The Historic Times - Historic Racing South Africa

The Historic Times
“Historics is Happiness”
June 2010
Volume 12, Issue 6
6-0, 6-0!!!!
Colin Ellison does it again! Colin entered
SIX races on Saturday in his number 80
Alfa Romeo and won his class in every
category, as he did in the previous event
at the same venue - proving a point
for this brand. Congrats Colin on your
achievement!
You can...START RACING TODAY - turn to page 16
Editor’s Corner
We received a lot of support and good
comment on our first supplement.
Thanks for your kindness.
After thanks one should follow with
an apology, so here goes. In the
learning process I assumed that
‘someone’ will forward the newsletter
to Peter Collings – not realising it had
to be me. So apologies to all members
who went onto the HRCR website to
read the newsletter and could not find
it. Now we know that the reason you
could not find it is because it was not
there.
Contents
Our Members write................................Page 4
Chairman’s Chirp................................... Page 6
It’s slippery out there!............................Page 8
Zwarties by Harry Lombard............... Page 11
Tech Talk by Werner Vonk.................. Page 15
Interest is growing in the new look Historic Times and many
members and non-members are seeking advertising space. This is
great and will enable us to produce more copies - for distribution
at various events, in waiting areas (such as tyre and other fitment
centres) and doctor waiting rooms. This will hugely boost our
sport and reward our advertisers.
We are starting a few new columns that we hope will raise reader
interest, these include: member comments, letters and a technical
advice column. We will also offer profiles on members, their businesses and their cars.
In the first of these we profile the Roberts machines – Mercedes
280 and 281 – the RVB business and their all new body panel
remanufacturing offer. This newest endeavour is quite an exciting
development and should be of interest to all our members. For
them it is a natural progression from the van body building that
they have been involved in for so long. They will soon produce
glass fibre replacement body parts with a big difference – you do
not have to pay and have a mould made first. You only pay for the
body part! Read more about this in this month’s news. This will
be of great help to all members who are battling to locate a part
or can not secure one. I for one will find it prohibitive if I had to
import a GT6 bonnet that two years ago cost R35 000 to land.
Start racing today................................ Page 16
Werner Vonk has kindly offered his services and will each month
produce a column on technical matters and of a helpful nature for
all our petrol heads. The first one appears his month.
On your marque, get set, GO!............ Page 20
You can participate in this column and others and can either offer
your knowledge, or, pose a question of a puzzling nature by writing to the editor. Your comments, questions and letters will be
published under the column “Our members write…..” The first is
one from Giuseppe Martini commenting on the insurance proposal in the previous edition.
Committe Contacts............................. Page 23
Marshalling at the World Superbikes Page 24
Fire in the bowl................................... Page 25
Results................................................. Page 25
Accolades............................................. Page 26
Roberts and Son Profile - RVB............ Page 28
Happy reading and contact me if you want a profile done on you
and your business. I would particularly love to hear from someone
who can secure large loans at very low interest………….
Our Members Write
Letters and replies to the Editor
Insurance
Hi Deon
Thanks for the HRCR Magazine - was reading the article on “self - insurance” and I believe that this is a VERY good
option and I for one would definitely participate - I do however think that we must also restrict the “insurance” to
something like:
• ONE incident per Driver per annum
• OR, maybe a MAX Value per annum
Or some other form of limitation, so as to ensure that the benefit is NOT abused and also not seen as a way of being
OVER reckless
Giuseppe
Editor: The insurance proposal has been under consideration since 2009 and we will add the comments to the other
considerations that include increased excesses for multiple incidents and even bonuses for no-claimers.
The costing of repairs were tested on a three examples where vehicles were sent to a preferred panel beater to test the cost and
the results. In each instance the results were very positive; the work was well done; completed quickly (in time for next event);
and, done at acceptable cost that suited the budget amounts. Even so it is envisaged that the member will not be restricted to
our preferred provider and will be granted the monetary equivalent and take the vehicle wherever he/she pleases.
We need more comments from other members to find out how they feel; and, to determine whether it is a worthwhile to
pursue. I will also accept verbal calls and comments on this matter.
To : The editor HRCR magazine,
Team Mercedes would like to thank everyone that joined the braai held after the races, as they all helped make it
a really fantastic evening. There were well over 120 people, showing us that the ‘after-braai’ is not only growing in
popularity but also that it might become an HRCR tradition. We would also like to thank Marian’s sister Martie,
who arranged the donation of beers, as well as the Vos family for their help with the braai packs and moving the
braai’s for us. We also need to give a special thanks to Howard from Valhalla Spar for the fantastic salads as well as
the donation of cold drinks and bread rolls. There was so much left over salad and rolls that we decided to donate it
to charity. It was donated to AMCARE in Alberton on the Sunday where it was greatly appreciated.
Thank you to everyone involved
Team Mercedes
Page 4
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Chairman’s Chirp
June 2010
We had good racing at Zwartkops, especially successful was
the combining of Pre-66 and
Pre-84 Sports and GT, with the
second heat being longer at 30
minutes. This experiment will
be continued at Midvaal with
a 1-hr Sports and GT event.
Throughout the categories
there was close and exciting racing.
We have been in discussion with MSA about the future status of
our championships. Their message to us was that they would be
able to more for us and provide us with more protection if we were
a regional championship. Your committee had been contemplating
whether a move back to Regional would be a good move, and this
has now convinced the committee that this would be a good move.
Accordingly, we will be writing to the Northern Regions to apply for
a change for next year. This will apply to Sports & GT and Saloons,
and not Marque Cars and Classic Thoroughbreds.
The success of the day however hides the problems which were evident leading up to the event, without the promoter doing his best to
prevent some of our members’ cars from participating on the day.
The behind the scenes dealings were hectic and at times ugly, and
totally unnecessary. This is the second race meeting in a row where
there were problems leading up to the event from the promoter.
While members enjoy racing at Zwartkops, from a committee perspective the behind the scenes hassles make it difficult for us to be
enthusiastic about putting on HRCR events at Zwartkops, and we
will be looking at reducing the number of events to be held there
next year.
