THE BLOWER – MID-YEAR 2022

THE BLOWER – MID-YEAR 2022

EDITORIAL
by Dave Abrahams

One of the comments that arose from my first effort at producing the Journal of the Western Province Motor Club was that we should pay ongoing tribute to my illustrious predecessor, Adrian Pheiffer, by renaming this publication. So, as you’ll see above, this is now the New Blower.

This issue has been timed to come out just after the 2022 Annual General Meeting of the Club. After a thought-provoking editorial by Club president Dr Greg Mills, we dive straight in with an overview of the past two years and the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on the Club and its activities, compiled by WPMC Chairman Tim Reddell and Executive Manager Des Easom, and presented in masterful fashion by Tim at the AGM.

This includes, of course, an update on the renewal of our lease, and our relationship with our landlord, the City of Cape Town.

We look at the state of the Club’s finances – expect a few non-recurring windfalls there – and bring you up to date on what the unsung heroes of our maintenance crew have been doing behind the scenes, keeping the facility functional under the severe financial constraints resulting from government’s Covid-19 Regulations.

But most of all, the New Blower is about motor racing, with lighthearted contributions from eight of our sections to keep you entertained and sometimes scandalised – and to avoid accusations of favouritism, they’re printed in the order in which we received them!

OUR CONTRIBUTORS: Dr Greg Mills, Tim Reddell, Des Easom, Mark Ridgway, Mitch Robinson, Andrew Hutchings, Robert Rowe, Stephen Holly, Mike Jay, Ian Long, Gert du Plessis, Colin Brown and an adventurous tourist named Kilroy. Now it’s over to them for the news behind the news…

Killarney is on the cusp of a lease extension, the result of years of effort and diplomacy. How bright this future proves will depend on how its members use this tremendous opportunity. It’s not up to anyone else.

The lease extension raises many questions for those responsible for the stewardship of the Club. How should a track complex such as Killarney position itself over the next decade, for instance, given the way in which motorsport is changing, and how spectator and member interests are turning?

Is this towards historic racing, or should the bias be towards endurance events or something else, and potentially also the closer integration of business and racing activities at the circuit – or perhaps all of these things?

Some of us have been watching the Goodwood Festival of Speed on social media. Together with the Revival, Goodwood attracts more than 350 000 spectators annually, a £500 million (or R10 billion at current rates) jamboree of motorsport entertainment which attracts more than one million visitors to the UK every year.

What makes an event such as Goodwood successful if we want to push historic racing? How can we tap into such a rich and diverse audience of competitors? What are lessons from other tracks which have got this formula wrong and been unsuccessful? How have other tracks world-wide managed to make the transition in the social media age, and kept their books balanced?

There is no such thing as a simple formula for success in converting the lease extension into something new, but some pointers stand out:

To have several high-profile events, which draw international participation and public interest through the presence of superstar cars and drivers.

To ensure the track is used as much and often as possible, which guarantees a steady stream of income;

To attract key ‘anchor-tenants’, perhaps even a motor-manufacturer, to guarantee a higher base level of activity and income.

To employ Killarney’s unchanged layout – along with East London – from the early 1960s, when it hosted Grands Prix. There are few tracks world-wide which enjoy this status.

To draw on Cape Town’s extraordinary tourism offerings and branding to attract international competitors.

To link with international series in staging blue riband events, as Kyalami has managed with Blancpain and, seemingly, the Grand Prix. The Formula E partnership is a step in this direction.

To expand our membership base by improving and extending our facilities, not least by building a dedicated spinning and drifting facility.

To manage the facility as prudently as possible, playing the role of honest agent with respect to commercial undertakings and always operating foremost in the Club’s best interest.

To cater for the needs and aspirations of future generations.

and

To integrate our publicity through social media platforms.    

Killarney has many advantages, not least the support of the City of Cape Town, with which we consider ourselves a long-term partner. We have no debt, reflecting years of volunteer sweat by Club members. And we have a loyal membership, an asset to any Club.With this outlook and a dollop of ‘can-do’ positive spirit in tackling the above agenda, the future is bright for Killarney.

RECAP OF 2020:

The Covid-19 lockdown of 27 March 2020 thrust the Western Province Motor Club into an unforeseen situation that turned out to be worse than even the fuel crisis of 1973. With no events at all for more than five months, the Club was forced to adopt a survival strategy, including drastic cost cutting in all areas, and staff working short time.

