Two generations of Scribantes raring to hit the weekend track
● Dad comes out of retirement to race alongside sons in SA GT National Championship
While most people undergoing chemotherapy opt to rest and rejuvenate on days off, one man has opted to jump into a supercar and race around a track fending off rivals, including his own sons.
Celso Scribante has come out of retirement to race in rounds three and four of the 12round SA GT National Championship at the weekend.
The 78-year-old businessman and petrolhead will be racing under the renowned Scuderina Scribante badge, started by his late father, Aldo, alongside sons Silvio and Aldo Jnr.
The two generations of racers will be rolling up to the line in their respective Lamborghini Huracán GT3s at the 2.48km Aldo Scribante Raceway, named after Aldo Snr who built the track in 1973 on behalf of the municipality.
Celso is suffering from stage 4 colon cancer and is undergoing chemo.
The weekend event will mark his return motorsport following his diagnosis in 2020, and comes as a result of his sons convincing him to participate in his passion once again.
While all three generations of Scribante men have been actively involved in developing motorsport in SA for decades, some of that passion has also rubbed off on Celso’s daughter Francesca, who embellished on the family’s rich racing routes with Time to Torque.
She said it all began with her grandfather, a multiple former SA formula champ who owned Formula 1 cars, running under the Lucky Strike banner from 1966-1975.
The cars were entered as Scuderia Scribante/ Lucky Strike Racing with Aldo Senior having won the SA Formula One championship for six consecutive years between 1970 and 1975 in them and in two Brabhams (BT11 and BT33), as well as the M23 Mclaren.
“As a young aspiring racing driver back in the day, my dad asked his father for a drive in his Formula 1 Atlantic race car; in fear of losing his son on a race track, his reply was an emphatic no!
“Somewhat 40 years later his dream became a reality when his [Celso’s] brother Leandro asked Piet Bredenham to bring the Lucky Strike Formula 1 car down specially for him to race.”
However, before that, Francesca said her dad had raced 125cc karts at various levels of competition from age 21 through to his late 40s, raking in numerous titles along the way.
But it was about five years after getting all he could out of karting that the Scribantes moved to heavier machinery.
“Motor car racing had started for him when Scribante Concrete purchased the two 3litre Audis.
“That’s when the bug bit him for motor car racing.
“He raced in the Audi for two years with his son, Aldo.
“Then he purchased the two Lamborghinis for Aldo and Silvio to race.
“Now a third Bull was purchased this year and he has decided to come out of retirement after two years.
“My dad took Aldo’s Lambo, Aldo has got his new one and Silvio will continue to race with his Bull,” she said.
However, long before taking the controls of the the high horsepowered Italian machines, Celso taught his then 11-year-old boys the techniques of racing as he did on karts before they went on to compete and win in various levels of saloon car championships in SA.
The Scribantes were also instrumental in setting up the hotly contested SA GT National Championship series before and during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Nelson Mandela Bay race fans have no fewer than five home-grown competitors to cheer on, with three Scribantes, Michael Stephen and Daniel Rowe on the entry list.
Heading the title race is Capetonian Dayne Angel in his Autohaus Angel Ferrari 488 GT3 after a win and second place at the opening skirmish, leaving the youngster two points ahead at this early stage of the season.
Today sees three free practice sessions with official qualifying scheduled for 4.30pm.
Tomorrow’s first one-hour race starts at 9.40am, with round four starting at 1.10pm.