Of concern to the committee though was the amount of oil being
dropped on the track. Walking through the pits large pools of oil
could be seen under some of the cars. The committee will be looking
out for the problem at future events, and any car found to be leaking
oil will be sent to the scrutineers for inspection, and possible exclusion from the rest of the day.
Members are requested to support our upcoming events. The first
of these is the sponsor day on the 20th June. Cars must have
a
passenger seat with seat belt fitted, and a spare helmet. Each
member participating in the day will receive R600 for petrol money.
The division chairmen will be contacting members to get them out
on the day. Please support us, as our sponsors are the life blood of
the Historic Tour. The next event is a static display at Brightwater
Commons of 4th July, please support this events as well.
We have also secured a stand at the Pretoria Cars on the Park to be
held at Zwartkops on 1st August.
The prizegiving has now been confirmed for Villa Bianca in Isando
on 30th October.
This year we decided to implement a more vigorous system
of
yellow cards. Any member receiving three yellows over
a period of three events will receive an automatic red card and be
excluded from participating in the following two events. This is an
attempt to try to reduce the number of incidents in our racing. Well,
the existence of the yellow card system has not stopped the number
of incidents from increasing, and we find for the first time a member
having
received three yellow cards, two at Midvaal and
one at Zwartkops. The committee has therefore decided to issue a
red card to Uli Sanne, and he will be banned from participating in
the next two HRCR events. Hopefully this will see members driving
more carefully in future.
Members are reminded that all incidents, no matter how minor,
are to be reported to the COC. We do find members not reporting
incidents in the hope of avoiding a yellow card, in the
eyes of the committee this is unacceptable. We are looking at ways
to prevent this in future, including re-introducing parc ferme after
every heat, or issuing an automatic red card if a member fails to report an
incident. The yellow card system requires honesty to
work properly, and failure to report incidents is a dishonest
action which requires sanction. Your cooperation is requested to avoid
us having to implement a more heavy-handed system. Members are
also reminded that while yellow cards are issued to all competitors
involved in an incident, the guilty party can admit his guilt thereby
removing the yellow card from the innocent party. Again, this is the
honourable thing to do.
Page 6
MOBILECTRIC
cc
Est. 1988
Auto Electrical repairs to all makes of cars
Alternators. Starters. Diagnostics. Lights. Alarms systems.
Electric Windows. Central Locking. Ignition Systems. Focus
Lights. Regas of Air Con. Dual Battery Systems.
All car Wiring and Lights + Trailer Wiring/Plugs/Lights. Overheating problems.
Re-wire of race cars
Building of race engines
Frank Copping
Unit 3, Stand 50
Liner Ave (near the Take Away)
Laser Park, Honeydew
Tel: (011) 794-1058
Email: [email protected]
y
r
e
p
p
it’s
i
l
S
out there!
On Saturday 29th May’s racing, many competitors complained about slippery
conditions out on track. Here’s some proof that it was slippery out there!
1
2
3
4
Clive Warren losing it in his Datsun
GX Coupe. No damage done, thank
goodness.
5
Guys, if you know that your car is leaking oil, PLEASE don’t go out on track.
Rather get it sorted out before taking it out on track again.
2
3
4
5
6
7
1
Alan Green having a bit of
a moment...how he missed
all the traffic is a miracle!
8
9
Photos courtesy of Barry Scott. Photography by Michelle Perry.
Page 8
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Zwarties
Unbiased personally opiniated text by Harry Lombard
When the fanbelt broke at the last meeting ,the engine
ran a bit hot.Because of this I decided that although the
oil in the car was still new,I would replace it anyway.I rechecked the tappets and found a few quite tight which
seemed unusual as there are normally a few loose.
With the Phakisa round being cancelled,it left us with ample off time. As there were a number of people that had
broken class,we thought of changing/adapting the class
times a bit. Some new times were worked on,although
the higher class times were not changed as such. At the
noggin however, there were a few unsatisfied customers
saying that we can’t change the times again-(we can
actually) and made some not very nice remarks. It was
suggested that we had changed this to only suit certain
people. We then decided to leave the times as is and
take this year then as a measure of ‘history’.
from Marque cars, Isi-Nissan, Meaker-Escort, Pienaar –SSS
although on this day more cripple S, Braun-Merc, TaylorCapri, Michelle and Mae-Escorts with Mae breaking
clutch cable, Cabrita-Alfa, Dennis Mc Beath-Renault ,
Danie-Beetle, Des Soekoe-Toyota, Andy Micouris-sticking
throttle SSS AND Brandon Soekoe-Toyota.
The new “APPY” C.O.C had ordered that there be no
passing until the start line had been passed by the
individual competitors, Ted had the Anglebox going
at a slow pace and there were no incidents as far as I
could establish. Getting to the table top, I notice the Anglia pouring out some smoke from underneath and think
that it is most likely to be an overfilled engine pumping out
some oil.
Unfortunately for some it has changed their classes and
others have been moved. From the first race until now-18
changes.
As there were races in Liggies on the 20th May for
Super saloons and others,Eugene with his Can-am asked
whether I would not accompany him ,which I did. He
had had a new motor built and had some suspension
work done.Leaving early on Saturday morning,when
we got to
Koster,
we found the road in very bad
condition as repairs has been started but not completed
and only one potholed lane open. We had to stand for 20
minutes to wait for traffic from the front.We got there as
their
qualifying was in progress. Everything after
this was at a leisurely pace.Their race was split up and
moved to later in the day.
© Dave Hastie
Coming around to the grid,we saw that the car was smoking and then discovered that the exhaust wrapping had
some oil on making it smoke as it warmed up. The start was
done twice dueto jumped start and after 4 laps he pulled
in with plenty fumes inside the car. We found the 5 liter
catch tank filled with oil. When the oil level was checked
later,it was found that the engine had too much oil. I
jacked up the car,drained some oil,lowered the car and
checked the level. I did this a few times untl the right level
was there. By the time we were ready, I discovered that
somebody had liked my cell phone and had “scored it”.
The second heat went better with a 16th place start,6th
overall finish and 3rd in class.
Filling our mirrors all of a sudden were Justin and Jimbo fighting each other with their Capri’s. Justin’s car having better brakes, ’new’ engine and wider rubber. The first 4 laps
the front bunch swopping positions all around the circuit.
