On arrival at the track on Saturday morning we were met with a very wet track after some heavy downpours through the nite. Spirits were however not dampened with the conditions, they just opted to have a liquid breakfast to chase away the heavy clouds hanging above, or in their heads from the nite before, whichever it was it worked!! The dark clouds started giving way to some blue skies on the horizon which was a relieving sight. Out came the broom and swept all the puddles away and it wasn’t too long thereafter you could hear the wizz of electric motors venturing around the track testing the surface and the grip on offer.
The competitors soon started arriving in numbers and there was an excited buzz of activity around the track. Each squeezing in a last testing and setup session before the event got underway at lunch time.
Roll-on drivers briefing time:
All competitors gathered around on the main straight where Ty welcomed everybody to the first true CC event of the year. He also thanked everybody for making the effort to enter and make the trip from PE, special thanks was given to Cassiem and his committee for making their club available to host the event and for all their assistance in getting the venue prepped and ready.
Sam ran through the general rules and procedures, and once everybody was happy and there were no more questions it was onto the event for the first round of qualifiers.
Round 1 – Ding......Ding!!
With most of the grids being quite full it was hectic on track to say the least, and with alot of the guys not yet 100% confident with the right lines and the banked curbs and the nerves not yet settled it was anybody’s guess who was going to come out trumps. There were some spectacular close dices all through the fields in all the classes as everyone was trying to show the next guy up and trying to overtake at every opportunity.
With the first round over and everyone now having got the measure of their fellow competitors and the challenges being thrown down it was game on!!!! All the pits were a hive of activity during the break with everyone making setup changes, putting bigger pinions in, putting on fresh tyres, cooling motors, charging bats, etc to get that little bit extra out of their cars for the second round of quallies.
Round 2 – Ding......Ding!!
With the initial nerves of round 1 being settled it was time for everyone to show their mettle in round two, and this could clearly be seen on track and with the times being posted. The racing was much closer, the lines tighter, the pace faster....it was clear everybody now had their game faces on and had made it their mission to post better times. In the slower classes the improved times by the top guys were anywhere from a few seconds to a lap better, most of the mid pack guys improving by a lap or three. In the faster classes it was very much the same scenario, with the top 3 or 4 guys only managing to gain a few seconds, but the ensuing pack had gained in leaps and bounds and were hot on their heels.
It must be said though, this event was borne out of a “fun regional get together” idea some 2 years back, but everybody pitched up for this event packing their A game!! Nobody was going to give an inch unless told to do so by the race official, even then only very reluctantly, some even having to be reminded, cause they were so locked in their own battle, that there was a fast ensuing train coming through!!!
Day one turned out to be a fantastic display of how drivers and cars could improve if put in a battle situation, and let be known it was definitely a battle with the ever present regional trophy at stake!!! But once all the on track rivalry had settled down to a simmer, those that weren’t elsewhere committed, stayed and enjoyed a very geselig dop en chop, where many an on track war story of old were told.
Roll-on Day 2 and drivers briefing:
Everyone gathered round looking a bit worse for wear after a long nite of either spannering or suiping and trying to spanner some sense into their cars??? But behind those dreary looking eyes, everyone was excited to get the day started. After some heckling between the camps, Ty briefed everyone as to the day’s proceedings, and it was rock ‘n roll time!!!
Round 3 – Ding……Ding!!
From the onset of the first race it was game on!!! Everybody was fighting tooth and nail to post a better result and bump themselves up the podium order, some succeeding, others not so much. If this third round of quallies was anything to go on, the finals were going to be epic!!!
With round 3 having drawn to a close and everyone having given it their all with a last ditch attempt, it was onto the final squading with everyone very eager to see where they had placed for the finals.
