10th David Piper International - Zwartkops

The 140Z has made inroads at almost every event it has taken part in and has made many sit up and take note so much so that 3 official letters from motoring authorities were eventually requested and obtained to confirm the 140Z's legality and conformance to the pre-77 rulings. That done it was now time to take the 140Z up to Zwartkops, a track it has to date never competed on. The trip up from CT was long and inconvenienced by trailer tyre problems all along the way to JHB. Eventually they arrived at around 18h30 at Zwartkops and we off loaded the car and stored it overnight in a locked up shed along with other fellow Captonian racers.

Friday morning we were up at sparrows as per usual and did nothing more than fuel the car and do the normal routine checks. The early morning session was an open practice which afforded us some saddle time as well as to get a heat cycle into a new set of NA Carreras. All early indications were that the 140Z was slowly coming to terms with the technically challenging track and times were around a 1:12. A second session proved to be as good and times dropped to 1:11.7 even though ambient temperatures were a lot hotter by then. The afternoon session was all reserved for qualifying and ours was scheduled for 14h00. Some tyre pressure changes were made to compensate for the heat and took to the track where the 140Z put in a qualifying best lap of 1:11.58 putting us 4th on the grid with the 745i BMW on 3rd, the V8 Sierra in 2nd and yet another Datsun 2.8 Skyline GTX on pole having posted a blistering 1:08.8. That left us pretty chuffed even although all 3 cars ahead of the 140Z were 10 years younger then the pre-77 complaint Datsun 140Z. As such another carrot was being dangled and we had to find a way of gaining another second or so to put us in with a chance of a top 3 finish. The amount of people that gathered around the 140Z after each outing was unbelievable, many totally gob smacked by the qualifying achievements. We tidied up and later headed for the cafeteria area to catch up on some late lunch and discussed the positives and negatives of the qualifying. We managed to single out 2 corners which 'Mr Datsun' felt could be improved on but we had to also take into consideration the local conditions and altitude. While everyone else was probably satisfied with their qualifying times, 'Mr Datsun' was never going to be. Eventually a phone call was made to a knowledgeable local race ace who analysed the feedback provided and eventually offered a solution. We went back to the car and implemented the 2 settings as advised and also to check if by chance new brake pads were yet a requirement. I then went to the COC and asked if we could have a few laps after the official qualifying was over for all the categories to which he was most accommodating. We only manged to get a test session at around 17h30 but it was good enough for us. The 140Z took to the track with only 2 other tin tops and on lap 3 the 140Z managed to clock a 1:10.49 putting us right up there with a far better chance. That was just what the doctor ordered and we settled in for an early nights rest.

Saturday morning we were again up at sparrows and performed our usual race ritual preparations for the race scheduled for 09h50 . The pace lap was fast which lead to a field being very wide spread but hey, pole man sets the pace and either you keep up to his pace or you loose. We found ourselves is 4th place as per the grid and on lap 2 overtook the 745i BMW going onto turn 5 on the table top under brakes. That gave us a chance to now chase the V8 Sierra in earnest. As the saying goes, 'there's no replacement for displacement' but the 140Z was not going to just lye down without putting up a fight. We had a strategy in place and intended to stick to it for the race. By lap 5 our strategy started coming into play and we slowly caught up to the V8 Sierra who was being pushed hard into every corner. It was only a matter of time before tyres and brakes would come into play on the bigger and heavier cars. On lap 7 going up towards turn 5 the 140Z had closed right up to the Sierra and knew his brakes were now fading fast as the 140Z was able to make up much ground under braking. Just one more lap and we were in with a possible upset. Lo and behold on lap 7 Ashley Lobb in a Fiat 131 spun and was unable to move the car from being in the middle of turn 8 which lead onto the main straight and due to safety conditions the race was red flagged. They finished Skyline, Sierra, 140Z with the 140Z putting in the fastest race time of 1:10.53, the V8 Sierra 1:10.99 and the Skyline 1:10.63.
The 140Z was swarmed with people who converged around the little 'Giant Killer' and everyone said, if only you had 1 more lap you would have caught the V8 Sierra. TV crews with their cameras appeared and 'Mr Datsun' had to give an on camera interview of his race achievement conducted by Greg Malony. Unbelievable was the saying of the day.