Carel,Joe and Shaun trading places with Adams keeping them honest-himself having fitted a different gearbox
for better acceleration. Kevin was struggling with a slightly ill handling car and Anton and Mark were duking it out.
They pulled a slight gap on Colin’s Merc. Taylor, Braun,
Isi and Meaker kept each other honest
before Kevin
started pulling a slight gap. Mae was amongst this bunch
before the clutch cable let go and Michelle decided that
Mannny would work for his points for a change.
On the 29th getting to Zwartkops a little before 6,I found
some people waiting outside as the gate was still closed.
All necessary was dispatched in good time. Qualifying
started a few minutes late and left the E to G grid with
Ted on pole in his Anglia,followed by Sophos, GiuseppeAlfa’s, Willem –Fiat 131, Vonk-Escort-all5 below class time.
Then came Lombard-Beetle, Jimbo-Capri, Soares-Escort,
Adams-Merc, Kevin-Fiat 124, Shaun V NieuwenhuizenEscort, Ladner Capri V8, Carel-Datty, Glose-Mini-but
breaking clutch in process, Greenslade-Anglia-running so
fast that he had to be moved straight away, Anton VosDatty-also breaking class, Colin Kean-Merc joining
On the 5th lap Ted’s car had pumped all it’s oil onto the
circuit before the clapping started in the motor. Having
outbraked Willem’s 131 for the umpteenth time coming
down the hill ,Lombard got a nice run into the pit straight
and found Sophos and Giuseppe, going a bit slowly
behind Ladner. Seeing an opportunity, the bug swerved
to the left to pass the 2 Alfas and as it pulled next to the
rear Alfa, the driver decided to pass the other one and
donged the bug on the right front fender,almost putting
it into the wall. Going through turn 2, the butt of the Bug
suddenly steps out –possibly in the Anglia’s oil and it spins
towards the inside causing a major dust cloud and losing
Page 11
about 11 seconds in the process. Once the others had
passed ,it was time to try and get forward and it finished
in 11 th overall.
Jimbo got a puncture after 1 lap and retired and
Greenslade retired of 2 laps. Ladner had his hands full with
the 2 Alfas chasing him down while pulling a gap on Vonk
snr. Armstrong Carel and Shaun were giving each other
head-aches, while Soares was pedaling to stay ahead of
Adams. Kean in the meantime got ahead of Kevin, Anton
and Meaker, while Braun had Isi to contend with Manny
in the meantime pulling gap on Michelle .Brandon this
time around got his car going properly. Just when Justin
though all was well, fate stepped in and showed him the
long finger and he retired with a puncture. Lombard had
his work cut out trying to make up positions again and
passed Kean on the last lap to finished 9th overall.
Sophos scored the win ahead of Martini, Vonk, Shaun,
Carel, Kevin, Soares, Adams,L ombard, Kean, Anton, Kevin, Meaker, Isi, Braun, Cabrita, Michelle, Brandon and last
classified finisher Ladner. Class was broken by Sophos and
Meaker.
© Dave Hastie
The final result was Ladner winning-his first as far as I knowfrom Martini, Pantazis, Jimbo, Vonk, Pretorius (with expired
clutch), Carel, Shaun, Joe, Adams, Lombard, Armstrong,
Anton, Mark, Kean, Kevin, Braun, Isi, Meaker, Cabrita, Michelle, Mae. Non –Finishers were Ted, Both Soekoe with
hot engines, Danie with a broken gearbox and Herman
with a cutting out motor. Classes broken were Justin and
Anton.
The second heat was something like we had at Liggies
a few years ago; Ready Steady, Stop- Quite a few guys
locked brakes as to not hit anybody as the lights stayed
on and the front guys stopped. When they did go out,
it caught most off gaurd. This time around the bug
decided to try and get forward sooner than later, went
onto the tabletop three abreast with the Merc and Escort
of Shaun and promptly threw it away going around the
right hander before the downhill. Trying to get out of the
way, the Merc of Adams decided to help the bug off the
circuit and side-swiped it. Damage at this stage to the bug
are broken fibre fender, lip of the rim bent open against
the tyre,possible bent hub and sideshaft. The Merc has
damage to the rear door and the piece just in front of the
wheel arch.
© Dave Hastie
The A to D race had the ex Wesbank cars in the group and
Willie Hepbrun planted his Opel Rekord on pole Followed
by Odendaal-Golf, Ellison-Alfa, Ubsdell-Escort, Phil Pantazis-240Z, Lobb snr-Fiat, O’Reily-Nissan, Divov-Scirocco, John
Mac-Nissan, Van Niewnhuizen snr-and Gert Botes-Escorts,
Uli-2002, Alan Green-Escort, Cindy-Renault, Werner VonklEscort, Louis Cloete-Beetle, Chris Davison-Opel Superboss ,Louw-Nissan, Barry- Escort, Nortman-Toyota, Martin
Botha-Nissan, Mike Roberts-Merc, Theo van Vuuren-2002,
Ash Lobb-131, Norman Poulter-SSS, Alan Poulter-Cortina
Perana, Wayne Wetton-Rattax, Neal Wetton-Escort-problematic BDG, Nick Sheward-Capri, The shared Datty of
Parker/Warren and Colin Green-Mazda 323. Jannie van
Rooyen was a no-show on the day as he was not feeling too good. Cloete pulled off when the grooved part
of a valve that holds the cotters broke off, luckily without
sucking the valve and destroying the motor.
When the lights went off Willie gave his horses free reign
and they buzzed off ahead of the pack. He was followed by Ellison, Ubsdell, Neal, Phillip and Divov had
his hands full with Neil, Cindy and Mark and behind
them Uli was fighting with the Escorts of Vonk, Botes, van
Nieuwenhuizen and Louw in the Nissan. John Mac was
close on their heels with Martin ‘s Datty having Alan Iin his
blue Escort for company. Norman was slowly making up
positions and Wayne and Alan had the citrus colours flying. Davison, Dennis, Barry and Wentzel had their quartet
on song with Theo not far behind being kept company
by Ash and Mike’s Merc. Sherward slotted in between
them with the Parker/Warren Green Mamba Nissan trailing along with Green.