Nevertheless, fixed costs – in the form of rates, water, sewerage, electricity and insurance – exceeded R300 000 a month, but help was at hand in the shape of an interest-free loan towards staff renumeration from the SA Future Trust as well as Temporary Employee Relief Scheme payments from April to December 2020, while Club members donated R35 000 towards the marshals’ fund.

Workshops at Killarney were allowed to reopen in May 2020 and from August we were allowed to host events, albeit under strict protocols including a total ban on spectators – which led us to improve our social media presence and introduce live-streaming of events.

The year closed on a more positive note as attempted land grabs were thwarted, the Cape Helldrivers voted to stay at Killarney and the FIA granted funds for more sound barriers at the facility when the lease is extended.

2021:

The Club continued in survival mode in 2021, operating under tight restrictions with frequent lockdown rule changes. Killarney hosted the opening round of the Extreme Festival as well as a full season of Power Series and Robot Racing was re-introduced in September. Spectators were finally allowed back on a very limited basis in October and we ended the year on a high note with the Cape Motoring Festival including the SA 9-Hour and the annual Motorcycle Toy Run in December.

After the increase in race entry fees in August 2020, there was no increase in these fees in 2021.   

But there were several events that just couldn’t work under those restrictions, including the second Extreme Festival, the annual Sunflower Fund fundraiser, the  Killarney Motor Show and StreetFest. The Club received no help from TERS in 2021, and staff continued to work short time on reduced pay and work from home where possible.

HARD WORK:

Despite these challenges, a lot of hard work was done on the lease renewal, and the Club appealed the rates valuation imposed by the City and managed to get it drastically reduced.  The City initially set the municipal valuation of Killarney at R114 million, which would have resulted in an annual rates bill of R1.4 million.

After several challenges and a successful appeal, the valuation has been settled with the City at R32 million, reducing our annual rates bill to about R400 000. The City has also written off ‘outstanding’ water, electricity and rates and interest.

We appealed SARS’ assessment of the Club’s income for 2018; this is nearly complete and we are cautiously optimistic of being successful. In addition, Eskom refunded us R255 000 that they had previously overcharged Killarney for electricity, based on estimated billings. 

And while all that was going on, admin staff upgraded our IT and clerical processes to comply with the POPI act!

AND SO TO 2022:

All the staff are back at work and we have returned to full activities – even the limit on the number of spectators has been lifted from June 2022. Our live-stream offering is much improved and we’ve hosted a new event on the calendar, the Killarney Speed Festival, while the Wingfield Motors sponsorship of the Power Series is now in its ninth year.

Sadly, the Killarney round of World Rallycross has been postponed (not cancelled!) to 2023, but we will have a full Killarney Motor Show on Sunday 30 October. The City of Cape Town has come on board with support for many of our events, notably road-safety related initiatives such as Robot Racing and Street Mania.

We will be holding an open day to recruit new marshals and other officials, and the stipend for volunteer duties has been revised. We have also been asked by the City to provide marshals and race officials for the upcoming Formula E events, planned for a street circuit in Cape Town.

MEMBERSHIP FEES:  

Mindful that times are tough for our members, there has been no increase in membership fees for 2022, race entry fees have been increased by no more than a nominal R50 (after a zero increase in 2021) and the cost of garages and workshops has been increased by only six percent. Membership numbers have begun to recover, although at 983 they are still below the pre-Covid level of 1300.

We are working hard to clear old debt owing to the Club, putting payment plans in place for those who are struggling  and offering discounts for boma holders and sponsorship packages. Special thanks are due to the boma holders for hanging on although they were allowed only very limited use of their facilities under Covid-19 restrictions, and our sponsors who stood by us through these difficult times.

We have even secured some welcome new sponsorships, although we are still struggling to find media sponsors – media houses in general are going through very tough times.

SPINNING AND DRIFTING:

With the closure of Fisantekraal, there has been pressure on Killarney to provide spinning and drifting facilities. We have engaged with the City to host a number of Street Mania and Bragging Rights events which have included spinning and drifting components, representatives from the spinning and drifting communities have been invited to attend Sportcom meetings and plans are underway for the provision of a spinning pitch at Killarney.

Also ongoing are improvements to security, including raising the wall along Potsdam Road and installing additional surveillance cameras and motion detectors, the provision of additional generators so that we can host events during load-shedding without having to rely on industry sponsorship, as well as repairs to the circuit, the short-circuit/rallycross pits – which will include a spinning pitch – and our skid pan.

