Summarize

Aldo Scribante’s October final round regional race meeting crowned the year’s Eastern province racing champions as it celebrated sixty years of Minis in motorsport in superb style as a packed grid of the giant killers thrilled the crowd and Minis also dominated the day’s Street Car races. The weekend also saw the regular local races getting serious, with the EP Modifieds delivering great racing, mixed results and new champions too.

Bryn High (S&K Diesels/Brights/Fuchs Audi S4) took pole position for the opening EP Modifieds race ahead of Deon Slabbert and his newly promoted to Class A Emerald Fire VW Polo, Duncan Lethbridge (St, Francis Marine Audi TT), Robin Spence (Subaru Forester), Class B poleman Steve High (S & K/ Brights/Fuchs Cruze) and Rufus Neethling (Kayalihle Audi).

Young High then cleared off to a comfy 11 second win over Slabbert, Class B winner Steve High, Class C winner Thys Geyser (GDC Golf) and Neethling. Stephan Aucamp (Injection Technik/A1 Cooling BMW 328) meanwhile held Daniel Bright (Brights/Roelofse Meyer Attorneys/Fuchs VW Citi) off in Class D, after Bright blew a motor in practice and pulled an all nighter to make the grid. Theo Scholtz (BRD Polo) won Class F from Zante Otto (VW Motorsport/ Brights Polo) and Royce Griffin (Astra).

Kean Barnard (GB Lotus 7) took the opening Sports & GT race from Gordon Nicholson (GT-R) and Jeandre Marais (Lotus 7), before the Sports & GTs joined the Modifieds in race 2, where Bryn High lost a supercharger belt to leave Slabbert to race to victory from Spence and Sport & GT winner Kean Barnard and a furious multi-class dice between Nicholson, Geyser, Neethling and Nolan. Jeandre Marais was next up from Class winners Johan Nel (Kerbmaster BMW) and Aucamp, who took a step closer to the overall title after Bright suffered fuel pressure issues. Steve High was next home from Class D winner Basson, Derick Gouws (Class E BMW) and Class F trio Scholtz, Otto and Griffin.

Bryn High bounced back to take the finale from overall winner Slabbert, Barnard, Spence, Steve High, Nolan and Marais. Gordon Nicholson was next up as he secured the EP Sports & GT title ahead of Nel and overall 2019 EP Modified champion Stephan Aucamp; Gouws, Basson, Scholtz, Otto and Griffin. Overall, Slabbert took Class A, Bryn's dad Steve B and Nel Class C, while champion Aucamp won Class D, Gouws won Class E and Scholtz F, while Barnard beat Marais and champion Nicholson to Sports & GT honours.

Darren Nathan (Mk 1) took pole position for the Mini races from Craig Collier (DOT Cooper), Stuart Greig (MiniFormance 998 Cooper), Dion Valentine (1275) and Colin Ritchie (BMC Cooper), but disaster struck as pole man Nathan failed to start the opening race, leaving Valentine to pass Collier, who he held off to win a delightful first race by a third of a second. 

Ritchie and Trevor Tuck (Tulilomo 1275) were next up, with Greig, local lad Ian Riddle (Cooper S), Shawn Bester (Teds Racing) and Terrence Botes (Bestune 850) squabbling behind them. Eddie Botes (Britax Mini) followed ahead of Donovan Meyer (DTN Cooper), Kyle Brink (1380), Chris van der Walt (Cooper), Carl Esterhuyse (Cooper S) and Dave Alexander (Piri Piri Cooper); Barry Kapelus (Cooper S) and Danielle Collier (DOT Cooper).

Trevor Tuck led the second and third races from lights to flag ahead of Collier, Ritchie and Bester in race 2, while Terrence and Eddie Botes diced behind them with Brink, Meyer, Kapelus, Esterhuysen, Alexander, van der Walt, Danielle Collier and Greig in chase. Ritchie followed Tuck home in the final with Bester next home from Riddle, Terrence and Eddie Botes, Meyer, van der Walt, Alexander, Esterhuysen and Collier as Tuck took the day from Ritchie, Bester, Terrence and Eddie Botes and Brink.

Rudolf de Vos (Chev Can AM) stormed to the opening AMSC Coastal Challenge & Historic & Classic Saloon race win over Class R winner Shaun Rudolph (MR Ford Escort) and Class S duo Brendan Smith (Masthead BMW 635 CSi) and Trevor Tuck (Tulilimo Alfa Romeo), while Larry Davies (Alfa) and Robert Halgreen Escort) took Classes T and U. Rudolph then took race 2 from Tuck, while Gordon Bennett (Tiger J-Bay Rekord) and Halgreen took the smaller classes, before Smith beat Rudolph and Tuck in the final as Davies and Halgreen won the classes.

On two wheels, Yamaha duo Wade Wright beat 600 rival Ivor Vermaak (Ginger Racing) overall, while Johan Anker (Yamaha) took Historic honours over Suzuki pair Remi van den Berg and Malcolm Burrows and Jessica Howden (Yamaha) took the 300 win over Jordan and Connor Breakspear. Wayne Molloy (Yamaha) was the Breakfast Run class winner from Louis van Wyk and Malcolm Botes beat Richard Hawkins to 650 glory.

Last but not least, Hedley Whitehead drove to victory over a packed and Mini-rich Street and Fine Cars win for the day over Carl Esterhuysen, Quinton Bassani and Shawn Bester, all of them driving Minis in a 20-car field. Fred Ballinger (Birkin) was next up from Donovan Meyer (Mini) and Corne Botes (Ballade), while BMW duo Jan Enslin and Shaun Benn closed off the top ten.

With the EP regional season now run, Aldo Scribante now looks ahead to the final race of the season when the annual 3-Hour race festival happens on Saturday 16 November. Diarise that now!