After 3 laps first Warren retired,then Neal when the BDG engine spat out the cam ‘plug’ at the back of the head- the
2nd in 2 days and Cindy retired after 5 laps.The big scrap
between Uli,John Mac and van Nieuwenhuizen had some
repercussions when Uli pushed John wide coming into the
pit straight and then promptly almost put van Nieuwenhuizen into the wall.Going into turn 2 Uli claimed the Peter
braked,as did he and John then hit the 2002.This broke the
radiator in the Nissan and bent the front valance,putting
John out.I believe Video footage afterwards showed that
Sanne’s speed was too high through the corner,making
him brake.His reward from the C.O.C was a yellow card
and I believe it’s his second and a red as result.The big
scorer here was Gert driving hard and keeping it on the
black stuff.
Page 12
The result being Hepburn at an idle followed by Ellison,
Phil, Rodney, Mark, Neil, Norman, Alex, Gert, Werner,
Uli, Pieter,Louw, Martin, Green, Wayne ,Alan, Dennis,
Barry,Wentzel, Davison, Ash, Nick, Mike, Colin and last 2
classified finishers, Jon Mac and Theo.
The final result was Willie from Odendaal followed
by
Ellison- only 3 cars that did 10 laps. Next up was
Phil, Neil,Mark, Alex, Green, Botes, Vonk, Botha, van Nieuwenhuizen, Alan, Nortman, Louw, Theo, Davison, Parker,
Sheward, Ash, Green-Mazda, Ubsdell and John Mac.
The second heat had disaster for Norman as the
Nissan just died and would not restart. Other non-starters
were,Uli,Cloete,Neal and Wayne.
While all and sundry were busy packing up, I was waiting for results –which took a while to be published the
whole day and talking to a few people. The trophies were
very nice and the Roberts clan made a nice braai which
I
unfortunately could not attend although I did take my
ordered braai packs.
An invitation race has been laid on for Liggies and I
would suggest not going via Koster because of the bad
condition of the roads.
© Dave Hastie
With the start Willie sped off into the distance being chased
by the Odendaal Golf and Ellison. On the second lap
Louw had some brainfade going into the sweep and spun
sideways across the track. The Merc went right and over
the curbing cracking the gearbos, Scott went left and in
the process the Escort’s right fender flare got broken. The
Merc retired after 5 laps and Scott after 6. Lobb was keeping Phil honest while Mark was following a slight distance
behind. What would have made a person think about a
knock shop was the parade of Escorts of van Nieuwenhuizen, Vonk, Green, Botes being interrupted by Botha’s
Day and pushed along by Alan’s Perana.Nortman and
Theo were driving their level best to try and stay ahead
of a recovering Louw. Davison was out on his own and
Parker was dicing with Serward. Ash was staying ahead of
Green’s Mazda. Dennis retired the Dauphine after 6 laps.
The last two finishers were Ubsdell who pulled off when the
water temp got too high and John Mac as well.
© Dave Hastie
© Dave Hastie
Page 13
1981 Mercedes-Benz 280SL. Everyday classic
with hard and soft top. 234 000km. Excellent
condition with rare 4-speed manual. Thistle
Green with beige interior. R119 500.
2000 Mercedes-Benz CLK 430. Very good
condition. Black leather interior with all the
modern day creature comforts. 119 000km.
R199 000.
2006 Mercedes-Benz E280. 97 000km. Full
Service History. Automatic, Steering controls,
E/W, C/L, Executive’s car with aircon, ABS,
Airbags, all the bells & whistles. R259 700.
1979 Mercedes-Benz 450SLC. Legendary V8
with bullet proof auto. Your next historic racing
car? If you don’t believe us Google “Mampe
Mercedes Benz”. 248 000km. R59 900.
1996 Mercedes-Benz C180 Sport AMG. Vey
rare car. White with black upholstery. Sporty
interior and original Becker radio. Light on fuel.
Manual gearbox. 215 000km. R49 900
1995 Mercedes-Benz SL500. Good clean car
with the convenience of an electrically operated
hard drop top. Serious bang for your buck
performance and style. 132 000km. R159 000.
1971 Mercedes-Benz 280SL Pagoda. A real
collectable that keeps appreciating in value
while remaining very driveable. Hard and soft
top, e/w, p/s. R595 000.
1990 Mercedes-Benz 560 SEC. One owner
luxury sporting coupe. Leather seats, electric
windows, power steering, all the accoutrements. 126 000km. R139 500.
1987 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3 16V. Cosworth
internals from the factory. Iconic 1980s sports
saloon. Light, nimble, a real giant killer. Top
drawer condition. 112 000km. R139 950.
Tech talk Part 1
The Particular case of the large Sedan
By Werner Vonk
The majority of the racing cars being raced in the Historic Register are sedans, based more or less on production
street machines. In many cases the degree of removal from stock configuration is extreme, but they are still modified
production cars. There are several reasons why this is so.
First, the public is willing to pay money to watch cars race that
they can identify with, as long as the racing is close! A second reason is because racers, or beginners, are led to believe that getting
into production sedan racing is an economical form of racing…..it
is NOT! I do not know much about the rest of the production racing
scene, besides Historic Saloon cars, so I will cover only the relevant
info to our applications. In this article I will have a overall look at
the
shortcomings of these machines and will in future articles
break them down into more detail. In any form of sport one needs
to understand the problem before action can be taken to fix it….so
here we go!
This does not mean everybody has to go out and challenge all of them
to the limit.
Production based racing cars have a number of inherent
disadvantages, all having to do with the purpose for which the base
vehicle was designed. Fortunately production based cars normally
compete against other production based cars and the disadvantages
cancels out ( unless you get a Hepburn Opel competing against almost street legal cars) However we need to know what these deficiencies are so that we can solve the problem. Production based racers are large, heavy and cumbersome. They are therefore very hard
on brakes and tires. They lack tensional rigidity, feature high center
of gravity
locations and high polar moment. Their suspension
is designed to provide passenger comfort on the freeway and to under steer under any and all conditions. The body features little if any
down force and gobs of drag. They come standard with inadequate
brakes and non adjustable suspension. They are hard to work on and
are made up of hundreds of very heavy parts. They also are very expensive to modify to get any real good speed out of them.
