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Saturday, 13 December 2008

Enough is Enough

December 6th was the last race of the season to be held at the big K and the 'classic car' brigade was afforded an extra race which of course counted for no points as the championship had already finished. This therefore gave some of the old classic die-hards and thoroughbred racers another chance to 'do it one more time'.

Martin had already decided long prior to the race that he would be sitting out entirely as the minister of finance gave strict instructions to 'tighten our belts' and save where we could. This sounded like a good opportunity to do just that and instead he decided to sit in T3 and watch the clowns put on our show.

Qualifying was afforded to the classics unexpectedly and was most welcomed. The Datti was sounding as sweet as ever even although she now had a full and hard race season behind her. The track temperature was already good at 09h20 and the weather conditions near perfect. I thought to myself, do I or don't I. What the hell, just once more. I gave it my best and qualified the Datti in second place with a time of 1:33:2 and was actually quite chuffed I could still post such a time after all the racing the poor motor had already completed during the season.

Race 1 was off at 11h50 and as per usual the Datti performed effortlessly as she had always done throughout the season finishing second behind Jaco who had now decided to race dad's Anglia for a change. I returned to pit and did the necessary race prep for the next heat off at 16h20. I then was off to T3 and watched the rest of the days race precedings from there.

Having enjoyed and spent time out at T3 I returned to pit, put on my 'baby grower' and took the Datti to the pre-race paddock and parked in my start position. There I warmed the car to just on race temperature and cut the engine. While waiting for the race before us to finish I put on the rest of my race gear and as per norm entered 'focus' mode. We started up and proceeded on to the track and as per norm started scrubbing the tyres to warm them up and clear any previous cool down debris. Having not even reach turn 1 I suddenly heard a noise coming from the engine which I was not sure of but it did sound rather terminal and evidently it was. I slowly returned to pit while the rest passed me by on there rolling start lap. A quick inspection at the pit indicated that the problem was in the head but due to my limited knowledge of the internal combustion engine, I was unable to diagnose exactly the cause. I just went back to T3.

Sunday morning we returned to the track and by means of a fancy camera used in the motor industry we (Martin hello) determined that the inlet valve seat in No1 cylinder had disintegrated and was the cause of the problem. Well, I was somewhat relieved that it was not anything much worse and accepted the fact that after continuously revving the Datti in excess of 7000 RPM at each race something had to eventually give.

Evidence of the damage in No1 cylinder.









Having already achieved far more than was ever expected during the season I bid the ol' Datti farewell till next season. In the meantime the motor will be redone and some suspension work is definitely needed for competition in 2009.

Once again I bow my head with gratefulness for all that my 'boet' did and achieved with the 1400 Datti.

Thanks 'Boet'

Monday, 17 November 2008

I did it 'My Way'

The last race of the championship for 2008 was held last weekend (15 November 2008) and what a race day day it turned out to be.

Well, that is for everyone else that raced. Friday was a limited day for 'classics' and due to the schedule, and understandably so. We were only afforded 1 practice round at 16h00 with a qualifying round scheduled for 17h15. As per usual, every nut an bolt was again checked from front to back, the front disc pads were replaced and oil levels top up where required prior to the car even getting to the track. The motor was ever so sweet and little was done or required in this department. My (our) race strategy was really quite simple, just go out there and finish a race even it's just the one heat. We had already done enough going into the last race to secure the class win for the season. So off I went at 16h00 to just see that all the noises were being made in the right places etc. Well on lap 2, I had lost 3rd gear and by the time I got back to the pits, I'd lost 2nd gear as well. Not phased, I went and collected the stored 2nd hand gearbox from the workshop and returned leisurely to the track. Qualifying was also subsequently cancelled due to some oil spills which had to be cleaned up properly before sunset.


To cut a very long story short, after the 4th time of having to remove and fit the replacement box we finally had it in at 22h00. All seemed OK however it was evident this was not the best race box you could lay hands on. While you could get all the gears, changing from 3rd to 4th and back was very tricky as the selector gates were obviously damaged. So we settled for 2nd best and enjoyed a few well deserved liquid refreshments and and a well earned braai. We left at approximately 01h00 for some rest and returned bright and breezy the next morning at 07h30.