Finals Squading:
TT Touring B Final
1. Johan Strydon PE
2. Dion Sampson CT
3. Arshad Ismail CT
4. Colin Sanderson PE
5. Abu Abrahams CT
6. Shafiek Shaigh CT
7. Faiz Shaigh CT
TT Touring A Final
1. Neville Menezes CT
2. Wayne Mitten CT
3. Riaan Shaigh CT
4. Hamish Owen Jones CT
5. Naasif Benjamin CT
6. Tyron Moore CT
7. Abdul Ismail CT
23t Super Stock A Final
1. Darren Carmichael CT
2. Ernst van Schalkwyk CT
3. Neville Menezes CT
4. Christopher Rasmus CT
5. Mark Guy CT
6. Arshad Ismail CT
7. Wayne Mitten CT
8. Riaan Shaigh CT
9. Faiz Shaigh CT
10. Dion Sampson CT
2wd Mini A Final
1. Darren Carmichael CT
2. Neville Menezes CT
3. Sedick Cassiem CT
4. Tyron Moore CT
5. Arshad Ismail CT
6. Dion Sampson CT
7. Shafiek Shaigh CT
8. Faiz Shaigh CT
9. Hamish Owen Jones CT
10. Matt King CT
FWD/RWD A Final
1. Raymond Loots PE
2. Abu Abrahams PE
3. Christo Hitchins PE
4. James vd Westhuizen CT
17.5t A Final
1. John Slier CT
2. Christo Hitchins PE
3. Abu Abrahams PE
2wd F1 A Final
1. Niam du Toit CT
2. Francois Luabscher CT
3. Neville Menezes CT
4. Sedick Cassiem CT
5. James vd Westhuizen CT
6. Divan Luzmore CT
13.5t A Final
1. Niam du Toit CT
2. John Slier CT
3. Christo Hitchins PE
4. Raymond Loots PE
5. Abu Abrahams PE
6. Francois Laubscher CT
Club Stock B Final
1. Colin Sanderson PE
2. Dion Sampson CT
3. Johan Strydom PE
4. Riaan Shaigh CT
5. Matt King CT
Club Stock A Final
1. Neville Menezes CT
2. Raymond Loots PE
3. Ernst van Schalkwyk CT
4. Tyron Moore CT
5. Hamish Owen Jones CT
6. Arshad Ismail CT
With the battle lines drawn and last minute spannering going on in the pits at a frantic pace, it was onto the first round of the finals.
Finals 1 – The Penultimate Round:
In TT B’s it was frantic scraping by all to get to the front, some coming unstuck and having to try play catchup putting undue stress in what is essentially a very evenly matched class which didn’t help their efforts. The guys up front were locked in some serious battle with Arshad edging out a decent lead over a chasing Faiz and Colin, but it pretty much stayed staus quo till the end with Arshad taking a solid win.
In the TT A’s it was a very tight race in the opening stages, but Neville managed to get a small lead after Riaan came unstuck, which he held onto for dear life for the rest of the race with an ensuing pack of 5 drivers all within 11secs of each other trying to chase him down. But he held his nerve to take a well deserved win and squeezed in an extra lap more than the chasing pack.
With a full grid in the 23t final it was going to be hectic!!!! And boy was it just!!!! Everyone scrambled off the line with positions swapping all the time, and there was plenty paint swapping going on as everybody tried to get around the twisty’s in one piece. Once the initial frantic scramble was over the race settled down and was onto some hardcore racing with Christopher, Mark, Ernst and Wayne putting in some seriously hot laps!! Then the inevitable trying to get through backmarkers didn’t prove to be easy with positions changing every so often. Ernst coming out tops followed closely by Chris, Wayne and Mark. Further back Arshad, Neville and Faiz were locked in their own battle coming home 2 laps off the pace.
After a few restarts due to first corner pileups, the 2wd minis was another great spectacle to watch. Darren, Ty, Neville, Sedick and Hamish were locked in a serious battle of whits with these little twitchy cars. Further back Dion, Arshad, Matt and Shafiek were having a battle of their own trying to keep it on the black stuff and off the curbs. Darren taking a solid win from Ty, with Neville, Sedick and Hamish finishing a lap down.
In the fwd/rwd class it was 3 PE driven fwd’s vs a lowly CT rwd car. Raymond, Christo and Abu put on a spectacle of note showing just what these cars are capable of if you “unlimit” them from the national spec. Raymond taking the early lead with Christo and Abu keeping him very honest throughout the race. James unfortunately didn’t finish the race due to technical reasons, but he wasn’t far off while he was still in it. In the end Ray came home the winner with Christo less than a second off his heels, and Abu coming home a lap down.
In the 17.5t class it was the local yokel John who dominated this race from start to finish once he shook off Christo and Abu after the first few laps. All three drivers put on a display of serious skill the way they slid round the bowl holding their nerve not to let the cars get away from them and the proceeded to dart through the twisty’s putting in some seriously fast laps. John taking a solid win with Christo and Abu settling for the spoils.
Then it was onto the very fast and nimble rwd F1’s to show their stuff. Right off the line it was evident that Niam was in a league of his own, dominating from start to finish with no one able to match his effort. This left the race in the very capable hands of Neville and Sedick to fight for the remaining top spots which they did very well showing what these cars can do. A lap back it was Francois, Divan and James fighting for the spoils.