STILL TO COME THIS YEAR:

Meanwhile, we are revving up for a very exciting second half of 2022, with five more rounds of the Power Series presented by Wingfield Motors, the All Tar Rally in August, a round of the Extreme Festival in September, the Killarney Motor Show including the Trux&Bikes Cansa Charity Run in October, the Cape Motorsport Festival including the SA 9 Hour in December, the 40th running of the international 8 Hour for lightweight motorcycles and the ever-popular StreetFest on Tuesday 27 December.

In addition, there are three more rounds of MSA Drag racing, Robot Racing approximately twice a month, Short Circuit Racing, Rallycross, Karting and Street Mania events on a regular basis and at least another two major charity events, the Moths Charity Motorcycle Run and the 40th annual motorcycle Toy Run, which will be held over two days for the first time, on the last weekend in November.

In all, the Killarney calendar already features an impressive 73 events between 2 July and 27 December, with a number of cycling events still to be added.

A SPECIAL YEAR TO CELEBRATE 75 YEARS OF RACING AND A NEW LEASE:

Looking ahead as we celebrate 75 years of racing at Killarney, we are on the cusp of finalising a new 15 year lease at a more market-related rental, further strengthening our relationship with the City of Cape Town.

CITY ENGAGES WITH THE EVENTS INDUSTRY:

The City also recently engaged with the events industry, to help promote Cape Town as an events destination – and we were invited, underscoring the City’s recognition of Killarney as a valued asset and one of Cape Town’s important sports facilities.

The engagement focused on making wider use of facilities such as sports stadiums, marketing of events through a new website to be set up by the City and even offering special accommodation packages for visitors to the city for specific events, an idea we could well borrow for national and international events such as the Extreme Festival and SA 9 Hour.

AWARDS TIME!
Four people were honored at the Annual General Meeting of the Western Province Motor Club on Monday 20 June.

A special award was presented to John van Niekerk and Wingfield Motors as a token of the Club’s thanks and appreciation for nine years of loyal support of Killarney and the Power Series.

An Honours Award was bestowed on Gary Fleming for his long service and support of the Club and Killarney, both as a commentator and as the presenter of the 2nd Gear Show on Facebook.

Honorary Life Membership was bestowed on Tim Moffitt for his ongoing services to the Club – he has served on Mancom since its very first meeting in July 2011 until today – the only member of Mancom to have achieved this distinction, as well as Sportcom, and is the ‘go-to man’ for pojects. Honorary Life Membership was bestowed on Pieter Cronje for his part in facilitating the negotiations that that took Killarney from a Junk Status property that City officials couldn’t wait to take back, to a facility that the City recognises as an important asset to Cape Town. He has played a leading role in dealing with City officials as part of the lease renewal and we expect the lease to be renewed shortly.

Despite the absence of funding from the SA Future Trust and TERS towards staff costs, the income from operations was R835 000, a marginal improvement from 2020. Depreciation, being the amortisation of previous capital expenditure, was in line with the previous year

The non-recurring income of R2 422 000 occurred as follows:

Eskom reversed previous overcharges of R255 000 giving the Club a cash flow respite in payment of electricity fees;

The successful appeal of the municipal valuation for rates saw a potential liability of R1 516 000 that accrued over a number of years being removed.

As part of its support programme during COVID, the City wrote off charges for water, sewerage and interest amounting to R182 000 while also supporting events at Killarney with grants totaling R480 000.

As noted, this is non-recurring so it cannot be expected in 2022.

Karting operations showed a decline in income, Short Circuit showed improved earning and the loss in the Clubhouse was halved. All of the above resulted in a reported Operating Profit (on paper) of R2 376 000 versus a loss of R150 000 in 2020. 

The increase in Interest received is a result of improved financial reserves while the deferred tax asset records the buffer the Club has against any possible future taxable income and the resultant tax charge.

The ‘true’ net income for the year was R30 000 compared to a loss of R57 000 in 2020. 

ON THE BALANCE SHEET:

There was a slight increase in inventory to R154 000, compared to R93 000 in 2020, due to consumable stock in Clubhouse and fuel stocks.

The increased focus on recovery of debt owing to the Club has resulted in reduction of trade and other receivables to R464 000 (2020: R791 000).