Saturday, race day and it turned out to be a beautiful summers day and perfect for racing. The crowds were huge and the outfields were packed to capacity for this last major calendar event of the season. Our race was only scheduled for 11h00 and plenty time was therefore available to do the pre race checks and refuelling etc. A rolling start was again the order of the day and by all standards it was a good and fast start for a change. Everything seemed great until I just before T2 where for the love of me I could not get 3rd gear. Man it sounded like those early day gear boxes without syncromesh gears just grinding away like a cheap old coffee grinder. I eventually got 3rd, hit the gas peddle and off I went towards T3 trying to hook 4th the just before the kink. Again the coffee grinder was on full song, eventually slipping in just before I had to now change back to 3rd for T3. It was inevitable, this race was not going to be a very competitive one. The rest of the race was very much a procession of grinding and vibrating my way to the finish line eventually finishing a low 4th in my class D, Jaco, Arnold and Derek all having past me while I happily ground my way to the finish. Well, that was not the end just yet, as the Datti had in the interim also vibrated so much so, that the starter motor broke both mounting brackets clean off against the bell housing. Having made it now through T1 I coasted towards T2 but by the time I'd reached T2 the car had now died on me as well with smoke starting to pour into the car. I could immediately smell it was electrical. I managed to stop on the oval track section out of harms way and waited for a tow back to the pit. Ya well no fine. Almost an hour and a half later only then was I towed to where I laid the Datti to rest. A quick check by Martin and it was evident that that starter motor had broken free from the housing and shorted against the cross member thereby causing the electrics to say 'hoesit'. In the meantime while I was stuck out on track waiting for a tow back to the pits, the lovely CAR girls were eager to get their hands onto me and stood waiting in anticipation for my appearance. Of course it never happened and in my absence Martin took good care of all that devoted attention.


Looking back, it was sufficient that I had just completed the race which if my maths is correct I would have earned just 2 points for a start and finish and 3 points for finishing 4th in the race. That therefore makes it my worst race of the season which according to rule 8.3 means this is the race which I will now drop and re-instate my previously dropped 13 well deserved points taking my total tally for the year to 101.


This season must go down as being one of my best years in my life where I had originally only set out to merely compete in 'classic cars' and be a part of my brothers much loved sport. Half way through the season my 'boet' said to me, "you're looking good so far, I want you to just win class D for me for the year, and I know you can do it". I thought this would be the least I could do to somehow repay my boet a favour for all his dedicated efforts and preparation put into my race car during the year. Well, as it now turns out I not only won the class, but also the silver cup and last but not least, the overall 'classic car' championship in my very first FULL year of racing. While I'm immensely chuffed with my achievements for the season, I have to admit and pay credit where credit is due, that without Martin's help and race guidance throughout the season, this would never have occurred and for that I am immensely grateful and proud to be a brother of such a devoted and determined race hero.


Thanks again 'boet' for all that you have done during this memorable season and we will both celebrate our success achieved at an appropriate time and venue later this month.













Thanks my 'Champ'

Monday, 06 October 2008

Something's 'A-miss'

Glorious sunshine beamed down upon Killarney and the race fraternity this past weekend bringing some welcome relief to the rain drenched Cape. Spectators were plentiful and racing was good.

During the previous event of September and now (October) a little refreshing was done to the Datti 1400 GX and clearly the times were proof of that as she constantly ran 1:33's throughout the day even allowing me to clinch pole in class D ahead of Jaco Lambert with a 1:33:64 on the Friday evening. (Just for the record my 1400cc posted an unofficial 1:32:55 during Fridays practice even although I had a good tow from being behind Rob Ferrolli's Jetta)

Saturday dawned and our first race was off at 10h20 with Jaco Lambert in his Escort 1700cc plus on my left going down the straight into turn 1. I managed to hold Jaco until turn 2 where he managed to get ahead of me while I held Glen in the class C Anglia at bay. Unfortunately it was not for long as Dougie Davids dumped his sump from turn 2 all the way around turn 3 making the race line almost impossible to follow. Being fully aware that Jaco was nowhere in contention as far as points was concerned, I settled for second place in class D for the first race with Arnold Lambert 0.2 seconds behind me in his 1600cc plus Anglia.

