series. The Dunlop Direzza DZ03G H1 track and competition tyre is used most successfully in many forms of motorsport including, race, sprint, hillclimb and track days across the world and Saturday was no exception. 

The tyre of choice in the PABAR Volkswagen Challenge, Superhatch and 111s at Zwartkops over the weekend, Direzza DZ03G doesn't just provide excellent stability and predictable grip to ensure consistent fast laps across the board, but the rubber is also backed by Dunlop’s splendid Racing Service team that looks after its every competitor’s racing needs back in the pits.

Among the classes to exclusively use Dunlop Direzza DZ03G race rubber over the past weekend, the PABAR Volkswagen Challenge delivered some crazy racing. This class demands that all cars are fitted with two brand new ‘sticker’ tyres in the front of each car at the start of qualifying every race weekend. Drivers must furthermore fit two marked tyres from their last race at the rear. So all cars start on the same footing and drivers have equal opportunity racing on the same tyres.

Classes A and C raced alone on Saturday, as Wayne pipped Bevin Masters and Rory Atkinson to the win. Cape GTi Challenge duo Marco Busi and Nathan Victor shone in fifth and sixth from Derick Smalberger, Waldie Meintjies, Chris and Sam Dale. Atkinson’s now purple Polo bounced back to a close race 2 win from Wayne Masters, Busi, Victor, Meintjies, Hopkins, Sam and Chris Dale. Ian Walker beat Pierluigi Muzzulini to the first Class C win from Panagiotis Nousias, while Muzzulini won race 2 from Walker and Nousias.

 

VW Challenge Class B raced separately, as super rookie Hannes Scheepers won race 1 from Elna Croeser. Karshin Naidoo was third from Charisse van der Merwe, Ethan Coetzee, Francois van Zyl, Tinahe Ncube and Anthony Pretorius. Lady hero Croeser turned the tables for her second Zwartkops race 2 win on the trot, with Naidoo the thorn between the roses, as van der Merwe ended third from Jacques Hayes. They disposed of Scheepers on the final lap of a bruising race, with Stuart Mack, Miguel Dias and Stelio Nousias next.

Interestingly the two Cape drivers mentioned and the whole Alert Engine Parts GTI Challenge grid also races on Dunlop Direzzas back home. Tyre rules are different there, with new rubber more limited than in upcountry races. The Cape classes can only fit two new tyres every second race. No problem for Dunlop's even-wearing Direzza DZ03Gs, which handle two or three full race meetings at a canter, but slight performance differences on newer and older rubber do bring in some interesting strategy as that season progresses!

Back to Zwartkops, the Lotus Challenge also only uses Dunlop Direzza DZ03Gs. On Saturday, Thomas Falkiner took a dominant first heat win from Mackie Adlem, David Coetzee, John Kruger and Rudi Barnard after pole man Jeffrey Kruger took an early shower. Race 2 saw Falkiner keep a resurgent Jeffrey Kruger at bay with Adlem, Coetzee, JP Nortje and Andre Human chasing. Gys van der Walt took both Locost class wins, from Sean Hepburn and Juan du Toit in race 1 and over Andre du Plessis and Davide Favo in heat 2.

Car Care Clinic Superhatch also races only on Dunlop Direzza DZ03Gs and Karel Stols’ Toyota Etios did the double there on Saturday. He beat Francois Henning’s Polo, Andre Dannhauser’s Corsa and Lenard Archer’s Hyundai race 1 and won from Archer and Henning in heat 2. Nic Martin’s Peugeot took Class B and Devon Piazza-Musso’s Golf Class C. All of the above raced on Dunlop Direzza DZ03Gs, which feature a race tyre construction with a reduced tread depth and a high stability pattern.

Direzza’s custom tread compound ensures precise control, surefooted braking and predictable grip. The Direzza is also available in a wide range of sizes and compounds, ensuring the right tyre for very condition and vehicle. Also available in a broad variety of tyre sizs, Dunlop Direzzas are almost universally raced in 15” format in these regional classes mentioned above. National Polo Cup races on 17” Direzzas and Dunlop also supplies a wide selection of slick, rally, rally raid and other competition tyres via ATS Motorsport.

Hardy for good competition life and relatively inexpensive, there’s many a good reason why the Dunlop Direzza DZ03Gs is the control tyre of choice in most top South African regional and national racing championships, club racing, track days, autocross, race schools and so much more. Dunlop of course utilises the same technology, research, development from its global motorsport programs to deliver the performance, safety, durability and confidence you can also take advantage on the road every day.