War declared between Namibian, South African dragsters The Tony Rust Raceway will be the battleground for the Race Wars between Namibia and South Africa (SA) on 3 May. Bradley Ferreira from Big Boy Racing says this battle is long overdue, with the last event having been held about eight years ago. “The day of reckoning is nearing,” he says, adding that this cross border race will see some of the fastest dragsters from both countries. South African drag racers like Theo Knipe and Leo Pretoruis will take on local drag racers Xico Coetzee, Waldo Beukes, Willie van der Merwe and Micheal ‘Mad Mike’ van Zyl. Van Zyl is well-known when it comes to circuit racing and is a regular on the podium in the Clubmans class D category. Top Revs has it on good faith that Coetzee will enter four cars, including his two Toyotas, nicknamed Taxi and Uber. Both are trademarks of Coetzee. He in June last year stunned the crowd with his box shaped 2JZ Toyota Corolla (Uber) with a time of 9.63 seconds. The question on every supporter’s mind is whether he will improve on that. READY FOR WAR … Some of the vehicles that will be in action at the Tony Rust Raceway in May. Photos: Contributed “And it’s always good to bring in competition from across the border, not only for the local competitors, but also to provide supporters and spectators with a spectacle,” Ferreira says. The SA cars line up are as follows: Datsun GX powered by a 2J Turbo, Toyota Corolla KE70 powered by a Twin Cam 16V Turbo, VW MK1 powered by a 16V ABF turbo motor, the Speed and Sound Opel Kadett 200TS (has raced in Namibia before) and an Audi TT RS’s (tuned). So far, McAllen Husselman is the only entry in the motorbike class. Ferreira hopes more drag racers will enter this event, as many have previously made a name for themselves on these tracks. Drag racing boasts a long and rich history, with its origins traced back to around 1930, though some place its rise after World War II, in the 1940s. Regardless of the start, the sport’s popularity is undeniable. The word ‘drag’ is still debatable, as the word has many meanings, but regardless the origin, we all know that these monsters competing over a quarter of mile ‘drags’ a lot of spectators. Wesbank is a partner of the event, while the Windhoek Motor Club will make their facilities available. The post War declared between Namibian, South African dragsters appeared first on The Namibian.

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Go-karting heats up in season’s second leg The second leg of the Namibian National Go-karting Championships this past weekend at the Tony Rust Raceway once again showed excellent racing and sportsmanship on and off the tracks. During the event, sponsored by Momentum Short-term Insurance, young racers left it all on the track despite it being only the second leg of the tournament and early in the season. Tony Rust, one of the handful of women drivers, took part in the senior max class due to a lack of junior max class racers. But this did not deter Rust, who comes from a racing family that practice across almost any code, and she gave her male counterparts a run for their money. “We call it the hooligan class since you get bumped a lot but it is thrilling and fun.” Rust said in an interview just after the race. During the last heat, Rust was bumped from behind, leaving her vehicle slightly damaged and meaning she could not proceed with the rest of the race. After the race, her father Michel said the incident was unfortunate but not unexpected on the race track, expressing his relief that she walked away with no injuries. Top Revs also spoke to young racer Dylan Zandberg, who took third place in the senior max class. “It felt wonderful and the car was doing exactly what I wanted it to do, though the weight was a bit off and I hit a cone at one point. But other than that, it was a great race,” Zandberg said. Hitting a cone could result in penalisation and the loss of vital points. Cecil Koorts, a junior racer who recently competed in Cape Town as part of his preparation for an upcoming competition in Italy, said he was happy with the weekend’s race. While relaxing in the shade, the young racer told Top Revs all was going well. “We won four of the six races. I am driving today in my two classes, and so far the year looks good as I am leading the championships in both classes I take part in, so I think it will be good.” Koorts expressed his gratitude toward his parents for supporting him throughout his go-karting career. The third leg is scheduled for early next month at the Tony Rust Raceway. The results are as follows: Senior Max: James van den Heever (first place), Kian Fussol (second place) and Dylan Zandberg (third place). Mini Rok u10: Milko Botha (first place), Milla Botha (second place) and Francois Gouws (third place). Bambino: Rocco van Eden (first place), Zian Nel (second place) and Willem Retief (third place). Micromax: Russel Josephat (first place), Ben Goldbeck (second place) and Gury dos Santos (third place). Mini Rok: Cecil Koorts (first place) and Herman Schouw (second). MiniMax: Cecil Koorts (first place), Nicolai Mostert, (second place) and Joubert Espach (third place). The post Go-karting heats up in season’s second leg appeared first on The Namibian.

