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International entries of historic significance come to South Africa.
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| Special cars from Europe which had a profound impact in South Africa in the 1960’s will be a welcome sight on our grids in February. Amongst some of the imports will be: The ex-works Trevor Taylor, Syd van der Vyver and Nevelle Lederle 1961, Lotus Climax MK21 Formula One. |
| It was this very car that came second to Jim Clark in the 1961 Rand Grand Prize at Kyalami and East London – and then first in the Cape Grand Prix at Killarney in the hands of Trevor Taylor. |
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| The Lotus 21 was then reimported by multi South Africa Champion Syd van der Vyver in 1962 and sold to Nevelle Lederle at the end of the season when Syd acquired a V8 Climax Lotus 24. It was Nevelle Lederle who won the 1963 SA National Championship in this Lotus and at the East London Grand Prix at the end of the year did the unthinkable and came 6th overall in a three year old car. |
| The Lotus 21 will be raced by Alex Morton from the UK. |
Lotus 15 Sports Racing Car
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| The Lotus 15 was another brainchild of Colin Chapman which was a light, aerodynamic racer with a 1.5/2.0 litre coventry climax engine. The Lotus 15 lap times were on occasions quicker that the contemporary F1’s. The Lotus was however fragile and did not quite make it to the finish line. Colin Chapman philosophy being that “a racing car must function to maximum efficiency so that once it has received the chequered flag it falls apart”. The Lotus 15 and F1 16’s were just that except the cars broke before the flag. Nevertheless the Lotus 15 Sports racer was very effective and did win some important events. |
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| In South Africa it was the Pieterse brothers who imported a Lotus 15 and installed a 1.5 litre Alfa motor for the 3rd and final Nine Hour at Grand Central. Ernest Pieterse and Eugene Bosman took on the John Love / Dawie Gouws (ex SA Championship – Ian Frazer Jones Porsche 550 Spyder) and faught vainly for the entire Nine Hours. Unfortunately the bumpy old Grand Central took its toll on the Lotus and the diff wore through. They did however come second overall. Ernest then raced the Lotus Alfa in the Grand Prix at East London on New Year’s Day. |
| Eugene Bosman bought out Ernest’s share and raced the Lotus in the old Transvaal Sports & GT Championship and taking the title in 1962. This car is still in South Africa and has been restored by Howard Robinson. For the 1st of Feb Chris Ballard from the UK will be racing a 2 litre country Climax version of the Lotus 15. |
Lola MK1
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| Another interesting car coming to South Africa is Robin Longdon’s Lola MK1. The little Lola – the beginning of a long centre of icon Lola racers – was the car which conquered Colin Chapman’s Lotus XI in the 60’s. |
| Two of these Lola entered early the 5th Nine Hours at Kyalami. This car finished 5th overall and remained in South Africa and achieved third overall in the 1963 Nine Hours in the hands of Henri le Roux. |
| Tickets are sold by Computicket for a discounted price: Adults R140, Students R80, Kids U12 free. |
| Gates open from 06h00 on Friday 31st January 2014 and Saturday 1st of February 2014. |