In the following issues I will handle topics such as, brakes,
suspension (front and rear, steering etc), body (weight reduction,
roll cages, etc), racing tire, shock absorber and so on. There are books
written in immense detail about these topics and I do urge racers to
go and buy them, most importantly is to read them as well!! I will
merely get the wheel turning, until the next time.
Which brings me to the point why I have decided to write articles
for the Historic times. We all race in the register to have a hobby
and most importantly to have fun. I will try to write the articles on
such a way that all members, no matter what age….. understand
the
principles and to start getting the imagination working and
improving the working condition of cars. I will be as clear and technically correct as my intellect allows me to be, but will probably step on
some toes, I apologize in advance!
None of the above really matters .Sedan racing is good racing and
a lot of people, for their own reasons prefer it to other forms. The
type of vehicle involved is, after all, secondary. Racing is a contest
between men, and not machine, and hard work and good engineering will produce a superior open wheeler or sports racing car or a
Historic Saloon.
More than in any other form of racing, sedan racing is a battle of
reading and interpreting the rules…with or without your glasses.
You must read the regulations until you know them –in detail,
and understand the terminology. The basic problem is that virtually nothing except the rear brake lights are good enough in stock
configuration to go racing with so given the regulations with a financial restriction leaves you with a lot of the stock or original parts.
Which will leave one with no choice to have a well prepared car…
not an expensive car! Using the rules where it is difficult to identify
the modifications-like cleverly hidden or covered suspension pivots
instead of rubbers bushes.
Areas that are easy enough to find, but difficult to measurelike
minor shifts in suspension pivots or engine locations. It
is also
important to realize that the average tech inspector is
not a
dummy…..but there is always a loop hole in production
car rules. Given the nature of Historic racing, we have models of all
shapes and sizes and this leaves the rules fairly open.
Page 15
Start racing today!
By Derik Hattingh
Many guys (and many gals these days) at one point in their life, dream of owning a race car- we all have this inbuilt
competitive need for speed. Unfortunately, if you don’t start out at a young age in karting or something similar, your
chances of reaching the top tiers of racing in South Africa is virtually impossible. There is an alternative though –
racing on the streets at great peril, or, Historic Racing - safe racing on race tracks.
This relatively affordable form of motorsport is the perfect platform to get your adrenaline kick, all in a safe and
controlled environment. Here’s a little informative guide (not exhaustive though, I’m only covering basics here) on
how to get started in a fun and reasonably priced form of motorsport.
1. License
Motorsport South Africa (MSA) governs all forms of motorsport in
South Africa. It is essential to get your racing license from MSA to
be able to participate in historic racing. There are two ways of doing this: going through to the MSA offices in Kyalami, or getting
your license done online, via the MSA website. It’s also critical to
know which license to get. A Club or Regional license is sufficient for
Historic Racing.
There are plenty cars out there that qualify for historic racing. Some
of the more popular examples include Mk.I and Mk.II Ford Escorts,
Datsun GX Coupes and Sedans, Minis (pre BMW models), VW
Beetles, MGB GT/Roadster and a plethora of Alfa Romeos and Fiats.
Anything goes, as long as the first example of the particular model
was built before 1978. The beloved Volkswagen Golf doesn’t qualify
though, as production of the car only ceased in 2009 – disqualifying
it as a historic vehicle. There are other forms of racing available for
the VW Golf.
Most of these historic cars (bar the likes of Porsche and co) can be
purchased for less than R30 000 and parts are still readily available
and easy to find.
2. Decide in which category you want to take part
in
There’s a multitude of categories that form up the
Historic
Racing series. Deciding which event to take
part in will determine the amount of modification necessary to the
vehicle. In historic
racing, there are many categories, which
include Sports & GT, Historic Saloons, Historic Single Seaters, Legends of the 9 Hour and Marque cars.
In this article I’ll be focusing on Marque car racing, as it’s the
category that demands the least amount of modification to get the
car race ready (Except if you buy a car that is already prepared for
another class of historic racing.) It is a handicap race – meaning
that slower cars start first. This is a great place to start as complete
novice race drivers have an equal chance of winning a race as the
seasoned veteran. It is also exciting and provide a lot of passing
opportunity. This is the best place for the novice and because the car
must be
registered you can even come racing with your road
car, if it suits the age category.
1981 VW Scirocco in original body shape
3. A car
Obviously, this is quite essential to taking part in MOTORSPORT.
To involve yourself in historic racing, you also need a “historic” car.
This is just a polite way of saying that you need a car that was built
before 1978. For the sake of this article, I’ll use my own car as an
example – a 1981 VW Scirocco. “A ha, it wasn’t built before 1978”
you say. Wrong. The Mk.I Scirocco started production in 1974 and
the bodywork remained unchanged until 1982, when it was replaced
with the Mk.II. Although my Scirocco is a 1981 model, it qualifies
as a historic racing vehicle because production of the vehicle (in an
overall unchanged cosmetic state) started in 1974.
4. Modifications
As with any form of motorsport, the primary center of attention is
to make this sport as safe as possible. You might at some point feel
that the rules are outright ridiculous but these are all there to serve
you and keep you (and other competitors) safe. For the scope of this
article, I’ll focus on Marque car racing. Once again, this article only
serves as a basic outline of what is necessary to get yourself involved
in historic racing, and complete regulations can be downloaded from
the HRCR website at www.hrcr.co.za.
Page 16
Cars partaking in Marque car racing must remain as “original”
as possible regarding engine, braking, gearbox and suspension
modifications. The interior of the vehicle must remain in tact –
meaning that the roof lining, seats, carpet and door panels can’t be
removed. The driver’s seat must be substituted for an approved “racing” seat.
LEFT: Electrical cutout switch
located on the outside of the
vehicle.
Marque cars aren’t required to have a roll cage (only once the driver
has signed an indemnity form) but it is advisable to have one installed. A racing harness/seatbelt is to be installed, this has to have
a minimum of four points with a 3” belt width and must conform to
FIA specifications. A pricing breakdown can be found at the bottom
of this article.
