Nick Adcock, Michael Jensen and Charl Michael Visser delivered a commanding performance in their Adjust for Sleep/Rico Barlow Racing Nova Proto NP02, securing a 12,6-second win during the fourth round of the SA Endurance Championship Connected by Vodacom 4U.
The Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit hosted a gripping Four Hours of Kyalami at the weekend, featuring an intense battle between the Into Africa Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo II (driven by Xolile Letlaka, Stuart White and Axcil Jeffries) and the Rico Barlow squad. Strategists from both camps faced relentless pressure across four captivating hours, contending with penalties, a sudden rain shower, a new lap record and punctures.
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Letlaka and White retain their lead in the overall championship standings, while Adcock’s result propels him into second place with just two rounds remaining.
Brad Liebenberg and Ryan Naicker completed the podium in their Stradale Motorsport Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo, overcoming significant setbacks that dashed their hopes for overall victory.
Qualifying:
Rico Barlow Racing clinched pole position with the fastest aggregate time. Charl Michael Visser starred, setting a blistering lap of 1:39,929 – the quickest ever recorded around Kyalami. Remarkably, Adcock and Jensen arrived just in time for Thursday’s late Free Practice Two, having flown directly from a Silverstone test session in England.
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Into Africa Racing qualified second, just 0,37 seconds adrift of the Nova, with Jeffries posting their best effort. The Stradale Audi of Bradley Liebenberg and Ryan Naicker took third, a further six-tenths back. Leading the 1-Hour Dash runners, Charl Arangies put his Vaal Fluid Systems Porsche 911 GT3 R fourth on the grid.
Damien Hammond, making a late switch to Samlin Racing’s new Liqui-Moly Mercedes-AMG GT3, secured fifth. Hein and Henk Lategan followed in sixth with their SAC Commercial Parts Porsche GT3 Cup. The grid continued with the MJR Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 R (seventh) and the Blue Sands Racing Ford Mustang IRC (eighth) driven by Julian Familiaris, Franco di Matteo and Romano Sartori.
Wayne Roach lined up ninth in his Samlin Racing Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 Super Trofeo. Rounding out the field were Antonie Marx (Shelby Can-Am), Mo Mia (Porsche GT3 Cup), the G&H Transport Audi R8 GT4 (Gianni Giannoccaro, Ricky Giannoccaro, Ant Blunden), Roberto and David Franco (Graphix Supply World Volkswagen SupaPolo), and the Team Pesty Backdraft Roadster of Barend and Harm Pretorius.
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Race:
When lights went green at 13:02, Jensen surged into the lead from pole. Naicker attempted an inside move on Letlaka at Turn 1 but couldn't make it stick. The opening phase saw Letlaka fending off Naicker and Arangies in a high-speed train, until the Proton safety car was deployed after 20 minutes to retrieve the stranded G&H Audi at Leeukop Corner, its wheel studs broken.
Letlaka used the caution period for an early fuel stop, dropping to fourth but extending his stint. Naicker closed on Jensen after the Nova served a drive-through penalty for overtaking under safety car conditions, applying intense pressure until the leading car pitted around the hour mark for Adcock to take over.
Jeffries climbed into the Huracan at the same stop but incurred a costly drive-through penalty (25 seconds lost) for leaving the pits without fully secured seat belts. When the initial leaders pitted, Naicker briefly held the lead until Stradale's challenge unravelled during their first stop after 70 minutes. Liebenberg's Audi refused to fire, requiring a push-start and earning a drive-through penalty – the first of three such penalties due to a failed starter motor.
Back in front, Adcock faced renewed pressure from Jeffries as light rain fell. Jeffries pitted for wet tyres, while Adcock gambled on staying out, spotting clear skies. This bold call paid dividends; the Nova enjoyed clearer track, avoided further safety cars and thrived in the cooler conditions within its optimal performance window.
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Adcock spun exiting Crowthorne, allowing the rapidly closing Jeffries (gaining 20 seconds per lap) to snatch the lead with 1 hour 51 minutes remaining. Stuart White took the final stint in the leading Lamborghini, but disaster struck with a left-front puncture, followed by a right-rear blowout 52 minutes from the end. The two unscheduled stops cost the Into Africa team 70 seconds and any chance of victory.
Visser, taking the Nova controls for the final run, pulled away decisively from White. He set a scorching pace, shattering the Kyalami lap record on his penultimate lap with a 1:40,10 – one of six lap records he broke during that stint. The previous record (1:40,22) was held by Jonathan Thomas in the same Nova at the 2024 Nine Hours.
A jubilant Adcock stated: "It’s a rare, special day – pole, a lap record and the win. We’re over the moon. Full credit to Rico Barlow Racing; the car was prepped meticulously and ran like a Swiss watch. Charl did the heavy lifting and is really coming into his own. Into Africa pushed us hard again. It was nip and tuck until their puncture woes."
Behind the Rico Barlow, Into Africa and Stradale podium finishers, the Lategan father-son duo brought their SAC Commercial Parts Porsche home fourth overall. Hein Lategan's solid 80-minute opening stint paved the way for son Henk's 160-minute drive. Their consistent, trouble-free run earned them the Index of Performance and Class B victory in their season's first endurance outing.
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Fifth overall and second in Class B was the repaired G&H Audi (Giannoccaro brothers, Ant Blunden), finishing 29 laps behind the Lategans. The Blue Sands Mustang claimed sixth overall and third in Class B, delayed by repairs to a broken rose joint and shock absorber shortly after di Matteo took over from Familiaris.
Class C honours went to the Korridas Racing Volkswagen Golf GTi turbo (Bruno Campos, Sandro Alves, M. Da Silva), who battled the final 90 minutes stuck in third gear. The Franco brothers (Roberto and David) looked set for fifth overall and a comfortable Class C win until a broken battery cable forced their Volkswagen SupaPolo retirement just two laps from the finish.
Team Pesty retired their Backdraft Roadster with 67 minutes remaining due to a drivetrain issue. Marius Jackson also retired his Porsche after two collapsed shock absorbers; a repair was attempted, but he withdrew on safety grounds.
1-Hour Dash:
Charl Arangies dominated the 1-Hour Dash in his Vaal Fluid Systems Porsche 911 GT3R, impressively mixing it with the leading SA Endurance runners. "A fantastic weekend! No complaints. It was a hot scrap up front and great fun. Really happy," said the Vereeniging businessman.
Damian Hammond secured second place, 20 seconds behind, in the new Samlin Racing Liqui-Moly Mercedes-AMG GT3. "It's a steep learning curve. We've got improvements to make, but we'll return stronger next time. Keeping pace with Charl was positive. Our main goal was understanding the car better," Hammond explained.
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Andrew Horne achieved a remarkable third place in his Xena Chemicals Ligier-Honda JS49, starting from the pit lane. Horne missed qualifying due to an ECU issue and relied on a spare part sourced from Franco di Matteo's Ligier. The team's frantic repair work was rewarded with a podium finish.
Mo Mia claimed fourth in his Porsche 992.2 GT3 Cup car, ahead of Antonie Marx's Shelby CanAm in fifth. Wayne Roach started late in his Lamborghini after a pre-race oil leak discovery, completing only nine laps.
The championship moves to Zwartkops Raceway for the next round, the Four Hours of Zwartkops, scheduled for 10 and 11 October.
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