The year-end cash balance of R7 777 000 was bolstered by ‘early bird’ annual payments for facilities and membership of approximately R2 000 000, compared to a balance of R4 860 000 at the end of 2020.

Trade and other payables of R3 692 000 (2020: R4 604 000) include the early bird receipts of R2 000 000, the SA Future Trust loan of R427 000 (of which R100 000 has already been repaid in 2022) and VAT of R400 000.

Despite the hardships arising from COVID, the Club is in a sound financial position with no debt and net current assets of R4 703 000, and ready to proceed with improvements when the new lease is signed.

Leon and the unsung heroes of the maintenance crew have been seriously busy this year – on top of the usual maintenance and set-up before and after every event.

They’ve extended the former Sakra Building at the Karting circuit on both sides to create a new home for the FTW Karting Academy;

Built a compressor room on Gasoline Alley;

Built a new safe storage room in the Joubert Pits and a new dry store in the Joubert Pits Lounge.

They’re also busy with extensive renovation of the Drag Strip control tower, in addition to a complete renovation of Stand 6, the grandstand closest to the Turn 6 Marshals’ Pub – both of which are scheduled for completion in mid-July.

Then there was the flooding of Sunday night, 13 June, which saw the subway submerged to within centimetres of the light fittings, significant washaways in the runoff areas alongside the circuit, literally tons of mud and debris all over the track, a blocked drain on the exit of Hoal’s Hook and a huge pond where Interceptor Corner used to be.

But 48 hours later the circuit was clean and dry, the erosion had been backfilled, a new drain installed on the Joubert Straight and we were ready to go for the 16 June edition of Street Mania!

Leon and the crew seemed to take the whole incident in their stride – they deal with flooding every winter, he says, because the lowest point of the circuit is only 10 metres above sea level and the water table is less than two metres below the drain in Interceptor Corner.


The only negative comment we heard was that the subway remained flooded until the Tuesday afternoon – why couldn’t they pump it out, Leon was asked.  They could have, he replied, but rather than let the water go to waste by pumping it into the already overloaded municipal stormwater drains, they chose to pump it into a water-trailer after the repairs to the circuit had been completed and used it to power-wash the mud off the track!

Way to go, guys!

The Club has initiated a project to green Killarney over time by planting a selection of indigenous trees, shrubs and succulents at no cost to the Club, in partnership with the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment and an NGO, ‘Green for Life’.

The trees will improve the appearance of the facility, provide shade and confirm our position as a responsible and environmentally conscious tenant and neighbour.  

The suggested greening will include plants such as the thorny Kei Apple to control access, Aloes, Spekboom and indigenous trees such as the Waterbessie Tree, Wit Karee and others suitable for Killarney’s soil. The planting will be done in such a way that no track views will be obstructed and to help dampen noise.

Killarney has even been awarded a three-star water management rating in the City of Cape Town’s Water Warrior programme, for our compliance with all the relevant legislation, and our outstanding conservation of water and re-cycling of grey water, rather than just letting it go (literally) down the drain.

NO MORE PLASTIC PACKAGING

We are also introducing environmentally friendly packaging at all our take-away outlets, in place of single-use plastics.

AND THE PICTURE?

The Fragrant Blue Babiana is a beautiful blue/purple flower that grows 70 to 200mm tall and has an aromatic cinnamon scent. It was once common in the low-lying areas of Cape Town, Paarl and Stellenbosch but, due to habitat loss, is now near-threatened.

What’s important for Killarney is that this plant grows wild on the infield of the Tar Oval, the infield of Pertamina Fastron Corner, the Berm and the Grass Bank. If you see one, please don’t pick it or step on it!

The 2021 V8 Masters championship was once again won by Fabio Tafani in the Gold Class, with Jason Ibbotson taking the Silver Class and moving to Gold to join Fabio Tafani, Sean Moore, Rui Campos, Richard Schreuder, Mark Ridgway, Alister Brown and Rob Warrington.

Mike Brooks and Carel Nel have made a welcome return to the Masters, along with Marcel Angel, who has certainly been upfront and charging in the early part of the season.

The Silver class has seen regulars Sander le Bon, Gary Thompson, Ilan Kaplan, Menno Parsons, Denis Gaiduk and Stuart Spooner all back in action, joined by new drivers to the series Sebastian Klaassen and Mark Voget – bringing the full register to 19!

