The second part of the 2025 Passion for Speed took part under hot, largely cloudless skies at the Red Star Raceway, just outside Delmas, on Saturday, 8 February. While many of the drivers took part in the opening round at Zwartkops International Raceway just a week ago, adding several new categories added an extra dimension to the event.
The day’s headline event was the 45-minute race for Pre 66/68 Le Mans Sports & GT cars, Classic Touring Cars and Backdraft Roadsters. In the race’s opening stages, it looked like Lindenberg Racing’s James Temple was going to repeat his Zwartkops victory of a week earlier, but his car started overheating in the extreme heat of the day. A spin caused by overflowing cooling fluid that got onto the rear wheel of the Daytona Coupe dropped Temple down to second and allowed Steve Clark in his Backdraft to take the lead. A clever pit-stop strategy by Clark’s team saw him hang onto the lead to take the win. Temple nursed his hot car home in second place ahead of the Backdrafts of Mike McLaughlin and Rob Mordaunt. Stuart Armstrong and Craig Hamilton rounded out the top six.
One of the new categories was the Classic Superbike Racing Association, which kicked proceedings off with their first race bright and early on Saturday morning. From the start, it was a fight between the Honda of Fergal McAdam and Michael McSkimming on his Suzuki. After eight laps around the four-kilometre circuit, McAdam was in front when it counted, taking the win by just a couple of tenths from McSkimming after some close racing. Etienne Louw was the best of the rest, bringing his Kawasaki home in third.
The second race, held in the heat of the day, saw McAdam again grab the lead from the start, but McSkimming made no mistake when he got to the front and slowly opened up a gap over the Honda. He took the win by just over three seconds from McAdam, with Louw again completing the podium.
The INEX Legends returned to the Passion For Speed programme for the first time since the 2019 edition. Unlike the other series, INEX Legends utilised different circuit layouts, with the first two races contested over 12 laps around the short circuit, while the final six-lap race utilised the full circuit.
Christan Padayachee took the first win of the 2025 season to head up a podium of some the youngest starts in South African motorsport, with Sebastian Venkov and Torben Roos in second and third. Race 2 saw Roos take to the top step, while Cyril Jacobs beat Venkov to second place over the line. However, both the latter drivers were found guilty of passing under yellow flag conditions and, subsequently, received 30-second penalties. This promoted Richard van Heerde to second place and Padayachee to third.
The third race produced a host of fiercely contested battles, with Venkov taking his maiden win, narrowly beating Jacobs. The final podium spot went to Van Heerde, who valiantly fought off Roos and Padayachee.
David Jermy dominated the Lotus Challenge, taking all three wins and ensuring overall and Class B honours. In the opening heat, JP Nortje and Mackie Adlem followed him over the line. Nortje was forced into retirement in the early stages of the second heat, leaving Adlem and Jeff Gable to join Jermy on the podium. Nortje returned in race three to get the better of Adlem once again and take another second place behind Jermy.
A bit further back in Class L, the battle was between Andrew Fulton, Sean Hepburn, Wesley Maxwell, and defending champion Nick Hodgson. Fulton won the first race from Hepburn and Maxwell. Hepburn took the second race ahead of Maxwell and Fulton before Hodgson claimed his first podium of the day by winning race three from Maxwell and Fulton.
Alen Meyer looked to have things sewn up in the opening Formula Libre and Formula “M” race, but a fuel problem with just over two laps to run saw him sidelined and handed the win to Jannie Gerber in his KTM Powered Formula “M”. Louis van der Merwe and Aiden Morrow were second and third. Meyer made no mistake in the second heat, charging through from near the back of the grid to grab the lead and taking a comfortable win. Gerber had to settle for second ahead of van der Merwe.
A field of almost 30 Silver Cup cars was led to the flag by Guila Airaga in the opening heat. He was followed over the line by Marnus du Plessis and Marius Truter. Faudo Sidique, Tony Sazbo and Chris Cronje rounded out the top six. In the second heat, Airaga was again the comfortable winner, this time with Sidique and Truter in second and third. Sazbo went one better than in the opening race, claiming fourth ahead of Petrus van Oordt and Theo Bohnen.
Gerhard Henning claimed a surprise win in the opening Pre ‘66/68 Legends of the 9 Hour Production Cars, including Little Giants & U2 and EVAPCO HRSA Racing heat when the Mercury Cougar of Seef Fourie pulled out of the lead with an oil pressure problem. Henning led James Temple and Oliver Broome over the line, with Mark du Toit, Stefan Puschavez and Colin Ellison not far behind.
With the giant Cougar repaired, Fourie dominated the second heat, taking the win from Henning and Ben Morgenrood. Temple had to settle for fourth, ahead of Broome and du Toit.
The MHCC, Clubmans, NSCC, Backdraft, ISP and TransAm categories combined for their two races. In the opening heat, Dutch visitor Michiel Campagne (McLaren) just got the better of Mark du Toit (Lola) to take the win. Denver Branders (Cobra) was a slightly lonely third ahead of the first of the Clubman’s category cars, Dirk Lawrence (Honda). Another two Backdrafts, driver by Steve Clark and Mike McLaughlin, rounded out the top six.
In race two, Pieter Zeelie (Lotus), who missed the opening heat, disappeared at the head of the field to take the overall win. The action happened behind him, though, with Campagne and du Toit resuming their battle for ISP honours. After eight laps of wheel-to-wheel racing, Campagne was again in front when it counted, albeit by less than three-tenths of a second. Lawrence was the leading Clubman’s car in fourth place ahead of the Backdrafts of Clark and Rob Mordaunt.
The Red Star Raceway edition of The 24th Passion For Speed was a remarkable success, enjoyed by participants and the sizeable crowd alike. The landmark quarter-of-a-century edition in 2026 is already eagerly anticipated.