Having refuelled the Datti with another 10L of 102 octane propellant, Race 2 was off at 15h05. My closest rival was in class F as far as the championship went but he only managed to finish 3rd in class F during the first heat due to a spin resulting from the oil on the track. This took a little more pressure off and allowed me some slack which unbeknown to me was going to come in very handy later on. Again I was in the 1:33's posting a best of 1:33:36 in lap 5. Jaco was again well ahead of me with both Mike and Arnold hounding me like hound dogs chasing a fox. Lo and behold in lap 6 I picked up a miss which suddenly had me in a flat spin. I wasn't too concerned about my position as I had already done the necessary calculations before the race but was more concerned about not finishing the race at all. I slowed in the event that I was running low on fuel and finally crossed the finish line in 4th place after allowing both Arnold and eventually Derek through as well. Upon returning to the pits all the electrics and plug wiring was double checked without any finding but a tap on the fuel tank produced a rather very echoing and hollow sound clearly indicating that the liquid propellant required for proper and efficient internal combustion had been rapidly consumed through normal aspiration and combustion leaving the remainder of 102 liquid propellant well below the pickup.

My combined total race time resulted in me finishing 3rd overall for the day and un-officially the championship should now be out of reach to the rest of the classic car contenders as my closest rival Peter Harrison posted a DNF in the second heat thereby putting him out of further contention. It hasn't quite sunk in yet but with one race left I still have one final move to make on the 15th November all while we wait for the official points results and announcements.

Again it goes without saying that without a person with the vast amount of race knowledge and engine technology such that my 'Boet' Martin has, I wouldn't find myself in the position I now am. I will go publicly on record and now declare that there isn't a more experienced person in South Africa today that knows more than Martin when it come to racing Datsuns/Nissans.

Finish and Klaar!!

Thanks 'Boet' my CHAMP!!!

Monday, 08 September 2008

Beaten but not Broken

The weather Gods were on our side this time around and glorious sunshine was bestowed upon all the racers for the past September event. The fence perimeters were filled with festooned spectators cheering their heroes on and applauding there achievements. This can only have been heaven. Then I realized no, wait a minute, this is Killarney, home to the Western Capes local racing fraternity and I was to be apart of this spectacular event.

As we've grown accustomed to there was again no qualifying for the 'classic car' guys and a draw was again done by drawing from a hat. Here I was less fortunate in that out of ten class D entrants I was drawn 10th putting me right at the back of my class. I took it on the chin determined as ever to fight my way honestly and defiantly to the front. Racing was off at 09h55 and was done as per usual by a rolling start. Already 2 places were not filled giving me a slight upper hand and as the lights went out the Datti was on full song. By the exit of turn 1 I had moved into third position taking Billy Matthee in second place going into turn 3. By now Jaco Lambert in his rejuvenated MK1 1760cc Escort was still in 1st place after starting in pole for class D. No matter how hard I tried there was simply no way I could close the gap posting a best time of only 1:34:3. Simply too good on the day. However Mike Napoli had other ideas with my Datti and hounded me for a solid two laps. I managed to sell a dummy on lap 5 going into turn 2 causing Mike to lock up and spin onto the outside of T2. The pressure was at least off for now allowing me to finish in second place 1.7 seconds ahead of Billy at the finish.

The second heat was no different even although I now had 2nd place on the grid next to Jaco which was a reduced race to being 6 laps only. At the start I was right up there but again Jaco was just too strong. This time Billy was determined not to let me go and run away ahead of him. I managed to hold him at bay for most of the race even although I seemed to be getting slower and slower as the race progressed. Jaco knew he had the upper hand and actually ran almost 2 seconds slower in the second heat making it more spectator friendly. Eventually by lap 4, myself in the Datti, Billy Matthee, Dave Alhadeff, Johan Swart and Jaco Lambert were all grouped together running side by side through turn 4. Again the bigger boys in their 2.0 litres opened a gap down the back straight with Billy almost inside my boot. I managed to hold him off until the last and final lap when coming into T5 Billy chose the inside line and slightly out braked me allowing him to have the inside coming out of T5. A charge for the finish line saw Billy beat me by 0.07 seconds for a deserved and well earned 2nd place. I finished in 3rd place but due to the time difference over both heats I secured 2nd overall for the day. Great driving and close racing was thoroughly enjoyed and rates as one of my best races to date.

No doubt the Datti will need a bit of TLC in the engine compartment before the next race to get just a few more ponies out and keep the vultures at bay.