Pirelli has come to the table with a three-year sponsorship and the newly developed Pirelli GT3 tyre compound will be introduced to the Masters later in this year, in a switch from the current Avon tyres. We look forward to a long and prosperous association with Pirelli over the next few years.

The change from fuel-injection to carburetors in 2021 has proved to be the correct move and all the cars are producing the same power and torque within a few Kilowatts and Newton-Metres. This means closer racing and, given that the V8 garage undertakes all the preparation of the cars, it really is up to the drivers.

A new gearbox – an upgrade on the previous Tremec transmission with the same ratios – has been fitted to seven cars with a view to the rest of the paddock following suit in due course.  This is an upgrade on the previous Tremec box with the same ratios.  As the older gearboxes are replaced we will be able to build up a spare gearbox pool – which keeps more cars on the track come race day.

The South Motorcycles Superbike series started the year on a high note with the return of experienced campaigners Ronald Slamet and Trevor Westman. At the same time the classes were re-organized, with the creation of a new segment in the premier division, the Superbike Challenge Class, run alongside the Superbikes and Masters.

This is essentially the former Clubmans Class A, upping their game and boosting the numbers in the Superbike series; notable among them are veterans Wayne Arendse on the JJ Smith Trust ZX-10R and Paul Medell on a Ducati Panigale, with Dylan Croudace, Lubabalo Ntisana and Deon Ebel to keep them on their toes.

The Clubmans category has been reborn as the Strato Technology Clubman/Classic/Breakfast Run Motorcycles, with new names from the former Clubmans Class B such as Wesley Hendricks, Donovan Stevens, Nick Benn and hot rookie Shaun Harris making their mark – except when they’re outshone by old toppies on old bikes, namely Classics riders Hilton ‘Wild Man’ Redelinghuys and ‘Danie van Killarney’ Maritz!

At the same time the Powersport classes have become the Bridgestone Super Twin Cup 650 and Super Sport 300 Motorcycles, with adjusted engine power cap and weight restrictions to make for even closer racing.

With up to a dozen entries in each division the racing has been fast and furious, with 2021 champion Slade van Niekerk coming under immense pressure from reigning SSP300 champion Tristin Pienaar, Jason Linaker, former Superbike racer Andre Calvert and Mark van den Berg.

HSC/Mag Workshop rider Nicholas Hutchings has become the man to beat in the Super Sport 300 category, with Willy van Niekerk and Brendon Goldie keeping him honest and immensely talented Abigail Bosson improving with every outing on the Ateka/Project Sixty60 R3.

It has been a good start to the year with some intense racing out on track and it has been great to welcome some new riders to our Short Circuit Family this year. Short Circuit is the feeder class to main circuit racing and the tight and technical track builds good race craft and bike control.


This year saw the first time a class was made available for the 125 four-stroke motorcycles and the June 2022 race day sees our first entries in this class, with hopefully many more to come throughout the year.

Unfortunately there have been no Formula M’s racing this year, with insufficient race-ready vehicles to make a class. We are hoping to see them back on the track soon.

June 2022 sees the first leg of our Endurance series, which spans four races and culminates in the 8 Hour in December. It is our first time trying something along these lines and we hope to see it grow into an awesome Interprovincial series that we can continue to grow and improve upon each year.


The Pocket Bike and Mini Moto class is perfect for the young ones just starting out on their Motorcycle journey. It caters for the 4 – 8 year olds and it is always amazing and rewarding to see these young children developing their passion and growing in confidence out on the track.

With regards to our Club Championship races, the large CBR150 field always provides entertaining and exciting racing. ‘Wild Child’ Slade van Niekerk has already built up a commanding lead in the 150 Juniors class, whilst the 150 Seniors class has been hotly contested, with different podium contenders at almost every event.

Matthew Vismer has a strong lead in the Motards Senior class, but with a number of new (and returning) competitors he is going to have to stay on top of his game to maintain this.

A determined Stavro Michel is leading the Clubsport SSP300 group with three wins to date; it will take a strong effort from one of his competitors to catch up and challenge him.

The two-stroke Moto 4 class has been plagued by reliability issues, but the riders are hard at work to get their machines back up and running and we look forward to seeing them again at the July 2022 race day. With the easing of the Covid regulations we look forward to welcoming back many spectators to the Best Kept Secret at Killarney – Short Circuit Racing!

The year started with great excitement. On 22 January our new headline sponsor, Laude Classic Cars, hosted a prize giving and season opening dinner at their exclusive premises on probably the hottest summer evening of the year.