The display of the day had to go to the fastest class of the day, this race was epic from start to finish!!!! Niam leading the 13.5t pack around like a train on rails!!!! Niam dominated from the front with the next 4 drivers all within 6secs of each other the whole race, there was absolutely nothing in it. John’s driving skill was something to behold though, working his way through the field after a first lap mishap, managing to work his way back up to third and finishing just over half a second off of Christo’s time. Positions 2 to 5 were separated by a mere 5.8secs across the line!!! WOW!!!!
In club stock B’s it was the wannabe pack vying for top honours. After the first few laps’ scrapping and paint swapping for position, Dion came out in front of a hot chasing Riaan, followed closely by Johan and Matt. Dion and Riaan were locked in a serious race with neither willing to give an inch, both managing to hold their nerve. Dion managed to edge out a small lead which he maintained till the end putting in an extra lap over Riaan. Johan and Matt were locked in their own heated battle finishing a further two laps down. Colin unfortunately broke his car which put paid to his effort for the race.
In the A final it was going to be the driver who displayed the best skill through the twisty’s that was going to take the win, and were we privileged to witness just such a display with Raymond hunting down Ersnt till the last corner where he snuck through on the inside line through the kink to take the win by a mere 0.07secs from Ernst. Neville finished in a lonely 3rd with Ty and Hamish bringing up the rear.
What a finish to the first round of finals!!!! Well done must go out to all the winners, but it wasn’t over yet, the second round was looming fast and furiously!!! And some had a point to prove!!!
Finals 2 – The Make or Break Final Round:
Wow, what a hard faught TT B final this was!! Right out the starting blocks everybody was jostling for position into the first corner, after a bit of paint swapping and position changes through the twisty’s it was balls to the wall with everyone trying to chase down the car in front of them but there was just nothing the trailing cars could do to edge ahead. The positions pretty much stayed status quo for the rest of the race with everybody finishing on the same amount of laps a mere 21secs apart.
This race proved to be a battle of whits, and whoever held onto their whits at the front was going to take it. After a few first lap position changes, Riaan put the hammer down with Neville right on his tail and he never let off till the last lap where he came unstuck, behind them was a hot chasing pack of Hamish, Naasif, Tyron, Wayne and Abdul not very far behind. In the end Riaan after a superb drive, sneaked in an extra lap to take the win infront of Hamish and Neville.
In the fwd/rwd class it was business as usual in the opening laps with Raymond taking the lead, but it wasn’t too long before James got in on the action with a much improved pan car. After Abu came unstuck James found himself in second place and trying to hunt down Raymond. It wasn’t to be though as Raymond drove a faultless race from start to finish to take the win by a lap in the end from James and Abu.
In the 23t SS class it was going to be hectic again with alot of skilled locals vying for that podium finish. Off the line it was a mad scramble as everyone tried to hold their lines not to force a restart and at the same time get a decent entry into the first corner. Darren set the early pace followed closely by Chris, Neville, Ernst, Mark and Wayne. After the first few laps’ incidents it was down to business as the front runners again showed just what these 23t brushed motors were capable of doing posting times a second or two off the faster brushless 17.5t motors!!!! Ernst, Wayne and Darren fell off the front runners after going off track a few times leaving Mark, Chris and Neville to fight till the finish with Mark taking a good win less than 2secs infront of Neville and Chris just behind them. Dion having found some consistency in his car came home in a lonely 4th 2 laps back followed by Ernst and Wayne. Darren and Faiz unfortunately didn’t finish the race.
Once again a full mini grid caused some restarts, but once the race got underway it was paceman Darren who took charge up front followed closely by Tyron, Neville, Sedick and Hamish, with none of them letting up and staying in close proximity to the car infront of them. Further back battling with very twitchy cars was Matt, Shafiek, Faiz and Dion, all at the same time trying to give the lapping front runners a clear track as they came through the field.
In the 17.5t class it was another display of driving skill by the resident local John, posting a fastest lap of 15.72secs!! Abu put in a very decent display of his own having a faultless run. Christo unfortunately went off a few times putting paid to his efforts of a decent result. In the end John took the win closely followed a further 4secs back by Abu.
In the F1 class it was supremo Niam who had a blinder of a second final posting his fastest time of the event in this class. Francois also had a brilliant run finishing in a lonely second followed a lap back by James and Neville within 1sec of each other over the line. Divan battled with pace coming home in 5th with Sedick unfortunately not finishing the race.