The Datsun SSS was a little less lucky as she had huge competition to deal with in the likes of Granada Parana V8's, Chev Can Am V8's, Capri V6's not forgetting the very quick Mazda rotary and also the very quick VW Scirroco of Jannie Matthysen. All said and done he finished a respectable 6th. However all weekend from the Friday he battled with performance and no matter what, could not get below a 1:27. Although all the times appeared to be approximately 1 second off pace this is simply not good enough for Martin. He wilol no doubt be making changes to improve those times. An oil leak (drop) from the gearbox resulted in that he withdrew from the second race (highly peeved off) and spent the rest of the day as spectator in turn 3.

All in all it was a brilliant day at the races having also met some of the great forum members on the Thursday night, as well as on and during race day.

Once again I pay my loyal respects to my boet for preparing an 'as always no matter what' competitive little Datti 1400 GX Coupe.

Thanks 'Champ'

Saturday, 02 August 2008

Hurry Up & Wait

Yip it's August and you will not believe this quirk. There was NO DAMN RAIN. For 5 solid race meetings it threatened, it rained and was cold and terrible at times. The only month Classic Cars are given off and that I don't have to fly down to race.....bye bye rain. If only I still had any toys left in my cot!!

I somehow still remember as a young boy watching the movie with my dad called "Le Mans". There was a section in the movie just before the start of the actual race....there was deathly silence.....then perhaps a pushing of a button.......silence again.......Steve McQueen looking at the clock........silence..........back to the clock with the minute hand edging closer.........silence again.........(it seemed like an eternity) and then bang they all roared off. It feels as if I'm reliving the whole sequence again in slow motion.

Well not much if anything was done nor has happened since the last race and I'm sure by now the head and block of the Datti must be badly rusted and corroded from all the standing. Hopefully all the rust and corrosion will be removed just in time for the next race which is only in September. Now if my calculations are anywhere near correct, I think September and October will be the last two official races in the classic car championship. I am of course aware of the pending race in December but don't think it counts towards any championship points. If that is however the case, I will still have my work finely cut out.

Martin on the other hand has had a rather torrid and busy time. Firstly he decided to partake in the 'All Tar Rally' during July with the 200 SX and although he put up a show, rumour has it that the SX now has a slightly shortened front-end. Luckily the next race in the SX is only.......well a long time away. In the interim, having endured all the questioning and gossip around the Datsun SSS, he finally did his magic within the power train department again, wiped her down, oiled her up, made a few adjustments to the suspension and it seems as if she'll be ready to 'kick ass' again come 6th September.

In the meantime I'll be taking another month off patiently waiting for the next race and hopefully by then the price of racing fuel will also have returned to R120.00 a drum.

Oh, and I know you'll do your best again with my Datti boet, so just in case I do forget........

Thanks 'Boet' my Champ!

Monday, 07 July 2008

Slip Sliding Away

Round 5 of the Classic Car racing was held on the 5th July in AGAIN miserable wet and cold conditions, not something I particularly aspire towards nor enjoy. Race officials have it on record as one of the worst race seasons in years and cannot recall such ongoing adverse weather conditions. As I stated early in the year (see February blog if you don't believe me) I would have to adapt to the conditions as 'mother nature' sure as hell 'aint gonna' change for me. My weather information early in the week indicated severe weather conditions forecasted for the race weekend and I made the decision to buy a set of 'wets' to tackle this situation head on.

Earlier in the month Martin ordered the required parts to fix the Datti's front suspension which had caused me to somewhat loose out on the previous race event. That now being all repaired, wheel alignment done and a thorough check of all the under carriage works and all was ready for race day. We replaced the set of slicks with a set of proper wets and were as prepared as could be. Lo and behold came Friday and the rain poured as predicted. I eventually got down to the track at about 13h00, did my usual pre-practice routine checks and was ready for a soaking track. Believe it or not by 13h30 the rain had subsided and the track had somewhat started drying. I eventually took to the track on schedule at 14h00 and only managed 2 laps before I pulled in as the track was simply not wet enough for wet tyres and I sure as hell wasn't going to destroy them by trying to be heroic.