Race 2 was to be much later in the day and the conditions throughout the whole day were sweltering hot. We managed to catch one or two of the more popular races but otherwise settled in and around the 140Z to be there for the interested onlookers. Our race was scheduled for 16h30 and rain clouds had built up by now and were looking threatening. It started raining but did not damper the racing spirit. By 15h45 we were still considering whether it would be a dry race or if we needed to pull out the dreaded wet tyres. Either way we were prepared but from a racers point of view, dry is what we wanted. By 16h10 the rain had stopped and by the start of the race we again had a bone dry track with a lot cooler conditions.
This time the Skyline took it a lot slower and the entire field bunched up nicely on the pace lap, the 140Z tucked right behind the Skyline in 3rd place with the Sierra to his outside in 2nd. Everyone was now very aware of the 'point and squirt' 140Z on this track with many having predicted that if the 140Z did ever manage to beat the V8 Sierra it would probably be the talk of the year never mind the race. This may well have been in the back of the mind of the Sierra driver and at the end of the pace lap the V8 Sierra pulled off (tail between its legs) into the pits and never returned. There was no sign of any mechanical failures after race 1 and it remains strange to have pulled off on a pace lap with no sign of any real problem. This offered another opportunity for a Datsun 1, 2 finish and would have had the crowds going mad if this was ever accomplished. The first few laps saw both the Skyline and the 140Z swapping places frequently upfront with the 140Z holding the Skyline on the outside of turn 4 on more than 1 lap going up towards turn 5. From where I was standing it had the spectators clapping and shouting for the 140Z and almost choked me up a little at times. The dice continued until 5 lap where due to the much cooler temperature conditions had now allowed the Dutch entry turbo charged Alfa the chance to close in on the 2 front Datsuns. The Alfa eventually caught up to the 140Z and split the 2 Datsuns for the remaining 2 laps and so ended race 2 in that order. A most entertaining race. This achievement brought out the likes of Colin Clay (former 140Y Wesbank racer) who congratulated Martin on both his races and even sat in the car in awe of this 'Giant Killer'. So too did Willie Hepburn turn up, so too did Roelf Du Plessis of Wesbank racing, Larry Wilford, Dick Sorrensen, Richard Sorrensen who were all offering congratulations for a brilliant race effort.
















And so ended the weekend having won class B and unofficially taking 2nd overall for the day only to have been beaten by much bigger and more modern day cars but equally which were raced to their limits. We were all tired and a little sun burnt from the weekends glorious weather and we left soon after prize giving where 'Mr Datsun' headed for Bloemfontein for a good nights rest. Let's wait and see what the 3rd leg of the Springbok series brings to the Cape where hopefully yet another battle may just resume, then again most probably not.

Thanks 'Boet' for me being a part of your racing.

Hello 2011

Well it's not quite time for racing just yet but hey, it's as good a time to start getting ready and preparing for the season that lies ahead. A lot of work still lies ahead and many mechanical decisions still need to be made for the championship ahead but the one decision that has been made so far was to send the 1200 'boxie' down to Cape Town for the historic weekend in February. For obvious reasons I have had to remove all the previous stickers, numbers and sponsors (used in JHB) and who are also no longer involved with the series which means new ones have to be made anyway. For those not yet aware, I also voluntarily gave up my race number (#22) in CT for a good cause and will have to await a new number to still be allocated to me. (Hopefully reverse psychology will still come into play.)

Depending on how things pan out I may just decide to keep the 'boxie' in Cape Town and give the GX Coupe a rest and a little TLC, after all it's served me well over the years. One thing is for sure, I've got the best Datsun mechanic in the country (in my personal opinion) and either way I hope to again be right up there where I am lead to believe that a lot of plans are in process to challenge the Datti. (At least try with a 1600cc and not something with 600cc and more!!)

I would still love to have a race car with me in JHB for the up coming Piper weekend at Zwartkops later this month but with only an empty wallet and a bent credit card (school fees, uniforms and books have no respect not to mention Club membership and MSA license renewal) common sense will therefore prevail. In the interim I am holding thumbs for all those still in the process of building new cars for the season and I can't wait to see you all again soon.


The 140Z should also be getting a thorough check through during the up coming weeks as well and should be ready to 'rock 'n roll' by as soon as the next race. I think I must also however sit my tutor down and do some convincing for him to be the 'Tried Piper'.

Thanks in advance 'Boet'!!

It's all over now.

And so the final race of the 2010 season dawned upon me and I found myself somewhat exited, somewhat apprehensive all at the same time. The outcome no longer mattered after all, all I really wanted was to just enjoy the last race, finish both heats without any unnecessary damage and end the season on a positive note. As such then I feel I have reached such desires and was only too happy to have been a part of it all.

