Phakisa endurance race to be a highlight
The two-hour production car endurance race at Phakisa on 4 June will serve to
test team strategies, driver stamina and vehicle reliability.
2010 saw the return of the endurance race format when teams tackled a
90-minute race in Cape Town. While the idea was initially met with apprehension
and some negativity, the race was a huge success. Purist fans enjoyed the
racing, drivers revelled in the strategy and team technicians were given an
opportunity to actively participate in the race.
This year will be even more exciting, with a few changes being implemented.
The Phakisa race, which takes the place of the race three and four sprints, will
be 120 minutes long, with three compulsory pit stops of five minutes each.
Perhaps the most exciting change is the ruling that each competing vehicle must
have two drivers and that each driver must compete for a minimum of 20 minutes.
While many teams have not yet announced their driver line-ups, some
information has been leaked. In Class A, it appears as though former production
car champion, Leeroy Poulter will team up with Melvill Priest and that Reghard
Roets and Etienne van der Linde will share the second BMW 335i.
Hennie Groenewald and Richard Pinard will be sharing their Subarus with Mark
du Toit and Jon Williams. Rumours have it that Johan Fourie will share his new
Audi S4 with fellow Capetonian and good friend, Kosie Swanepoel.
In a thrilling twist for Audi, Terry Moss will come out of retirement to
drive with Michael Stephen. Simon Moss will tackle his first production car
outing, sharing a car with Tschops Sipuka.
The driver line-up gets even more exciting in the Nissan camp. Marco da Cunha
will team up with Christiano Morgado and Paulo da Cunha will share his seat with
Jimmy Auby. Team manager, Grant van Schalkwyk will be putting the new 370Z
through its paces, alongside Nuno da Cunha.
Nieyaaz Modack and newcomer Farrah Kuhn will share a car, and it just remains
to be seen whether the vehicle is an Audi A4 or VW GTi.
Although not confirmed, Graeme Nathan and Heinz Bose may share a car.
Logically, Bose, being fairly similar in height and size to Nathan, is the only
driver likely to be able to reach the pedals.
The Ford team appears to have deputised Graham Donker and Iain Pepper, while
Michael van Rooyen has confirmed Devon Robertson as his second driver.
Ebrahim Levy and Nizaam Esa will be joined by Armien and Anwar Levy and
Gennaro Bonafede has confirmed Lee Thompson as his endurance race teammate.
Carlos Nobre has been given the nod and will join Kieren Quarmby on track,
while Mishal Sing shares his BMW 120d with Jose Pereira.
The teams have really embraced the spirit of the two-hour race, pulling out
all the stops in their driver line-up choices. The race is scheduled to take
place at 16:00 on Saturday 4 June and the loss of light could make things even
more interesting in the race that will count for double points. Whatever
happens, the race is sure to be a highlight of the 2011 season.