An unforgettable day of circuit racing
Motorsport
The smell of ethanol, tires, racing engines and excitement were tangible in the air at Tony Rust.
Windhoek Motor Club’s successful M Z Motors Speed Festival, held at the Tony Rust race track last weekend, was one of those events that will be fondly remembered by each of the participants and spectators.The visiting drivers from Cape Town and the Ford & Friends Club from South Africa made it an unforgettable competition.
Several participants said they had been looking forward to race in Namibia for several years.
The Capetonians, who mostly race at their well-known race track Killarney, initially described the track on Friday as difficult, tricky and rough. After the visitors had raced enough practice laps, they described the track as amazing and fun.
“This event was one for the books and part of my bucket list. There are not enough words to describe Namibia’s hospitality,” were sentiments echoed by quite a few of the visitors.
Melani Lambert (VW Scirocco) and Mia Bensch (BMW 328i) were two of the female guests who, along with Chané Havenga, added a different element to the competition.
Despite their best efforts, the track record of 61.608 seconds belonging to Mark Sternagel from Namibia could not be beaten by Mansoor Parker or Steven Heydenrych (both RSA) in the Super Car division.
Parker (BMW M3 Turbo), Heydenrych (Nissan Skyline R33 Turbo) and Zachary Martin (VW Polo) treated spectators to excellence and lightning fast chasing skills.
Louis Powell (Ford Escort MK1), Malcolm Uytenbogaardt (Ford Fairlane V8) and Martin Bensch (Ford Capri 3.0 l V6) showed that their Classic Cars are anything but old and cold.
Especially Uytenbogaardt’s roaring Fairlane was a big crowd pleaser. Powell won the first two races, but the showdown in the final races between Uytenbogaardt and Powell was one of ingenuity, brute force and years of experience. Powell had to play second fiddle in the last race.
Local drivers such as Martin, Ewald Bisschoff (Toyota Starlet 1.3 L Turbo), Hein Bisschoff (Chevy V8), Michel Rust (Volvo S40), Bazill van Rhyn (Audi TT), Marius van Zyl (VW Golf), Jan Everson (Opel Astra ), Charlton Morkel (VW Golf), Robbie Reschke (VW Golf MK1), Chane Havenga (Ford Fiesta), Craig Bisschoff (Toyota MR2), MP Pretorius (VW Polo), Marius van Zyl (VW Golf) and Matthew Strydom (VW Golf MK1) made their mark thoroughly.
The leading results (with best lap times, in seconds):
Classics
1 Louis Powell (76.22), 2 Malcolm Uytenbogaardt (76.12), 3 Martin Bensch (78.95), all from RSA.
Supercars
1 Mansoor Parker (SA) 66.02, 2 Zachary Martin (68.72), 3 Steven Heydenrych (SA) 66.49.
Clubmen
Class A: 1 Bazill van Rhyn 69.76, 2 Anwar Levy (SA, BMW M3 Turbo) 68.60.
Class B: 1 Gary Smith (SA, BMW 530i) 74.82, 2 Hein Bisschoff 74.43, 3 Michel Rust 73.49.
Class C: 1 Mia Bensch (SA) 75.36, 2 Gary Manwaring (SA, BMW 330i) 74.84, 3 Marius van Zyl 76.19.
Class D: 1 Jan Everson 78.43), 2 Charl Opperman (SA, VW Golf MK1) 79.12, 3 Matthew Strydom 79.52.
Class E: 1 Charlton Morkel 81.42, 2 Robbie Reschke 84.02.
Class F: 1 Chané Havenga 84.23, 2 Craig Bisschoff 84.09.
Class X: 1 MP Pretorius 68.89.
King of the Circuit
1 Mansoor Parker, 2 Bazill van Rhyn, 3 MP Pretorius.
• Watch the event: youtube.com/watch?v=iRZdgNAZhts
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