Sadly the rest of Friday was a total waste and I never got any further practice time as the rain simply held off. I settled for Saturday's qualifying without much wet weather practice under the belt and hoped for the best. As luck would have it Martin and I rose extra early on Saturday morning as qualifying was scheduled for 07h45 (even although statistics showed that sunrise was only at 07h51) all while the rain gently fell and ensured that wet weather was here for the day. Having fueled the Datsun the previous night already I began by warming the engine and ensured a repellant windscreen was ready for the rain conditions. I strapped in, pulled onto the pit apron and awaited the go ahead from the pit marshals to enter the track along with everyone else patiently waiting as well. 5 Minutes before the scheduled qualifying time the C.O.C called it off due to poor light and bad track conditions. Man I was peeved off. This was now the fifth time without setting a qualifying time. Back to the garage we all went and awaited further instructions which again turned out to be a draw from the 'Hat'. This time round though it worked in my favour and I was drawn for pole position in class D. Not that it meant much in the rain!!!

Not much else of interest really happened throughout the day save to say race 1 was held in very wet conditions causing many drivers to spin and some even digging in on the infields never to get out again. (See recent photos) I played it relatively calm and settled for a comfortable second place behind 'old dog' Nick van Rensburg who has many years of oval track and wet weather racing under his belt. Nick incidentally started last in class D and ran away from the rest of us in conditions which he loves.

Race 2 was in even worse conditions as it rained quite heavily and made it super slippery out there with poor visibility. Again I settled for a comfortable second place again behind Nick who made it 2 wins for the day. I must say however that the wets played a major role in my personal above average results as 'intermediates' just don't work for me in these conditions. So much so that Nick and I even lapped some drivers twice in 8 laps!! Money well spent I'd say.

Again I must give credit where credit is due and thanks again to Martin (Martin incidentally sat out of classics with the intention of competing in the 2Hr endurance race) who made sure that every nut and bolt was tight and ensured it never missed a beat once. I only ever recall genuine Swiss watches to be so reliable and accurate. Must be something the Japanese never told us about. Keep 'watching' (pardon the pun) this space as the season heads towards year end with about 3 race meetings (September, October & December) to go. This 1400 Datsun GX still has a thing to prove yet!!

Next race is only in September. Till then!

Thanks 'Boet'

Monday, 09 June 2008

David(s) & Goliath

Saturday 7th June came and yip you guessed it......it rained again. This time around I was not too perturbed at all. I had been watching the weather pattern since the Tuesday and this time however I had pretty accurate weather info which actually held up to be true. By 09h45 the rain had stopped, the skies had cleared and remained so for the rest of the entire days racing.

Again we had no qualifying and a rather complicated (and not yet fully understood either) method had been implemented. I was allocated 3rd on the grid with the two previous class E drivers i.e. Wilsnagh and Davids having being drawn as positions 1 & 2 in class D. My initial thought based upon their previous best race times was that I should be able to pass with relative ease and win the race. As the saying goes, 'NEVER under estimate your opponents'. Our first race was off at 12h15 in dry and somwehat cool conditions allowing us to make use of slick tyres. A rolling start was again the norm and I stayed tucked up close to Davids' tail hoping to slingshot into the first corner. The lights went out and both Davids (Escort MK1) and Wilsnagh (Ford Anglia) gave it there all holding me back going through turn 1. By turn 2 little had changed and I positioned myself nicely for turn 3. I had the outside line and took Wilsnagh on the inside and Davids on the outside going into and through turn 4. The Datsun 1400 lived up to all expectation and ran away from the pack eventually wining by a comfortable 4.28 sec with Davids finishing second. Round 1 to Goliath!!

Race 2 was last off for the day at 17h15 and I had pole for the second race. I had a good rolling start and soon opened a gap on Andrews who was then ahead of Davids (Wilsnagh retired in race 1 with a slipping clutch). The pace was slow at that stage but it suited me for now. On lap 5 I noticed the car wanting to veer violently to the left going through the Kink between turns 2 & 3 as well as going down the back straight. I eventually backed off and allowed both Andrews and Davids to pass me going into turn 5. Not letting them get too far ahead I kept up the pace with the Datsun still wanting to dive to the left all the time. On the last lap and still in one piece I decided it was now DO or DIE and I again went for it putting in my fastest lap only in lap 7 at 1:34:6 finally out-braking Andrews going into turn 5 and hounding Davids to the finish line. I managed to catch Davids but not enough to grab the win with Davids finishing ahead of me by 0.15 seconds. Round 2 to David(s)!!