RIGHT: “Racing” seat with
FIA approved 3” harness.
Tyres are quite critical to the performance of your car on track. Semi
slick tyres are allowed but full slicks are not. There are also some (myself included) who use road tyres for racing.
5. Historic Technical Passport (HTP)
This is an important tool to be able to take part in historic racing. The historic technical passport is your car’s “certificate of
eligibility”. It serves to show that your car is fit to partake in historic
racing and must be checked and signed by a Technical Committee
member. Once your car has been checked and is signed off, it is ready
to take on the track. The HTP is renewed each year.
Interior unchanged, except for the addition of a
roll cage and driver’s side “racing” seat.
Price Breakdown
I purchased my VW Scirocco as a complete race car for R35000. There
are many race ready examples available but if you want to build a
car from scratch, here’s what you need. Most of these items can be
purchased from specialized motorsport stores like ATS Motorsport
or 1st Race. Prices given below are estimates. Phone the relevant
motorsport supply store for a complete quote.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Engine modifications are allowed but must remain within the
confines of the Regulations provided by the historic racing governing body. The complete list can be found on HRCR’s website – www.
hrcr.co.za.
A historic racing car must also have a cut out switch connected to the
car’s electrical system, so that marshal’s can cut off a car’s ignition
and electrics if need be. These must be located on the outside of the
vehicle and must be clearly marked.
Also, tow hooks are to be located on the front and rear of the vehicle
and have to be clearly marked with “Tow” markings directly above
the position of the tow hooks.
Fire Extinguisher: +- R300
Racing Harness: +- R2500 (make sure it’s FIA approved)
Racing seat: +-R1000 (doesn’t have to be FIA approved but is
advisable)
Roll cage: +-R4500 (depending on which roll cage you choose.
A Bolt in roll cage is more expensive than a welded in roll cage)
Tyres: +-R900 per tyre (depending on size. The smaller the tyre,
the cheaper the price)
Electrical cut out switch: +-R500
Racing suit, boots and gloves: +-R3000
In conclusion, motorsport needn’t be expensive. With such racing
series’ as historic racing, it has become possible for almost anyone
with a few rands, a qualifying car and a passion for motorsport to
get involved with motor racing and live out their childhood dream!
This article was written to answer the basic questions people ask,
who want to get involved in historic racing. It is in no way a complete and comprehensive commentary of how to get involved but
covers the fundamentals. There are many people in the historic racing
society who have been involved with racing for years
and are more than willing to answer your questions and help you get
involved in racing. Why not join our next event and have a look for
yourself what it’s all about?
Page 17
www.e-surance.co.za
for free online Life Insurance, Short Term Insurance and Income Protection quotes.
take a break and plan your future
FREE
INSTANT
ONLINE
On your marque...
...get set...
By Deon Hattingh
GO!!
We did not receive articles from our regular contributors and after being inspired by the Harry Lombard article on
the saloon racing decided to write an article from a driver perspective. Yes, it is true – not only did I start a race but
actually completed not one but both races.
Last year Derik and myself shared the number 64 red Triumph GT6,
him in the marque car races and me in the Sports and GT. The car
was not reliable and we broke 5 sideshafts. After some valuable
technical info from Jerry Spaans we specified a new metal and made
sure the hub fitted the spines on the shaft exactly. Even though it
loosened again it did not break. Talking about break, see the notes
on brake with a different spelling below.
After Derik’s move to the Scirocco, I decided to complete 2010 in
Marque car racing, get the car sorted and hopefully add S&GT to
the events next year. This was only my second marque car race and
is really a lot of fun. In S&GT I was normally left on the grid and
only passed by other competitors, never able to pass others with
the slowest car in the field – sometimes in the fifth lap already.
In the first marque race on Saturday I passed and repassed 13 cars,
found to be a very enjoyable form of racing. One had to be very
careful to avoid the many other cars and to prevent the dreaded
yellow card. As far as can be determined there were no yellow cards
issued to any of the marque cars, a real feat if one considers how the
24 cars started bunching up from the third lap onward. For 5 laps
we saw some good racing and virtually every driver involved with
one or more battles.
The day did not start well when red 64 qualified ahead of Kevin
Taylor (thus behind him on the handicap pull away), never seeing
him again, as suspected. Behind was Colin Kean, whom I never saw
again either. The best racing was with Isi (Datsun) and we passed
and repassed some 3 or 4 times, before finally getting away from
him. On lap 6 I finally met up with Derik (now in a Scirocco) and
Buck Madden (in the very rare Isuzu Bellet GT coupe) – driving
three abreast down the main straight and thinking at that moment
“this is racing”. On the same lap I caught up with Bob Thompson
(MG B GT) on the table top and when clearing the way for a very
fast Porsche (Botha) and Alfa (Martini) and nearly taking Bob’s
nose off when moving to the left. Reason, no left mirror.
© Barry Scott
I have since ordered one and will have it fitted by the next event.
Thanks Bob for some really cool avoiding moves, for accepting my
apology, and, having cost you 5 places in the race. The man was not
lying and after a 12th in the first heat drove to a worthy 2nd in the
second heat.
The hard chasing Kevin Taylor (Capri) came third and could not
catch Michelle Perry (2nd in the Escort) and birthday boy (age too
old to publish) Peter MacIldowie in the MG B GT in first place. The
red 64 GT6 came in 7th, having passed Willie Grobler and Andrew
Thompson on the main straight before the line – yet placed 9th.
Remember this next time: At Zwartkops the timers are ahead of
the finish line. If you are unhappy with the result you have 30 minutes to object. I did not, being elated to finally finish a race. This
will, however, be brought to the notice of the promoters for future
events.
© Barry Scott
Page 20
The other top 10 in the first heat were: Willis (4th), Botha, Martini,
Grobler (Lotus 23), Thompson, Hattingh, Armstrong. Oom Willie
Grobler in the Lotus is amazing and is past 70 and still racing.
The red 64 is not good on brakes (a possible understatement) and
when mentioned in a conversation, where Dave Wray was present,
how one needed to stomp on the brakes he remarked that ‘you
never stomp on brakes’ but also remember he never drove the GT6.
