Scribante revved for special race
The Aldo Scribante Racetrack will have more than just a little spring in its step when motor racing returns to Port Elizabeth on Saturday in the form of a special V8 Legends race day, attracting entries from around the country.
Motorsport legend Willie Hepburn will be coming down from Johannesburg with his fearsome former WesBank Modified Chevrolet Rekord V8 for the Historic and Pre-’90 saloons race.
Hepburn and his red-andwhite supercar need no introduction but a few locals will be keen to show him their taillights, not least another Supercar exponent and Knysna Hillclimb regular, Darron Gudmanz, in his wild Ford Capri Perana.
Border driver Brett Franklin will make the trek from East London with his Ford Granada Perana – and never ignore multiple regional and club champion Brendan Smith, who will be racing his “Little Chev” Firenza Can Am out of the Gudmanz stable.
SA’s youngest historic V8 racer, Danian Staffen, will race his Ford Capri Perana, and sixtime SA stock car champion Eddie Banks and Matthew Gudmanz will want to get their wailing Mazda rotaries ahead of the rumbling V8s among 20 local entries and 15 East London visitors.
It is also all to play for in the Eastern Province Saloon Car Championship, with tight tussles through the classes.
Class A leader Nick Davidson will have to keep an eye on Celso and Aldo Scribante’s similar former Production Racing Audi S4s, while Class B leader Ian Riddle will have the likes of Kevin Kelly’s Mitsubishi Lancer Evo lurking with intent.
Gordon Nolan’s VW leads Class C ahead of James Mattison (BMW) and Rufus Neethling (Polo), while George van Baalen’s Polo leads Class D.
Class E is all about overall championship leader Neil Roos (Polo), who has his hands full with Daniel Bright (Golf 1) and Stephan Aucamp (BMW); while Derik Gouws’s BMW leads Class F.
The EP Sports and GTs are another regular source of epic Scribante entertainment and there Kean Barnard leads the title race in his Class B Lotus 7, ahead of Jeandre Marais (Class T VW), Class C Lotus 7 men Alwyn Kretzman and Anton Ehlers and Tanya Watts’s Class C Subaru.
Also watch out for East London visitor Gary Marais and his exotic Nardini-Volkswagen, Ashwin Harri (Lotus 7), Dean Ball (BMW), Patrick Hanley (Lotus 7) and Garth de Villiers (FVW).
The AMSC Coastal Challenge sees the likes of Rane Berry (Skyline) and Shaun Rudolph (Escort) competing, while Deon Gouws (Kadett GTE) will be dicing the far bigger Opel Rekords handled by Ian Thompson and Gordon Bennett.
Neil Van Eyk (Escort), Alistair Mew (Mazda), Paul Griffin (Alfasud), Tom Flynn (Cortina) and Alfa Romeo duo Mark Schulpfort and Ari Bezuidenhout should also be in the mix as usual, among an entertaining and varied Port Elizabeth tin-top race class.
Aldo Scribante’s Street & Fine Cars are another entertaining racing class, where Gordon Nicholsen (Nissan GT-R), Duncan Lethbridge (BMW M5) and Francois Wium (BMW) impressed last time.
Dave Thorn (Alfasud), Andrew Greenland (Datsun 1200), Riaan Van Huyssteen, Jeff Guscott, Stephan Aucamp, Tertius Wium and Robin Venter will also provide some spectacle.
Two-wheel fans will also enjoy the EP Historic, Masters and Breakfast Run Motorcycles take to the track.
Tickets are R50 per person at the gate or book in advance at www.westway.co.za