Nostalgia and spectacle ruled at the Zwartkops Raceway near Pretoria on Saturday, when the venue hosted round four of the 2025 Inland Historic Championship.
Dedicated to Women’s Day, the event provided excellent spectacle in front of a reasonably large crowd.
Top billing belonged to the Marlboro Crane Hire Pre-1966 Production Cars, where Seef Fourie Junior took the thundering TAR Ford Cougar to an easy first race victory.
He was chased to the flag by Ben Morgenrood (Morgenrood Ford Mustang), James Temple (Lindenberg Ford Capri Perana) and Jonathan du Toit (TAR Chev Nova).
Morgenrood won race two ahead of Fourie, Hennie Groenewald (Ford Escort Mk1) and Temple.
Peter Bailey (Bailey Cars Porsche RSR) won the HRSA class ahead of Werner Kotze (Black and Gold Mazda R100), Andre’ van der Merwe (Evapco Porsche RSR) and George Avvakpoumides (Euro Shopfitting Porsche RSR).
Kotze won race two in the flame-spewing Rotary Mazda, leading home Bailey, Avvakoumides and Andre’ ten Napel (VW Scirocco).
The opening race for Pre-2000 Sports Racing Prototypes was won by Franco di Matteo (Ford Mustang) ahead of Jonathan du Toit (TAR Chevron B8), James Temple (Lindenberg Ford Daytona Coupe) and Andre’ van der Merwe (Evapco Porsche RSR).
Du Toit beat Di Matteo to the flag the next time out, followed by Temple and Warren Lombard (Pepboys Automotive Ford Cobra).
Carel Pienaar (Kameeldoring Lotus Cortina), took the first Marlboro Crane Hire Little Giants race from Nicolas Christofides (Mytravelshop.co.za Alfa GT Junior), Terence Botes (Teds Garage Mini Cooper) and Ishmael Baloyi (TAR Dart Alfa).
Jonathan Needham (Ford Cortina Perana) won race two, followed by Poulter, Deon Schwarbsky (Vexalabs Software Ford Escort).
Mackie Adlem (Adlem Auto Taylon) took the first Lotus Challenge race from David Jermy (Blue Bubbles Taylon), Jeff Gable (Blue Bubbles Birkin) and JP Nortje (N4 Autocraft Taylon).
Race two was won by Nortje, ahead of Gable, Clive Wilmot (racekit.co.za Birkin) and Josef Kotze (Top Products Birkin).
The final Lotus Challenge race went to Adlem, followed by Gable, Nortje and Kotze.
A combined race for Clubmans and Midvaal Historic cars saw Adrian Dalton win in his Xtra Clothes BMW CLS, leading home Dirk Lawrence (JDM Tuning Honda Ballade), Kobus Brits (Pragma VW Polo Classic), Rodney Kruis (Real Pro Honda Ballade), Vitor Dias (Throttle Mafia Honda Ballade) and Pete Walters (Tigra SpaceFrame).
The six drivers finished race two in exactly the same order.
Adrian Dalton also won the opening SPS Silvercup 2,0 race with his BMW, followed by Giulio Airaga (Mazda Tigra), Jared Rossouw (Nathan’s Polo SuperCup) and Jonathan Visser (VW Polo 6ZR).
Dalton completed his perfect day with a win in the final SPS Silvercup 2,0 race, chased by Airaga, Faudo Sidique (Fuel Injection Tech Honda Civic) and Visser.
Andrew Horne (Xena Chemicals Royale) won the opening Historic Single Seater race , chased to the flag by Paul Gerber (Rosso Sport Auto Ray), Paul Richardson (Aztek Procurement Dulon) and Ben van der Westhuizen (Pioneer Plastics Royale).
Race two went to Gerber, followed by Van der Westhuizen, Richardson and Alan Kernick (Aztek Procurement Dulon).
The first Monoposto single-seater race went to veteran Allen Meyer (Liqui Moly FVW), ahead of Peter Hills (Rhema 2), Aidan Morrow (Chaplins Eye Formula M) and Theodore Vermaak (DOE Parts Forza).
Meyer won race two as well, leading home Vermaak, Hills and Morrow.
Devin Robertson (Big Boss Auto Legend) won the first INEX Legend race from Gavin Botha (Pta Noord Toyota INEX), Christian Padayachee (Midas Gem INEX) and Tyler Posthumus Plant Hire INEX).
Botha won race two ahead of Robertson, Sebastian Venkov (Martin Venkov INEX) and Padayachee.
Race three went to Robertson, followed by Botha, Richard van Heerde (Browndeck Roofing INEX) and Posthumus.
The next Historic Inland Championship event at Zwartkops will be on Saturday, 20 September.
Andre’ de Kock