The evening was themed “Distinguished Gentlemen and Ladies”, complementing the beautiful cars in our surroundings. Our members dressed to impress and did not disappoint. For example, Dr. Geoff Bihl made an entrance in his period correct Porsche, sporting the appropriate best-dressed attire.

Our 2021 Class winners were:

Pre-90:

Class A: 1st Andrew Honeywill, 2nd Dave Alhadeff, 3rd Eric Van Der Merwe

Class B: 1st Bruce Avern-Taplin, 2nd Geoff Bihl, 3rd Arnold Lambert

Class C: 1st Deon Conradie, 2nd Layne Hutchings, 3rd Clifford Bacon

Class D: 1st Jacques Blom

Pre-90 Club Championship:

Club Champion: Bruce Avern-Taplin, 2nd Andrew Honeywill, 3rd Geoff Bihl

Pre-80:

Class A: 1st Franco Donadio, 2nd Michael Hitchcock, 3rd Charles Arton

Class B: 1st Ferdi Mouton, 2nd Dave Alhadeff 3rd Wayne Lotter

Class C: 1stHerman De Kock, 2nd Trevor Hutchings, 3rd Martin Bensch

Class D: 1st Dirk Nolte, 2nd Ernest Leite, 3rd Shaun Bester

Class E: 1st Neil Mouton, 2nd Leon Van Lienden, 3rd Tony Kent

Class F: 1st John Hurst

Pre-80 Club Championship:

Club Champion: Franco Donadio, 2nd Herman De Kock, Tied 3rd Neil Mouton & Trevor Hutchings

A special mention for our Class A Champion, Franco Donadio: Not only was he the fastest man on the track but he broke the record for the highest point scorer ever. Further solidifying Franco’s hard work, 2021 saw Class A with its most competitors yet! Truly spectacular to have our Pre-80 Club champion from Class A.

The Dave Alhadeff Most Valuable Member award:

Nominees for this award were:  Rob Rowe, Ferdi Mouton, Mark Uytenbougaardt, Michael Hitchcock, Garth Van Der Merwe, and Herman De Kock.

A special mention for Herman De Kock: A man of few words but lots of action, he also processes our points after every race. Thank you Herman and congratulations!

But it was fitting that the award went to Franco Donadio. Franco raced every race in 2021 and flew the Western Province Motor Club flag high at Passion for Speed at Zwartkops, where he won both his races in spectacular fashion.

Franco’s work ethic and humility are an inspiration. He will help anyone and has added value from the front of the field, fighting off the mighty V8s and the very quick Datsun 240Z with his impeccably prepared Mk1 Escort, changing all sorts of parts between races to maintain his dominance, a real crowd pleaser.

Everybody who has watched main circuit racing at Killarney knows this car.  We thank Franco for his commitment to WPMC and congratulate him on all his awards. We also thank all our members for their commitment and involvement.

A heartfelt thank-you goes to our previous chairmen who have brought the section to where it is: “The true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit.’

A special thank-you, also, to our committee:  Andrew Honeywill, Ferdi Mouton, Michael Hitchcock, Jacques Blom, Marius Neveling, Dave Alhadeff and especially Mark Uytenbogaardt who has contributed many hours of his time and effort.

We are delighted that Historic Touring Passport day went smoothly with 18 cars checked on the day, and good food supplied by Cross Cape Forklifts and Veldt Reared. 56 sticker kits have been printed so we hope to see these cars on the track soon

2022 is shaping up to be a memorable year with the re-emergence of old legends who took a breather in the past two years. In addition, we have welcomed some old cars with new faces, such as Melt Carstens in the ex-Kosie Swanepoel ’67 Cortina Mk1 two-door,  Deven Pillay in an original Porsche Cup car, Jan-Willem de la Porte in a Datsun 240ZX, Clinton Laurens in the Laude Jaguar XJS, Hammy Good with the Merc W123 two-door and Ernst Viljoen in an Alfa Junior.

Essentially, motor racing, when it comes to racing cars on a circuit, boils down to keeping four patches of rubber, not much bigger than the area of a hand, in contact with the tarmac surface. Traction. And with the right set up and balance, that’s where the rewards come from…

As Formula Libre Western Province looks towards building on the evident growth and development it enjoyed over last year’s season, the 2022 Championship challenge sees the familiar four Classes of S, A, B & C, defined by car configuration and capacity, being amended to now incorporate six Classes determined, with one exception, by lap times.