The brakes faded during the race to the extent that there was very
little pedal action left for the second heat. The car (and driver)
faded badly in the second heat. By the way, Dave’s business is called
Car and Driver cc.
In the second heat it was Kevin Taylor, from Bob Thomson, and
Quentin Willis (Escort). Quentin can drive and finished 4th in the
first heat – showing the okes from Gauteng how the boys from KZN
do it. Isi was 5th (always strong in the second heat) behind Justin
Armstrong (Datsun GX), then Martini, Kean, Grobler, Perry and
Botha.
There is growing interest in this event that again attracted 17 different brands and models of cars – repeats going to the MG (3) and
Escorts (4).
So, the 2010 upgrade of the GT6 will include a left door side mirror
and improved brakes.
© Barry Scott
© Barry Scott
© Barry Scott
© Barry Scott
Birthday boy!
© Barry Scott
© Barry Scott
Page 21
Old Oom Willie
Hyundai Roodepoort - (011) 768 0766
Corner of CR Swart & Ontdekkers Roads, Roodepoort
Committee Contacts
Chairman
Barry Scott
083 325 0854
[email protected]
Vice Chairman
Peter Lindenberg
082 468 0500
[email protected]
Club Secretary
Tracy Cilliers
Treasurer
082 330 3446
Hedley Whitehead
[email protected]
[email protected]
Chairman of Marque Cars
Chairman of Saloon Cars
Howard Nel
083 657 2845
Alan Poulter
[email protected]
[email protected]
Chairman of Sports & GT
Mike Altona
082 8921380
Chairman of Classic Thoroughbred Saloons
082 728 2265
Nick Sheward
[email protected]
083 299 3090
[email protected]
Editor
Deon Hattingh
083 440 7070
[email protected]
Competition Secretary
Harry Lombard
084 385 6632
[email protected]
Page 23
Marshalling for the World Superbikes
By Barry Scott
How do motorsport competitors see track marshals? Just as part of the track furniture, or as indispensible role
players in ensuring the safety of competitors participating in motorsport?
To be honest, I never gave the marshals too much thought. I sort of knew they had an important role to play, but
never gave it too much thought.
Having raced for a while now, Michelle and I decided it was time
to put something back into the sport, and offered our services as
volunteer marshals for the World SuperBike races held at Kyalami
recently. World Super Bike riders are amongst the top twenty riders
in the world, riding some of the fastest motorbikes around. Top
speeds reached at Kyalami are 260 kph, although at tracks with longer straights these bikes can reach speeds of 300 kph. Maximum engine size is 1200cc.
The start of the main race
And the reward? Well, marshals do not get paid, so they don’t do
it for the money. Yet it is very rewarding, there is no other way to
get as close to the action as the marshals do. Throw in the best bike
riders in the world, on some truly awesome machinery, that was
reward enough for me. And, of course, don’t forget the beautiful
free orange shirt!
And my view of marshalling now? Simply, without them, we could
not race. Surely, they are the unsung heroes of motorsport.
Michelle and Barry in their marshalling kit
On the Friday and Saturday, the practice and qualifying days, our
job was mainly to be flag marshals on Turn 2. Because these were
practice days, there was much blue flag waving to be done. The only
crash on these days on our corner was when a Portuguese rider
crashed, and I had to help recover his bike. Although the bike was
pretty trashed, it was good to see him getting is repaired in time for
the races on Sunday. Recovering the bike from the edge of the track
with the rest of the competitors flying past you just metres away
was quite an adrenalin rush.
All competitors should do it some time, even if just to understand
what they do!
On race day we were asked to move to Turn 1, which is a flat out
corner at the end of the main straight. The bigger bikes enter this
corner at 260 kph. It is a truly awesome experience standing only
5 metres away from a bike going past you at this speed. Our big
excitement of the day was when a rider fell in front of us doing
about 220 kph, however his momentum was so great that he slid a
full 150 metres and only came to rest in Turn 2, so we didn’t have to
clear up the mess. The bike, valued at R1 million, was comprehensively destroyed, but amazingly the rider got up and walked away.
Having now marshalled for three days, I now have a very healthy respect for marshals. It is very hard work standing next to the track,
in the blazing sun, for three days. When there are competitors on
the track, marshals may not sit, and there are very few breaks. After
three days we were exhausted.
Page 24
Ducati 1200cc World Superbike
There is a fire in the bowl.
By Deon Hattingh
I was dreading to hear these words being transmitted across the radio. The bowl was not the one that holds my
cereal in the morning but the one at the bottom of the mine shaft at Kyalami.
It was the weekend of Superbike racing and the Saturday afternoon.
The organisers decided on Friday to create a new extra flag position
for the event at the 100 m marker for turn 12 (the bowl), in the
sweep after the mine shaft. Each of the marshalling points on turn
11 and 12 then nominated a marshal from each turn to man the
new flag position. There had to be two per flag stand.
Deon was now fearing the dreaded call “There is fire in the bowl and
Superpole is to be red flagged”. What might have followed could be
“will the COC please arrange and investigation”. Images conjure up
of a TV interviewer asking “ so tell us what happened?” Deon was
now really bang.
It was a great position to watch the mad bikers from and helped
hopeful drivers to learn some tips from the real professionals. The
two men nominated for the position was Paul and Deon and they
gallantly performed their weekend’s duties.
Paul did not only have the pipe but also a much cherished flask of
coffee. “Paul, where is your coffee?” Deon asked, realising that this
was the only liquid around. He offered the flask and Deon summarily poured the balance of coffee onto the flames, fortunately
bringing it under control. Paul was aghast at the loss of the last of
his precious coffee.
There was a long break before Superpole started on the Saturday
afternoon. The two aging flag bearers rested their feet and took a
smoke break. Paul battled in the wind to get his pipe going. Each
time the match blew out before the tobacco was lit. Or was it?
Superpole was completed successfully and was again dominated by
the Ducattis, not of Haga this year but of Fabrizio and Checa.
The whistle blew and we knew it was 5 minutes to Superpole. The
head marshal visited his outpost to determine that all was fine. He
arrived and said to Paul “You are on fire”. “No, I am smoking” Paul
replied.
