The Pretoria raceway lived up to its reputation as the premier destination for classic motorsport, with the Historic and Inland meeting drawing unprecedented numbers through the gates. The action kicked off in earnest on Friday afternoon and maintained its relentless pace until the chequered flag fell on Saturday evening.
The legendary V8 monsters provided the spectacle fans craved, with veteran campaigner Ben Morgenrood demonstrating that age is merely a number. The nearly 80-year-old pilot guided his Mustang to victory in a thrilling duel with Seef Fourie Jr.'s Mercury Cougar, while Mark du Toit claimed third in his Fairlane. Brother Jonathan's Chevy Nova, Jonathan Needham's Mustang, and Alistair Simpson's Capri Perana completed the top six. Morgenrood doubled up in the second heat, again fending off Fourie, with the du Toit brothers and the battling Needham and Simpson rounding out the order.
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The Little Giants category saw Ford domination, with Rob Beaumont's Escort leading home Jonathan Needham's Cortina and Djurk Venter's Escort for a clean sweep of the podium.
Legends of the 9 Hour Thrills
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Larry Wilford's Lola T70 coupe faced early pressure from Seef Fourie's V8 Astra before powering clear to win the opening Legends encounter. Mark du Toit's T70 roadster and Brad Beningfield's RNB prototype followed, with GT victor James Temple's Daytona Cobra edging Nicky Dicks' Porsche 911 RSR and the delayed Fourie. Wilford made light work of the second race, repeating his triumph over the du Toit brothers' Lola T70s, Temple, Dicks, and Fourie, as Beningfield slipped to eighth behind Andre van der Merwe's Porsche 911 RSR.
Evapco HRSA Sprint and Pursuit Delivers Drama
Nicky Dicks asserted his authority in the opening 34-car fray, piloting his Class B Porsche 911 RSR to victory. Class C winner Werner Kotze's Mazda R100 led the chase, followed by Andre van der Merwe's 911 RSR, Willem Botha's R100, and George Avvakoumides's third RSR entry. Jannie van Rooyen's Scirocco topped Class D, while Seef Fourie's Datsun 140Y dominated Class E, Mike O'Sullivan's Ballade took Touring Cars honours, and Johan Coetzer's Datsun Sunny triumphed in Class F. Johan van der Watt's Mercedes 280E and Dirk van Loggerenberg's Sentra claimed Classes G and H respectively.
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Botha's Mazda turned the tables in the second heat, overcoming Dicks, van der Merwe, and Avvakoumides, while most classes delivered repeat winners. Anton Booyens's Anglia broke the trend with a Class G victory.
Single Seater Supremacy
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Ian Schofield proved untouchable in the Historic Single Seaters, piloting his Reynard to commanding wins over Formula Ford rival Ryan Ludik's Titan. James Derbyshire's Lotus, Steve Venter's Van Diemen, and Ben van der Westhuizen's Royale engaged in a fierce battle for the remaining podium positions, ahead of Mike Hillary's Lotus 23B and Vee winner Michael Kernick's Capital.
The Dunlop ATS Lotus Challenge required three attempts to get the first race underway on Friday evening, but Mackie Adlem emerged victorious from the day's proceedings. Rudi Barnard claimed second overall with his race three victory, while Thomas Falkiner made a welcome return to the podium. Nick Hodgson secured Locost class honours.
Formula Monoposto and SuperVee Action
Formula Monoposto required a restart following an early red flag in race one, but Schofield completed his single seater double in commanding fashion aboard his Mygale S3. Allen Meyer's Formula VW and JM Gerber's Formula M shared the runner-up positions across the two heats, ahead of Josh Chaikin's Formula GTi Swift, Mikel Bezuidenhout's Shelby VSP, and Philip Belinghan's SuperVee Lantis.
Kosie van der Merwe made light work of the Liqui Moly SuperVee class, securing victory in race one from Tanya Breytenbach and Early B, before repeating the dose over Johan Espach and Jhuan Ekstein in the second encounter.
Clubmans and Production Car Battles
The 42-car Real Pro Clubmans, NSCC, MHCC and Trofeo race also fell victim to the red flags before Mikel Bezuidenhout's Shelby dominated both heats. Wessel Mostert's Class A BMW M3 Turbo, Werner Kotze's Class B Mazda R100, Ismael Peck's BMW 328i, and Willem Botha's Class C Tigra filled the top five in race one. Kotze survived the restart to claim second in heat two from Peck, Botha, and Rodney Kruis's Class D Ballade. Ferdi van Straaten's BMW won Class E, while Deon Schwabsky's Escort took MHCC honours from Johan Coetzer Sr.'s Class F Datsun 1200 GX and Henry Fourie's Class G Alfa Romeo Berlina.
SilverCup 2.0 Splits the Field
The Car Care Clinic SilverCup 2.0 entry was so substantial that organisers divided the field. Wessel Mostert's BMW M3 Turbo and Louis Cloete's Beetle shared the faster class victories, with JP Nortje's Golf and Johan Minnaar's Backdraft Cobra trading third-place finishes. Jonathan Visser's Polo claimed fifth overall from Theo Bohnen's Tigra and Zander Jacobs' Corrado.
Quentin Duvenage's Golf denied Christopher Tait's Polo in Class A, while Shane Grobler's BMW 330i took Class C. Marnus du Plessis's Nissan dominated the smaller class races ahead of Ronald van Rensburg's Golf and Gavin Botha's Tigra, though the second heat was also red-flagged. Donovan le Roux's Golf claimed Class C, with Jarryd-Lee Thomas's Corolla winning Class D.
Looking Ahead
Zwartkops now turns its attention to the unique Top of the Hill climb scheduled for Saturday 25 July, followed by the eagerly anticipated Zwartkonapolis 500 a month later. Regular programming resumes with the Northern Regions Extreme Festival on 12 September, before the Historic and Inland series returns on 26 September, culminating in the National Finals on 17 October.
Colin Windell for Colin-on-Cars in association with
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