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'

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!!!

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'

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!

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'