Thus, the Class allocation of the cars will be in future be determined by performance within the following lap-time parameters:

Class S: 1min 14.99 & faster

Class A: 1min 15 to 1min 17.99

Class B: 1min 18 to 1min 20.99

Class C: 1min 21 to 1min 24.99

Class D: 1min 25 & slower

Class V: Reserved solely for Formula Vee race cars and governed by National Formula Vee Association specifications and regulations.

With the potential number of respective Class winners therefore set to increase, it gives cause to reflect upon and acknowledge the various winners in the 2021 Formula Libre Western Province Championship, with Byron Mitchell, James Beaumont, Bertus Engelbrecht, and Elroy Vice taking the honours in Classes S, A, B & C respectively, and Troy Dolinschek securing the overall Championship title.

It is no secret that Formula Libre Western Province takes pride in applying itself to being a seedbed of rising young driver talent, and having teenager Troy Dolinschek flying the reigning Champion colours this year gives testimony to that. He follows the trail blazed by Byron Mitchell and Andrew Rackstraw, both of whose natural talent and speed is undisputed.

This has seen both young men garnering the attention of the local motorsport world. Andrew, following his dominance of the 2021 InvestChem Formula 1600 Championship, has moved on to drive the RDSA Audi in the 2022 Global Touring Cars Championship, and at the beginning of February, Byron was invited to share a driving stint in the 1 Hour race at the Kyalami 9-Hour event which saw the team finish fifth. Will we see further candidates similarly emerge from amongst the contingent of new drivers that Formula Libre welcomes this year? We’ll find out, but what is certain, the associated addition of their new cars has definitely moved the Section towards fulfilling its vision of 20 single-seaters on the grid in the not too distant future.

With a David versus Goliath battle still brewing, we sadly lost the entry of Shane Du Toit after their heroic Golf Mk1  battle royal with Raaziegh Harris in the previous round. Shane unfortunately Du Toit lost out on the rule interpretation and had to sit the next one out.

Some of our drivers are feeling the crunch, as we all are thanks to our leaders clamping down on the luxury of having fun, nevertheless we fight on and enjoy what we can while we can.

Class A has some elder statesmen returning to make sure Raaziegh doesn’t think he’s the last man standing and will pressure him till the end.

Class B will see the BMW versus VW fight continue; let’s see if Shane Smith and Willem Swart can outsmart each other.

Class C were the stars of the previous outing as the trio of Francois, Gary and JP gave it all they had – but having Noel Stander added to the mix now could create a whole new game of tactics and smart moves.

Class D’s Eugen Gasperl suffered a terminal mechanical infarction last time out, causing mayhem in Pertamina Fastron Corner, but hopefully he can keep his now well-oiled car in one piece and get the better of Ciara van Niekerk and Barry Williams, while Anton Jacobs main sponsor Steven Gouws could also add some heat to the fire. Class E may swing in favour of Ryan Large, while Class F is firmly in the hands of rookie Michael Flynn. However, keep an eye on Class X, as new car/driver combinations move up the pecking order. We’ve been blessed with the drivers who put in the time and effort to once again bring some fireworks to our racing community.

After all the restrictions during the Pandemic Lockdown it was good to be able to get back to some sort of normality for the 2021 Racing season.

In 2019 Andre Bezuidenhout decided to re-instate the Ons Huisie 100km Race, which was a popular feature in the 1980s, and he chose Sports & GT for this category. The winner was to be based on Index of Performance and the race would alternate with the two sprint races at each Power Series event during 2020.

Unfortunately, the strict Lockdown meant that all racing was put on hold until August, with only the October race being run as the Ons Huisie 100. It was then decided to add this result to the three races to be run in 2021, so as to be able to be able to declare a series champion. Francis Carruthers came out on top, with Gary Kieswetter and Louis de Jager joint second.

2022 saw racing return to normal, but with many restrictions still in place. Sadly, the Covid19 restrictions had an effect on some of our competitors who are professional people and suddenly had reduced or no income for some time, and have not been able to get their expensive cars back on the track. The lockdown also meant Craig Jarvis not being able to travel from Mauritius to come and race. This has resulted in reduced number of entries.

