Summarize

Zwartkops’ ever popular Historic and Inland race attracted a record entry, top drivers, and classic racing cars from bygone eras to deliver action all day long at the Pretoria Raceway all weekend. The action actually already started, and then some, on Friday afternoon, and the attractions never stopped from there until the last race was run on Saturday evening.

The monster Legend V8s delivered brilliant racing as always. Almost octogenarian legend Ben Morgenrood’s Mustang fought Seef Fourie Jr.’s mean Mercury Cougar all the way to the flag to win the race with Mark du Toit’s Fairlane third from brother Jonathan in a Chevy Nova, Jonathan Needham’s Mustang and Alistair Simpson’s Capri Perana. Morgenrood romped to the second race win from Fourie, Mark and Jonathan du Toit and the duelling Needham and Simpson. It was a Ford 1-2-3 in the Little Giants where Rob Beaumont’s Escort held off Jonathan Needham’s Cortina and Djurk Venter’s Escort.

Larry Wilford’s Lola T70 coupe had to initially fight Seef Fourie’s V8 Astra off before racing off to win the first Legends of the 9 Hour race from Mark du Toit’s T70 roadster version and Brad Beningfield’s RNB prototype. GT winner James Temple’s Daytona Cobra followed from Nicky Dicks’ Porsche 911 RSR and the delayed Fourie. Wilford was untroubled in race 2 has he beat brothers Mark and Jonathan du Toit’s Lola T70s, Temple, Dicks and Fourie as Beningfield slumped to eighth behind Andre van der Merwe’s Porsche 911 RSR.

Nicky Dicks made the opening 34-car Evapco HRSA Sprint and Pursuit race his own in his Class B Porsche 911 RSR. From C winner Werner Kotze’s Mazda R100, Andre van der Merwe’s 911 RSR, Willem Botha’s R100 and George Avvakoumides’ third RSR. Jannie van Rooyen’s Scirocco won Class D, Seef Fourie’s Datsun 140Y E, Mike O'Sullivan’s Ballade Touring Cars, Johan Coetzer’s Datsun Sunny Class F, Johan van der Watt’s Mercedes 280E Class G and Dirk van Loggerenberg’s Sentra H. Botha’s Mazda turned the tables on Dicks, van der Merwe and Avvakoumides as the rest of the classes delivered double winners in heat 2. Except for Anton Booyens’ Class G win in his Anglia.

Ian Schofield made short work of the Historic Single Seaters in his Reynard. He beat Formula Ford rivals Ryan Ludik’s Titan to both race wins as James Derbyshire’s Lotus, Steve Venter in a Van Diemen and Ben van der Westhuizen’s Royale fought over third ahead of Mike Hillary’s Lotus 23B and Vee winner Michael Kernick’s Capital. It took three attempts to start the first Dunlop ATS Lotus Challenge race on Friday evening. Still, race 1 winner Mackie Adlem took the day from second and third race victor Rudi Barnard and the returning Thomas Falkiner. Nick Hodgson took Locost honours. 

Formula Monoposto was another race requiring a restart following a race 1 red flag. Before Ian Schofield did a single seater double in his Mygale S3. Allen Meyer’s Formula VW and JM Gerber’s Formula M shared out the seconds and thirds ahead of Josh Chaikin’s Formula GTi Swift, Mikel Bezuidenhout’s Shelby VSP and Philip Belinghan’s SuperVee Lantis. Speaking of which, Kosie van der Merwe did the Liqui Moly SuperVee double with a race 1 win from Tanya Breytenbach and Early B in heat 1, and over Johan Espach and Jhuan Ekstein in race 2.

The 42-car Real Pro Clubmans, NSCC, MHCC & Trofeo race was another to be red flagged before Mikel Bezuidenhout’s Shelby took a double win. Over Wessel Mostert’s Class A BMW M3 Turbo, Werner Kotze’s B Mazda R100,  Ismael Peck’s BMW 328i and Willem Botha’s C Tigra in race 1. Kotze survived the restart to second in heat 2 from Peck, Botha, and Rodney Kruis’ D Ballade. Ferdi van Straaten’s BMW won Class E, Deon Schwabsky’s Class E Escort took the MHCC win from Johan Coetzer Sr.’s F Datsun 1200 GX and G winner Henry Fourie in an Alfa Romeo Berlina.

So big is the Car Care Clinic SilverCup 2.0 field that it was split in two. Wessel Mostert’s BMW M3 Turbo beat Louis Cloete’s Beetle to both faster class wins as JP Nortje Class A+ winning Golf and Johan Minnaar’s Backdraft Cobra shared the thirds. Jonathan Visser’s Polo was fifth for the day from Theo Bohnen’s Tigra and Zander Jacobs’ Corrado. Quentin Duvenage’s Golf denied Christopher Tait’s Polo in Class A and Shane Grobler’s BMW 330i took Class C. Marnus du Plessis’ Nissan beat Ronald van Rensburg’s Golf and Gavin Botha in a Tigra to both smaller class races, where race 2 was also red flagged. Donovan le Roux’s Golf took Class C and Jarryd-Lee Thomas’ Corolla D.

Zwartkops now prepares for its unique annual Top of the Hill climb on Saturday 25 July before the Zwartkonapolis 500 a month later. Normal service resumes with a Northern Regions Extreme Festival on 12 September, the next Historic and Inland visit on 26 September and then the National Finals on 17 October. See you at Zwartkops!