Ignition time for the mean machines
RACING action shifts into high gear this weekend as the annual Border 100 event takes centrestage at the East London Grand Prix track on Saturday.
With a host of exhilarating local races set for the day, excitement is expected to reach extreme levels as the Sasol Global Touring Car (GTC) Championships will be concluding its sixth and final leg of the inaugural series this weekend.
“This is a new series that just started this year, so it is the first time they will be racing here at the Grand Prix track, which will bring a lot of interest,” said Border Motorsport Club chairman, Andrew Karshagen.
“We are excited to have GTC’s coming down. It is something totally new and I think it will add a lot of excitement to the day.”
This will just add to what was already a top-class schedule and should see plenty of racing fans heading down to the track to check it out.
Other races on the day will include the Regional/Historic Club Saloons, the Club Motorcycles, Powersport Motorcycles and the Modified Saloons.
“We will have the club modified, historics and the bikes also racing on the day and these are always very competitive and a lot of fun to watch,” said Karshagen.
“We have cars from all over coming down for the event. The Border 100 has a quality following and this year will be no different.
“I think this is the best way to end what has been a long and competitive season and everyone is looking forward to the day.”
The Border 100 dates back 82 years when International Grand Prix racing got off to a flying start in East London in 1934.
Some of the top drivers in the world competed in East London on the original 24km-long Prince George Circuit.
The original race in 1934 was known as the Border 100, but the motorsport controlling body at the time in South Africa thereafter gave permission for the race to be named The Grand Prix of South Africa.
The circuit in its current form was opened in July 1959 and hosted South Africa’s first post-war Grand Prix on January 1 1960.
On this day the curtainraisers of the SA Grand Prix were three motorcycle events, all running 50 miles, hence the name East London Treble 50.
Between 1960 and 1966 drivers of the calibre of Stirling Moss, Jim Clark, Jack Brabham, Graham Hill and many more raced at this Circuit.
South Africa’s only world champion, Jody Scheckter, was of course also born and bred in East London and was a regular feature on the race track.
This year’s event will start with the warmup on the day beginning at 7am, with qualifying set to get under way at 8.20am and the first heat to start at 9.50am.
The final heat should finish by 3.30pm with the main Border 100 event following, with the motorcycles set to do 26 laps and the Saloons 47 laps. The day’s action should end by 6pm.