Friday morning I arrived at the track for the first practice session which was scheduled for 09h45 and was hoping that it would prove to be successful so that another session was not necessary. The Datti had been given another set of bearings as a result of the loss of oil pressure encountered during the last race as well as the rockers having been fixed and the oil feeds repaired. The engine sounded as per normal and oil pressure was excellent. I took to the track and did my normal warm up procedure for the first lap after which I increased the speed until I finally reached race pace. On the 3rd lap I noticed that it would jump out of 4th gear around 6000 RPM on the straights both back and front as well as between T3 and T4. I started going through T4 in 3rd to prevent using only 1 hand but eventually accepted it was not to be. I put a call through to 'Mr Datsun' and said I could not race it in such condition. Within 10 minutes the car was collected and taken back to the workshop where the gearbox was removed and replaced with another and was returned to the track by 11h30. I was to again test at the last afforded session being at 12h55. The test was successful and everything worked well, the only feeling being that the Datti was not at her most powerful and seemed to be off pace from her usual. Never the less I was happy that I could sill be in contention for a challenge at finishing the season on a good note.
The 140Z was all previously and meticulously prepared and only a top up of fuel and tyre pressure was needed for a test. Even although the track was not perfect and the wind had come up she was as crisp and ready as ever and awaited the challenges it was likely to face from good opposition in the likes of the ex Hennie vd Linde SABAT Skyline GTX and the late Tony Viana Winfield BMW 745i which were especially invited to end off the classic car season. Both these cars were serious contenders in the heyday and were still no slouches in the very capable hands of their current drivers.

Saturday and as per usual we at the track at sparrows as our qualifying was scheduled for 08h00. The morning was overcast and cool and by 07h15 a light drizzle had crept in and made sure that the track was entirely wet. We both decided that even although it was not raining heavily at all we would chance it and go out on slick tyres. The times were slow and I qualified the Datti at a 1:50.4 while the 140Z also only manged a 1:45.8 putting him 2nd on the grid. By 09h30 it had stopped drizzling and by 10h00 for our first race we had a dry line to at least race on.
Race 1 saw the Datti behind both front wheel drive cars who qualified by 0.5 seconds quicker than me and had the better grid position. At lights out I managed to get good drive and managed to easily pass them before going into T1. I found myself right behind the bumper of the the Scirocco who had by now already been passed by the much faster rear wheel drive cars. I hung on as best as possible but it was soon evident that I was not in any contention to challenge the much quicker Scirocco of Biccari. Everything else seemed to be working perfectly but I was eventually caught by the Zakspeed Escort Mk1 of Robbie Jeptha who was luckily still in class X but had more pace on the day. The 140Z simply stormed off into the distance along with the Mazda Rotary of Chris Carolin and there was never really any challenge from the only invited guest being Paolo Cavelieri in the BMW 745i. It was simply out classed in the race and put in an excellent 1:22.3 lap while that of Chris Carolin only 1 tenth of a second slower at 1:22.4.

Race 2 for the Datti turned out to be a rather lonely race which was also largely due to a huge oil spill that resulted in the race before ours. Large amounts of cement were as such laid down on the oil which soon turned into a dust storm from the cars up ahead. I tried as best to avoid as much of it as possible on the warm up lap but it was difficult to avoid all contact. Again I got away well but visibility was almost zero in some places and instead I chose to be on the cautious side as I new I was unable to be of any major threat to the Scirroco while the Zakspeed was of no threat to me at all as far as points were concerned. On each lap the cement dust became less but it had already taken its toll on those who chose to deliberately drive in or through it. I was as such slowly catching the Zakspeed Escort and eventually passed it where after it came to a halt with likely engine damage as are result of excessive cement dust in the engine. In the interim the guys up front were making a race of it and the lead up front often changed between the 140Z, the Mazda Rotary and even the BMW 745i at times thereby getting the spectators most excited at the possible outcome of the race. Who would be the victor at the finish line. In the end it was the 140Z followed by the BMW 745i, the Mazda Rotary and the Mk1 Escort of Louis Powell all within 1 second between them all. It may not have been the fastest race of the season but judging by the feedback from both spectators and fellow racers from around the track it was one of the most exciting and entertaining races dished up for the season.

And so the Datsuns will now be parked for quite some time until the next season starts sometime in 2011. It was undoubtedly a difficult season both mechanically and emotionally as well as financially at times. Perhaps in hind sight the emotions were allowed to get in the way of racing and as such took the edge off at times and thereby blurred our mental visions. On a more positive note, at least for now we have a stable set of rules which should remain unchanged for 3 years and in turn allow the fields to once again increase knowing that it won't change in the next year.

Above all I have to say a big thank you to my 'boet' for whom without I would only be a spectator. Throughout the entire season he meticulously prepared, rebuilt, modified and made changes which saw the Datti go from a class C car at the beginning of the season to finishing 2nd in class B for 2011. I cannot think of any other car with an engine capacity so small ever achieving such results in class B, a remarkable and commendable achievement.