As the day progressed Niam just seemed to get better and better no matter what car he had on track. This was evident in the fast 13.5t class where he posted the fastest lap of the event with a 14.59sec stonker!! Mention must also be made of his consistency, with his average lap time being 14.906, that’s a consistency factor of 0.316secs every lap for 21 laps!!!! Phenominal!!!!!!
John wasn’t far off posting a fastest lap of 14.83secs and an average lap time of 15.475secs to take second place. Raymond put in some solid laps of his own, but running with a rubber spec’d car didn’t help his cause as he came home in a lonely 3rd place 2 laps back. Abu battled in the opening stages of the race but came back nicely towards the end. Francois unfortunately retired out of the race after only 5 laps.
Again it was the battle of the wannabe’s in the club stock class. Dion taking the early lead followed very closely by Riaan for the whole race, both riding superb races right till the second last lap where Dion clipped a curb in the kink giving Riaan the lead. Dion however couldn’t catch him on the last lap handing the win to Riaan, but at scrutineering Riaan’s car was found to be marginally underweight effectively DQ’ng him and bumping Dion back up into 1st place. A lap further back it was Colin fighting with Johan for the remaining spots on the podium with Colin finishing 2secs ahead of Johan. Matt unfortunately didn’t finish the race.
Onto the last race of the day. After some first lap confusion on the drivers stand the race was on with Raymond taking the lead followed closely by Tyron, Arshad, Ernst and Hamish. Ernst put on a brilliant display of driving skill as he worked his way through the field skilfully passing each guy from the back of the field to come home with a deserved 2nd place position. Raymond kept it super smooth up front making sure of his victory. Tyron, Arshad and Hamish were locked in battle the whole race all finishing within 1.5secs of each other across the line.
YOH YOH YOH!!!!! What an event from start to finish. There were some amazing displays of driving skill and some truely spectacular high speed crashes too!!!
Well done to everybody for making this event possible and the success that it was!!! This Coastal Cup series can only grow from strength to strength down the line if we keep up the good driving and comraderie from all.
Onto the much awaited combined finals results.....
TT Touring Stock B Final
1. Arshad Ismail CT
2. Colin Sanderson PE
3. Faiz Shaigh CT
4. Johan Strydom PE
5. Dion Sampson CT
6. Shafiek Shaigh CT
7. Abu Abrahams PE
TT Touring Stock A Final
1. Riaan Shaigh CT
2. Neville Menezes CT
3. Hamish Owen Jones CT
4. Naasif Benjamin CT
5. Tyron Moore CT
6. Wayne Mitten CT
7. Abdul Ismail CT
FWD/RWD 13.5t
1. Raymond Loots PE
2. Christo Hitchins PE
3. Abu Abrahams PE
4. James vd Westhuizen CT
23t Super Stock
1. Chris Rasmus CT
2. Mark Guy CT
3. Ernst van Schalkwyk CT
4. Neville Menezes CT
5. Wayne Mitten CT
6. Dion Sampson CT
7. Faiz Shaigh CT
8. Darren Carmichael CT
9. Arshad Ismail CT
10. Riaan Shaigh CT
2wd Mini
1. Darren Carmichael CT
2. Tyron Moore CT
3. Neville Menezes CT
4. Sedick Cassim CT
5. Hamish Owen Jones CT
6. Matt King CT
7. Dion Sampson CT
8. Shafiek Shaigh CT
9. Arshad Ismail CT
10. Faiz Shaigh CT
17.5t BL
1. John Slier CT
2. Abu Abrahams PE
3. Christo Hitchins PE
2wd F1
1. Niam du Toit CT
2. Francois Laubscher CT
3. Neville Menezes CT
4. Sedick Cassim CT
5. James vd Westhuizen CT
6. Divan Luzmore CT
13.5t BL
1. Niam du Toit CT
2. John Slier CT
3. Raymond Loots PE
4. Abu Abrahams PE
5. Francois Laubscher CT
6. Christo Hitchins PE
Club Stock B Final
1. Dion Sampson CT
2. Johan Strydom PE
3. Colin Sanderson PE
4. Matt King CT
5. Riaan Shaigh CT
Club Stock A Final
1. Raymond Loots PE
2. Ernst van Schalkwyk CT
3. Tyron Moore CT
4. Hamish Owen Jones CT
5. Neville Menezes CT
6. Arshad Ismail CT
And the regional trophy was decided over 4 classes and it definitely wasn’t a walkover.
Port Elizabeth finishing on 76 points, and Cape Town taking it with 86 points!!!! GO CAPE TOWN!!!!!!
Again well done to all the winners and everybody else for what can only be described as a fantastic event!!!
Prize giving and event pics to follow, keep ‘em peeled!!!
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