On Sunday morning Paul arrived having sacrificed the safety
matches in favour of a safety lighter and hid his flask of coffee far
from Deon’s prying eyes and greedy clutches.
By this time Deon had started jumping on flames in the grass, trying to prevent the fire spreading under the barriers and into the
tyres of the tyre wall. The tyre wall was enhanced for the event with
highveld dried straw bales. The Superbikes were on track for the
first of the Superpoles. There are three in total. Smoke appeared
among the tyres.
Results - 29 May 2010
Nashua Mobile Saloon Cars
Class B
Class C
Class D
1. Colin Ellison - 1970 Alfa Romeo GT Junior
1. Phillip Pantazis - Datsun 240Z
1. Alex Divov - 1974 VW Scirocco
2. Neal Wetton - 1969 Ford Escort
2. Neil Lobb - Fiat
2. Gert Botes - 1968 Ford Escort
3. Mark O-Reilly - Datsun
3. Werner Vonk - 1969 Ford Escort
Class E
Class F
1. Sophos Pantazis - 1972 Alfa Romeo GTV
1. Anton Vos - 1972 Datsun GX
2. Giuseppe Martini - 1972 Alfa Romeo GTV
2. Kevin Taylor - 1972 Ford Capri GT
3. Willem Vonk - 1977 Ford Escort
3. Iain Meaker - 1973 Ford Escort
Page 25
Results - 29 May 2010
Nashua Mobile Marque Cars
1. Kevin Taylor - 1972 Ford Capri GT
2. Quentin Willis - 1970 Ford Escort
3. Michelle Perry - 1977 Ford Escort 1600
Accolades
Throughbred Saloons
Nashua Mobile Saloons
Car & Driver of the day - Chris Davison in a Opel Kadett Superboss
Driver of the day - Giuseppe Martini
Nashua Mobile Marque Cars
Car of the day - Iain Meaker’s Ford Escort
Driver of the day - Quentin Willis
Car of the day - Peter McIldowie’s MGB GT
Page 26
Historic Racing Car Show & Shine
The Brightwater Commons - 4th July 2010
Roberts and Son Profile
The Business - RVB
The legacy starts with father Selwyn. After spending time with various motor manufacturers he later joined a commercial body builder. When they closed their doors Selwyn and Mike decided to start RVB in September 1997 and
the business was initially geared primarily for on-site repairs to commercial vehicle bodies and trailers. The Company comprised of a staff of 5 including Selwyn and Mike Roberts.
The business proved to be very successful and soon grew to a staff
of 12 with the focus moving away from on-site repairs to a more
workshop based operation. With the emphasis on service RVB
developed a loyal customer base which insisted upon RVB manufacturing new commercial bodies.
With the inclusion of new truck and trailer bodies RVB has grown
from strength to strength over the years to where it is today. RVB
today employs in excess of 40 staff, and has an average monthly
turn over which has grown to approximately R1 200 000-00. RVB
currently supplies bodies to various Toyota, Nissan, Isuzu, MAN,
Mercedes and Mitsubishi dealers.
The product range is extensive & includes the following:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Aluminium van bodies
Chromadek van bodies
Curtain side bodies
Drop side bodies
Insulated bodies
Pantechnicon trailers
•
•
•
•
•
•
Curtain sided super links
Curtain sided semi trailers
Mobile display units
Flat deck bodies
Insulated bodies
Draw-bar trailers
Expansion that include a beneficial new product line –
T R Fibre.
A couple of years ago it became necessary to produce moulded
fiberglass truck body fairings (wind deflectors). A GRP moulding
divisions was started but is under utilised. The Roberts were wondering how they could fill the capacity of this division and being the
racing enthusiasts they are, soon looked at opportunities there.
This lead to venturing into the production of race car body parts
and whilst still in it’s infancy, some skins have been pulled off
moulds quite successfully. It is clear that there is definitely a need
for GRP race car body panels.
The GRP mould division will soon be separated from RVB and will
in future function as a Fibre glass parts manufacturer. They will
assist all racers in South Africa to assist with hard to replace body
panels for their cars. This fills a very big void when owners of damaged cars are finding it increasingly difficult to find replacement
parts for cars – some out of production for more that 40 years.
RVB also supplies various end users, such as:
• National brands limited – Curtain bodies, van bodies & trailers
• Atex computer moving - Computer handling van bodies
• Kwikot geysers – Trailer repairs
• Lonmin Platinum mine – Explosive transporter trailers
• Bid-Air services – Specialised aircraft cleansing units
• GLV – Drop side bodies and van bodies
The strongest value addition of this new venture is that you do not
have to go into very expensive mould production first before being
able to manufacture a body part. At their expense they will produce
the mould and allow the racer to order just the part at reasonable
cost.
They also do not like parts that blow in the wind and will further
enhance the product and supply lightweight reinforced units ready
for painting. With their full range of services they can even supply
the parts already painted and ready for installation.
Page 28
Classic Classifieds
For sale
BMW 3.0S
John Smith 083 653 3731
-AUTOMATIC
-IMMACULATE CONDITION
-M TECH BMW WHEELS
-A STUNNER AT R30 000
One pair of neat a tidy racing Datsuns.
New and Second Hand Racing
Tyres
Brendon Parker
Tel: 011 795 2519
Mobile: +27 82 608 8200
for Sale at Excellent prices.
Norman Poulter 011 873 3411
Price Negotiable or to swop for
What Have You
Firenza Can-Am body with TNT roll cage.
8x Spare Wheels, 13”x10” and Good Year
Slicks.
4x Sets 13”x8” steel rims
4x Personal wheels
2x Camil heads complete
1x Set pistons+rods+cam+manifold
1x new Exil distributor
1x Nissan Skyline complete rolling chassis, ex
Brian Bezuidenhout car
Eugene
082 825 7756
011 395 2648
Call 0834407070 or email [email protected] to place your ad
Page 30
TR Fibre
Free moulds
Only pay for the product!
Additional Services
We’ll also spray and fit the new
fibreglass parts for you!
Selwyn - 0825710138
Mike - 0836017285
LOSE WEIGHT NOW - ASK US HOW