To all the regular followers of the Datsun's, 2011 will be even better to watch. To all my fellow competitors, best you enjoy the off season.

Thanks 'Boet'.

Guess who turned 21

Perhaps this is a good time to pay homage to someone who not only puts his money where his mouth is but actually delivers the goods and undoubtedly deserves more credit than is actually given. Not only did he choose to drop the compression ratio of his race car by a substantial margin so as to improve the reliability of his 4-cylinder engine, as well as to duly comply with breakout rule requirements, but he was equally determined to prove a further point by actually starting from the back of the grid instead of just the back of the class. In order to ensure optimum performance though you have to have a good handling race car and he therefore paid extra carefully attention this time to the handling department in every aspect. Having chosen to start from the back of the grid, it was therefore futile to qualify as it would serve no purpose in this instance.

Race 1 was off at 09h45 or thereabout with no warm-up formation lap. It was an out lap and a formation lap all in one and when the pace car pulled off, it was go. The 140Z carved its way through the field like a hot knife through butter and by lap 4 he was already in second place with only the Porsche of Keith Rose still in the distance. By the end of the race the Porsche managed to stay ahead and win by exactly 1 second. In the interim, the Datsun 140Z had posted a personal best time of 1:21.6. (That didn't help getting out of class X though.) Never ever has a 4-cylinder normally aspirated 8 valve engined saloon car been recorded doing such times at Killarney. You can say what you want to, but at the end of the day you simply have to admire the mans masterful race engine and race car preparation ability which is slowly proving unsurpassed at club racing level. What makes it even more amazing, is that it fully complies in every aspect of the rules with period part rule requirements having been met and having been duly verified as such by the technical committee.

Race 2 now saw the Datsun 140Z standing second on the grid next to the Porsche RSR. The start was again the same as the first. The German engineered flat six rudely stormed off and was soon hounded by the Japanese Datsun 140Z. At every opportunity that the Datsun had tried at to make a pass, the Porsche blocked the attempt. On lap 4 he tried it once too often and upon entering T3 the Datsun stuck his nose in as the Porsche does not have the cornering ability nor the corner speed to stay with the Datsun going through there. They approached T4 side by side, the Porsche on the outside the Datsun on the inside. Keith tried to cut across the Datsun but this time found the left front bumper in mid corner and came off second best. (As I recall, that was the second coming together with the Porsche RSR). The long and the short of it was that the Datsun walked the race by 5 seconds with the Porsche RSR knowing full well he'd been beaten fair and square by a superior car and driver.

On a similar path was the little Datsun GX Coupe now still in class C. Mr 'Datsun Guru' still having a book full of tricks up his sleeve had other ideas of me remaining there. Again changes were made between the last race meeting and this one but this time nothing further was done in the power plant department. Upon my arrival on the Friday I was greeted with a complete set of new brakes front and back and a complete different seating position. The steering had also been adjusted to match the new seated position. I tested for 2 sessions on the Friday and was most impressed with the new (unofficial) time and the changes that were made. Saturdays qualifying was the official proof thereof with a slower time of 1:28.7 while in race 1 an improved time of 1:28.2 (still 0.3 sec slower than the unofficial time done on Friday) was further done. Race 2 was done at a slower pace and I only managed a best 1:29.23. The damage however was already done in qualifying. Class B here we come. I now have to ask the inevitable question, has a 1400 normally aspirated engined car ever in the history of Killarney race tracks existence reached class B? I most certainly don't recall it.

Yes I was the driver and obviously played some role, but I stand up and salute you 'Boet' for constantly and confidently chipping away at the pinnacle of the ridiculous to prove to all and sundry that it CAN and HAS now been accomplished with may I say OEM parts which include the drive train (gearbox and diff) and brakes. I will also go on record as saying that even one of the HMC technical consultants thought this was now just a step too much to believe and that something must be going on under that bonnet. Well, we welcomed the opportunity to open up and allow his full unhindered inspection (purely out of his own curiosity) which to his utmost amazement could not believe that the achievements were actually done with an perfectly legal A14 engine on OEM front discs and standard road (NOT race) disc pads and with OEM drum brakes still fitted to the rear. He shook both our hands and said he now had sufficient evidence to prove beyond any reasonable doubt to whomever that you do not always need the best in racing parts alone as many always proclaim, but that given the proper setup with a good dose of race engine and race car preparation knowledge, he now had living proof right in front of his own eyes. Needless to say the Datsun GX Coupe won both its races done in class C for the last time.

My 'Boet', you not only amaze the racing world at Killarney, and elsewhere around the country I may add, but you still boggle my mind with your never ending attempt at going faster each and every race, with success, and all still within the allowable rules.

I truly salute your efforts.

Thanks 'Boet'.