The time difference over both races still allowed me to take overall honours for the day with Davids second and Andrews taking third.

(Oh, the veering to the left problem was found to be caused by a damaged castor rod bush!!)

Martin on the other hand would rather want to forget the day as it was not a good day in the office for him!! The Clubman guys qualified at 08h00 on a soaking wet track and although times were slow Martin only managed to secure 18th place on the grid out of 62 entrants with a time of 1:46:2. The race itself went off at 10h10 still on a wet track. Martins decision NOT to go full wets cost him dearly. He basically went backwards finishing in a disheartening 26th place with a best time of 1:48:9. The track was dry by 11h00 resulting in that he at least got a dry second race. The second heat was off at 15h10 and starting from 26th position he peddled the Nissan SX200 like never before posting a best race time time of 1:24:79 and finishing a more respectable 8th place. That's a full 18 places made up in 8 laps. Not bad going there 'boet'. Unfortunately it wasn't his day and I guess he'll have to try again next time.

Hang in there boet, we all know what you are still capable of.

Thanks 'Boet'

Monday, 19 May 2008

In Full Suspension

The month of May is a rather quiet one for us 'classic car' racers simply because there is no race for classic cars this month. Somewhat boring all said and done.

Well OK, while there is no on-track work, there is quite a bit to do off-track to both the Datsuns (SSS and the GX Coupe). Firstly the SSS is rather tired and really needs a lot of work to get it back into full race trim. For one the engine needs refreshing (rings and bearings) for a start and the rear suspension needs some work as well. Tyres are still reasonable but ideally a fresh pair would do nice. Unfortunately the budget is simply not enough to do everything all at once. Also remember there's a Nissan 200SX as well which must be tweaked to do REAL battle in Clubman Cars. All a trifle much when the only real sponsor is the back pocket (Mr Wallet).

As for the little GX Coupe, what can I say? For one, the front suspension really needs some serious work done soon as she's rolling a little too much nowadays around corners and is definitely rubbing down on the tyres under braking. The little 1400cc engine is now going on for 11 months without a hiccup or misfire and will sure need a little refreshing very soon. Unfortunately the same problem exists as above with Mr Wallet. On a more positive note, the reliability and endurance that this motor has performed to is absolutely gob smacking to say the very least. Currently I am now 17 points clear in class D and lead with a comfortable cushion between second place, while overall I am currently lying 2nd in the championship. While this is not in any way important nor what I am all about, it is very reassuring to know that this little Datsun GX Coupe is super competitive in it's current class and format, all while I have yet so much to learn as far as being a race driver is concerned. For now I just wish to continue on this learning curve in my first ever full race season and ideally want to finish the season well which I know will mean the WORLD to my 'Boet' whom meticulously prepares my car for each race.

Rumours are that some class D competitors have already rebuilt engines with even more power, are changing gearboxes and diff ratios and some have or are even building complete new cars to be more competitive in this class. For now though I'm still safe. For how long, I don't know!!

So, while May month appears to be all quiet, behind the scenes it actually seems many are busy with serious preparation for the upcoming races which lay ahead. June and July months are going to provide some really interesting and competitive 'Classic Car' racing. Till next time then.

Thanks 'Boet'

Monday, 21 April 2008

Un-Stoppable but Almost

It always happens. Every time I go down to Cape Town for a race event, you better believe it - it will rain. This past Saturday again lived up to expectation but my weather judgement, positive thinking and as always determination to get a dry race won the day over.

However the Friday threw a few curve balls of its own and had its moments of 'patience testing' in which and I almost gave up and retired the Datsun 1400. The first practice session resulted in producing a left front damaged brake calliper causing me to almost loose it in turn 2. I cruised back to the pits and Martin subsequently removed the calliper and made arrangements for it to be overhauled at a nearby brake repair workshop. That was sorted , replaced and back in business ready for session 2. Lo and behold that session also resulted in disaster because of low fuel and again I could not post a reasonable time at full race speed. I further managed to squeeze a 3rd session with the Clubman Cars practice session which, you guessed it..... again ended in disaster with the same left front calliper failing and had me going around turn 5 at a speed I never dreamt of. Once again I safely returned to the pit area which was now at 17h30 and most if not all businesses, scrap yards and repair shops already closed. Martin once again removed the previously repaired brake calliper and smoke started bellowing out of his ears from an intense thought process which was taking place deep within his cerebral cortex. It was at this point which I stated, "I think this is a subtle message telling me to withdraw my race entry". Ja right, it's not that easy with Martin around. I somehow remember my motivational pep talks to him at the last race of the last season. This time it was his turn. I also recalled a recent famous comment by president Thabo Mbeki stating 'Crisis, there is no crisis'? A phone call later and some unknown terrestrial was on his way from the Northern suburbs to deliver not one, but two front brake callipers for a Datsun 1200 currenlty being broken up for spares. By George!!!....so there you have it, miracles are still actually performed in 2008. By 20h00 the job was completed, brakes bled and a well deserved braai was awaiting our company along with a few well deserved sundowners no doubt.