However it’s great to see Colin Plit back in his Juno after the horrific fire which damaged his car in mid-2018, as well as Peter van der Spuy who last raced his Juno in February 2020. There are also a few new cars being prepared for Sports & GT and we hope to see them join us on the track soon, which will help to swell our numbers. On a sad note, at Round 1 of the 2022 Power Series the second race was red-flagged when section stalwart Arno Church crashed on the exit of Hoal’s Hook. He is at present in a nursing home and we look forward to his complete recovery.

The Alert Engine Parts GTi Challenge has provided great action at every round of the Power Series so far this year, with another day of high drama on and off the track on Saturday 4 June with red flags, red cards, accidents and incidents. But when the day was done, three drivers emerged in control of the championship logs in their respective classes.

Jurie ‘Umpie’ Swart delivered a seismic qualifying lap to put his Summit Racing Polo 6R Cup on pole position for Race 1, half a second clear of  Jason Coetzee’s similar Mint Wraps car in the almost all-Polo top class, with International Tube Technology driver Colin Meder third from Nathan Victor’s Summit machine, Kai van Zyl’s Unlimited Auto car, TAC Steel driver Dillon Joubert and Danie Sandenbergh in a Jetta 3.

Tate Bishop (who turned 16 that week) and his 32-year old Angri Jetta 2 CLi beat Class B title rival Eden Thompson’s Somerset Refrigeration Polo 6R to the Class B pole by all of one thousandth of a second. Kyle Wiltshire’s Summit Polo Classic was third from Grant Cloete’s Golf, Marc Thompson Somerset and Brent van der Schyff’s Polo Classics, Steven Vermaak’s Golf and Ian Kapp, who failed to get a lap in aboard his Hydracor Polo 6R.

Chase Herholdt’s Unlimited Auto GTi led the all Golf Mk1 Class C from Seth van den Abeele’s Summit car, Matthew Rowe’s Veldt Reared machine, Ryan and Dylan van Eden, John-Henri Vaughan, Schalk Geldenhuys’ G+A Motorsport GTi, Mohammed Khalfey and Jade Lynch.

The drama started early as Class C pole man Herholdt and Class A lad Van Zyl were found in breach of ride height regulations and chased to the back of the grid.

Swart led Coetzee and Victor off the line in Race 1, with Joubert, Meder and van Zyl dicing hard behind them, but the leader was soon in trouble, having lost fourth gear, as Coetzee and Victor breezed past. The Class B start was rough as Bishop escaped, while Wiltshire and Eden Thompson came to blows and Kapp took advantage to grab second. And if that Class B action was fraught, the Class C melee was mad. Van den Abeele, Vaughan, the Van Eden brothers and Geldenhuys fought a dramatic battle with Herholdt closing in fast from the back.

Then it all got out of control flat out down the back straight on lap five, as the top four disappeared in a cloud of dust and tyre smoke with Van den Abeele and Ryan van Eden spinning wildly as the latter clouted the barriers on each side, and Vaughan was also rendered hors de combat.

Positions never changed much after the restart, as Coetzee led Victor,  Meder,  Joubert, Van Zyl, the struggling Swart and Sandenbergh home in Class A. Bishop took an easy Class B win from Wiltshire, Eden Thompson, Kapp, Van der Schyff, Sandenbergh and Marc Thompson, while Herholdt emerged from the Class C demolition derby to take the win from Rowe, Dylan van Eden, Geldenhuys, Lynch and rookie Khalfey.

Race 2 was a far simpler affair – in Class A anyway. Swart had his fourth gear back, soon disposing of Coetzee and taking the 1-2 from Victor, Joubert and Van Zyl, all of whom worked their way past Meder, with Danie Sandenbergh in pursuit.

Tate Bishop’s perfect weekend continued in Class B, but there was drama behind as Eden Thompson was eliminated in the first lap and second placed-Wiltshire’s day went from bad to worse as he was excluded for his part in his rival’s demise. That gifted second to Kapp, ahead of dad Marc Thompson, Van der Schyff and Vermaak.

Herholdt got a great start and left the Class C mayhem in his wake, as Dylan van Eden cut through the field to cement his second runner-up finish of the day from Vaughan, Geldenhuys, Effendi, Lynch and Khalfey. The result was that Swart, Bishop and Herholdt all cemented their various class championship leads, with all to play for in the next round at the end of July.

Veteran motorsport photographer Colin Brown is famous for being in the right place to capture the moment when we do something silly. Here’s a selection of his best ‘Lighter Side’ images from the first half of 2022.