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Slow start for motorsport calendar A slow start and few entries did not keep hardcore motorsport racers from hitting the tracks over the weekend. The first leg of the national circuit championships at the Tony Rust Raceway may not have boasted many entries, but the standard and spirit on and off the track made up for it. There were seven entries in four classes, although only five vehicles finished the races, which consisted of three heats around the tracks. The Tony Rust Raceway is described as one of the most technical race tracks in the region due to the mountainous terrain it covers. Unlike other tracks which mostly cross even terrain with slight up and down inclines, racers on the Tony Rust course have to face various uphill and downhill corners and straights. But as the saying among racers goes, “straight roads do not make good drivers.” Richard Slamet, the chairperson of the Windhoek Motor Club, commended caretaker Geh Visagie and his team’s efforts to ensure the tracks were race-ready, following damage due to heavy rains this year. Zachary Martin, a regular on the racing circuit and rally tracks, told Top Revs he had a ball on the tracks against opponent Jan Everson from Walvis Bay. Despite some technical issues in the beginning due to a loose timing belt and dirty injectors, a quick stop in the pits put Martin back in full racing mode. “I picked up a nice dice with Oom Jan [Everson], a local also from Walvis Bay and we had a super close race from the flag drop to the end,” Martin says. The young racer says he and his navigator will be ready for the rally at Swakopmund next weekend. Everson commended Martin, adding that the third heat was a real tight race between the two. Though they race in two different classes, Everson says it was an awesome race. Deon Diergaardt, clerk of the course, said after the races that he was disappointed by the low entries, but hailed the high standard of the entrants. Despite the low numbers, spectators around the tracks and in the stands enjoyed every second, as their cheers and support could be heard over the roaring engines. The second leg of the national circuit championships is scheduled for 17 May, also on the Tony Rust Raceway. The results of the first leg were: Clubmans Class B: Alan Martin (first place, only entrant) Clubmans Class C: Everson (first place), Clive Strydom (second place) Clubmans Class D: Marius van Zyl (first place), Martin (second place) Clubmans Class X: Ekko Eisenberg (first place), Horazio “Rassie” Rietz (second place) The post Slow start for motorsport calendar appeared first on The Namibian.

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Slow start for motorsport calendar A slow start and few entries did not keep hardcore motorsport racers from hitting the tracks over the weekend. The first leg of the national circuit championships at the Tony Rust Raceway may not have boasted many entries, but the standard and spirit on and off the track made up for it. There were seven entries in four classes, although only five vehicles finished the races, which consisted of three heats around the tracks. The Tony Rust Raceway is described as one of the most technical race tracks in the region due to the mountainous terrain it covers. Unlike other tracks which mostly cross even terrain with slight up and down inclines, racers on the Tony Rust course have to face various uphill and downhill corners and straights. But as the saying among racers goes, “straight roads do not make good drivers.” Richard Slamet, the chairperson of the Windhoek Motor Club, commended caretaker Geh Visagie and his team’s efforts to ensure the tracks were race-ready, following damage due to heavy rains this year. Zachary Martin, a regular on the racing circuit and rally tracks, told Top Revs he had a ball on the tracks against opponent Jan Everson from Walvis Bay. Despite some technical issues in the beginning due to a loose timing belt and dirty injectors, a quick stop in the pits put Martin back in full racing mode. “I picked up a nice dice with Oom Jan [Everson], a local also from Walvis Bay and we had a super close race from the flag drop to the end,” Martin says. The young racer says he and his navigator will be ready for the rally at Swakopmund next weekend. Everson commended Martin, adding that the third heat was a real tight race between the two. Though they race in two different classes, Everson says it was an awesome race. Deon Diergaardt, clerk of the course, said after the races that he was disappointed by the low entries, but hailed the high standard of the entrants. Despite the low numbers, spectators around the tracks and in the stands enjoyed every second, as their cheers and support could be heard over the roaring engines. The second leg of the national circuit championships is scheduled for 17 May, also on the Tony Rust Raceway. The results of the first leg were: Clubmans Class B: Alan Martin (first place, only entrant) Clubmans Class C: Everson (first place), Clive Strydom (second place) Clubmans Class D: Marius van Zyl (first place), Martin (second place) Clubmans Class X: Ekko Eisenberg (first place), Horazio “Rassie” Rietz (second place) The post Slow start for motorsport calendar appeared first on The Namibian.

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