Saturday, yip, rain and all started the day with many not quite sure which way the weather would turn out. My information was that the rain had been somewhat downgraded from an 80% to a 60% to finally only a 30% chance of precipitation . As lady luck would have it by 09h00 it had started clearing with patches of blue sky appearing. First off was Martin in his Nissan SX200 at 10h15 in the Clubman Race on a dry but cold track and still with intermediate tyres. Having made some additional changes to the motor he managed a solid performance but she did not quite deliver the results he was quite hoping for.

Race 1 for the "classics' guys was only off at 12h30 with a draw again having been previously done from the 'hat' as time was just not available on the day for everyone to post a qualifying time. Martin in his Datsun SSS had pole position in CLS A while I and my Datsun 1400 GX Coupe was placed 26th on the grid and 9th (last) in CLS D. Having had 2 previous brake failures without any further testing done, this was going to be a real tester for me. Martin controlled the start to a pace which technically suited him and managed a brilliant rolling start, leading the field for lap one. By lap two the BIG guns started passing him pushing him down the order. I on the other hand sat right on Mervin Ellis' rear (in 24th grid position) and as the lights went out dived out from his slipstream and past the 1st half of the class D guys by turn 1 managing to take the rest by lap two. I went on to win the class (finishing 15th out of 33 entrants) for the 1st heat posting a best time of the day at 1:33:0 while Martin managed a 6th place finish in class A also with a blistering 1:26:7.

Race 2 in his Nissan SX 200 was done on full slicks this time and times were at a more acceptable 1:27:4 however still not at the envisaged times wanted. He managed a good dice with some of the BMW's but again only managed to finish 3rd in his class. He won 3rd overall for the day and his efforts were thus not all a loss.

Heat 2 in 'classics' produced some fast and close racing up front with Martin in the SSS mixing it up with the class B guys this time. A brilliant dice ensued between Peter Gough, Louis Powell, Martin and Charles Arton with 0.3 seconds difference between them. Their race time said it all, everyone of them posting in the 1:26's with only a 10th of a second difference between each of them. (see the full race report here.) On the last lap Peter and Charles touched causing Charles to run wide thereby letting Martin straight through the middle with Louis following in close persuit. Gough won it from Martin who lead from Powell. Charles end up 3.6 seconds behind at the flag.

I again had little opposition without Jaco Lambert (Ford Escort) having already retired in the 1st heat, as well as the absence of Nick v Rensburg (Fiat Sport) and so won class D comfortably from Billy Mathee in his well prepared Fiat 132. Overall I won class D for the day much to my delight as the initial drama had other ideas, which thanks to Martins 'mechanical genius' resulted in a brilliant days racing.

Thanks 'Champ'

Monday, 03 March 2008

A fabulous threesome

In our favour and largely thanks to a brilliant race engine builder (Martin Richards) there was little or no work to be be done on either the SSS or the GX Coupe other than an all round spanner check. Due to a very full race program we (Classic Cars) were exempted from qualifying and grid positions were done by drawing positions from a hat. (We've now done our bit towards limiting the 'greenhouse' gas environment.)

Saturday was a busy day with the first classic car race off at 11h40 with the SSS in 9th position and the GX Coupe in 17th. Weather conditions were good, the track was hot and clean and fast race times were clearly reflected. The SSS managed to finish 8th in Class A amongst the big guns with a most respectable time of 1:27:10. My little GX Coupe managed a blistering 1:32:76 (almost a breakout) in lap 6 while dicing with Nick v Rensburg in the Fiat 124 Sport and I finally finished 1st in class D after starting 4th on the grid.

Race 2 was off at a slightly earlier unscheduled time due to an oil spill and although times were generally slightly slower than the first heat, good racing was still managed amongst all competitors. Martin in the SSS managed to finish 7th after putting in an even better race time at 1:26:35 in lap 6 while my GX Coupe again finished 1st in class D at a slightly slower time of 1:33.19. (Guess you'll know why!!!) My sincere thanks again go to my 'Boet' Martin for ensuring a reliable and very well prepared & competitive little race car.

While the off season was enjoyed by many a racer relaxing and soaking up the sun, Martin had other ideas which resulted in him producing a 'Magnificent' red Nissan 200SX (which almost hugs the ground) for its first ever outing in the Indy Oil Clubmans series. (To the best of my knowledge, this is the first ever Nissan 200SX to be raced in South Africa) While it would be acceptable that most new comers to a new race series encounter some teething problems that inevitably side line them for the day, Martin's preparations had none of the kind. Having to compete as a class X entrant for the first time out in the SX he posted an above expectation race time in qualifying and ran in a brilliant 1:27:41.

Race 1 was off at 13h45 where Martin finished a most respectable 8th place and right up there with the class B guys and having put in another 1:27:78. Race 2 was again similar finishing 7th comfortably and overall far ahead of the much rated Ford Focus of Philip Booysen.

I guess a better finish to the weekend could not have been asked for with a resounding impact slowly being made upon the 'Ol faithful' Datsun and Nissan supporters around the Killarney race track.

Thanks 'Boet'

Tuesday, 12 February 2008

The weatherman wins

At last the 2008 season got underway. I must state from the very outset that it wasn't the greatest event one could have wished for, not because it had anything to do with the 'Historic Race Day' event itself but rather that the Cape weatherman had other ideas install. The Friday was hot with acceptable conditions and I managed to post an unofficial time of 1:32:9 during practice. The Saturday was an absolute stinker with temperatures soaring to 33 deg plus with track surface temperatures close to the 60 degree mark and most certainly having an effect on the racing.

The first race was off at 13h45 for Martin in the SSS and he was the first 4-cylinder home (finishing 7th) in class A again albeit that the field was big. My race was only off at 17h00 and after some close dicing I managed to win class D with a best time of 1:34:6.

Sunday and you won't believe it, it rained on and off the whole 'friggin' day so much so that both my brother and I sat out the 1st race of the day (second for the weekend) due to the track conditions. In fact so did some of the greats including Sarel vd Merwe and many other seasoned drivers. I simply don't find 'racing' in the rain any fun as driving that cautiously is not my idea of a race but rather that of 'riding' in a race. Both Martin and I did compete in the second race of the day (3rd for the weekend and also in the rain) but I did not enjoy it one little bit. I guess I just gotta get used to it!!

On a brighter side though, during the off season I had the 'Datti' resprayed into the exact same colours as Martins' SSS (BRE colours) and it sure got the attention of many a curious onlooker. At least it now looks like a race car in my opinion.

Thanks again 'Boet' for all the off season effort and setup done.

Saturday, 02 February 2008

Time to Race Again

It's February at last with the new 2008 season commencing on Saturday 9th. This was one of the longest waits in my life. My last un-official race was on 1st December 2007 and now more than two months have past by in the interim.


During the off-season not much was accomplished racing wise although some changes were made and were inevitable. Just to wet the appetite for some of the regular blogger's to this site, here's a peek.

SSA40158


My brother Martin has also a few new ideas under brew and all will be revealed in March of this year.


The forthcoming 2008 season will in all likelihood start off with a few teething troubles regarding implementation of the 2008 rules but given the dedication and willingness to conform I'm sure most competitors are ready to do battle on the track once again. A record 78 entries have been received to date for the first race of the season and no doubt late comers will probably still enter at the last moment as well.


Oh I just can't wait!!!!

Monday, 07 January 2008

Classic Martin determined to be a 'club man'

2008 has barely started and Martin has already laid down the gauntlet. From what I can gather he is determined to take the E out of SEX in the new year. He has stated that it is a 200 percent certainty that he will demonstrate this in the new season. Rumour has it that it's blood red but has nothing to do with being a 'period' this time.

Here's waiting in anticipation about his new year antics which has got me totally 'riddled'. Sounds all Japanese to me.