Bridgestone BMW Club Racing Series – Round 04 – Zwartkops – 2021-06-20
The 2-day Passion for Speed Festival at Zwartkops was once again a grand affair which sadly this year could not entertain the crowd it always attracts and deserves. It was almost eerie to see such a spectacle playing to empty grandstands. Nevertheless, the many different categories which competed over the weekend delivered a feast of racing which underlined the diversity which lives on in local motorsport in these troubled times.
The Bridgestone BMW Club Racing Series took to the tarmac on Sunday, but it was worth the wait. Two pulsating events left everyone grinning broadly with lots of hard, fair and thrilling racing throughout the 33-car field.
Qualifying on Sunday morning delivered some surprises. Adrian Dalton (Xtra Clothing and Shoes BMW E46 M3 CSL) took pole position ahead of the other Class A car, William Einkamerer (BTAS BMW E92 335i). Andreas Meier (#TrainedAmateurs BMW E36 STC) predictably had pole for Class B, with young Jagger Robertson (Big Boss Auto/Viking BMW E46 M3) shadowing him. Uli Sanne (BMW E86 Z4M) was the top man in Class C, not a familiar name in the ranks, but he headed the most competitive group. Varish Ganpath (Prodigy BMW E46 325ci) had pole position for Class D, while in Class E a new name, Arri van Heerden (Vtech Motorsport BMW E30 325i) was making his presence felt. Although he last raced in BMW Car Club some years ago, the pole sitter has lost none of his competitive touch as he was to prove in the course of the day.
Race 1
Off they went for the start of race 1, not long after noon, and in his eagerness to get some heat in his tyres The German spun his ex-Deon Joubert BMW on the warm-up lap and gave himself a whole lot of work to do for the next half hour or so. At the lights Dalton jumped into the lead with Einkamerer in close pursuit. In Meier’s absence, young Robertson slotted into the lead of Class B which he was to keep with aplomb throughout. Behind him Oz Biagioni (BioPool Maintenance BMW E36 M3) and Jan Eversteyn (Viking BMW E46 M3) settled into a titanic scrap of their own which lasted the whole race.
In Class C Sanne and Troy Cochran (Arrow Automotive BMW E36 M3) led initially but the rest were not far behind. Renier Smith (BMW E36 M3) brought Shaun Lamprecht (Wild Things BMW E36 318is Turbo), Matthew Wadeley (BMW E36 M3), Nek Makris (BMW E46 328i Turbo) and Trevor Long (Roof Surgeon BMW E36 M3) with him and soon this became a huge 7 car mid field dice.
Ganpath led Class D with Neil Reynolds (Valve Hospital BMW E36 M3) and Manny Ribeiro (Bridgestone/BMW Car Club E46 325i Touring) not far behind. Just to complicate matters further Jaki Scheckter (Batmobile BMW E9 3.5 CSL) and Nicholas van Zyl (RSR BMW E36 328i Turbo) in faster machinery had fallen into their clutches with problems of their own, all of which added to the non-stop action.
In Class E Arri van Heerden was soon in charge, with the ever-green Roelf du Plessis in close attendance. It was almost surreal to see the ex-Tony Viana Winfield BMW E30 325i in the pack, but du Plessis, the Randfontein hero, drove it with all the skill of his many years in motor sport and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Meier was furiously trying to make his way to the front of Class B when his engine cut out, which he later traced to a lapse of his own making in his engine preparation. He got going again and still salvaged some points.
At the flag Dalton won from Einkamerer, with Robertson in third. Biagioni and Eversteyn were next up and beaming post-race after a thrilling tussle. Renier Smith took Class C after an excellent drive and brought Nek Makris along in second place, the latter being prudent with his tyre usage in qualifying and clawing his way to the front from a poor grid slot.
Varish Ganpath duly won Class D, with Reynolds in second while Craig Herbst (Green House Solar BMW E46 330i) drove his best ever race to third. In Class E Arri van Heerden headed du Plessis home, with the venerable Mike Grobler (Grobler Motorsport BMW E36 328i) in third. Nicholas Fischer (Inside Active Group BMW E36 328i) and Hein van der Merwe (Stigworx BMW E36 325i Turbo) tangled on the last lap, which was deemed a racing incident afterward, not the finish either wanted.
Race 1 Results per Class:
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Class A: 1. Adrian Dalton – 01:04.356 2. William Einkamerer – 01:06.350
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Class B: 1. Jagger Robertson – 01:07.482 2. Oz Biagioni – 01:09.175 3. Jan Eversteyn – 01:09.380 |
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Class C: 1. Renier Smith – 01:09.936 2. Nek Makris – 01:09.304 3. Uli Sanne – 01:09.982 |
Class D: 1. Varish Ganpath – 01:12.909 2. Neil Reynolds – 01:12.587 3. Alan Hilligenn – 01:12.263 |
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Class E: 1. Arri van Heerden – 01:16.034 2. Roelf du Plessis – 01:16.200 3. Mike Grobler – 01:16.740 |
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Fastest Lap: Adrian Dalton – 01:04.356 in Lap 3 |
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Race 2
The inverted grid by class applied for race 2 set the scene for a 10-lap thriller in the afternoon. Jaki Scheckter in the Batmobile is a Class A entrant and led the field into turn 1 but was soon mobbed by all and sundry. Before the end of the opening lap Einkamerer took the lead ahead of Dalton.
Andreas Meier took full advantage of his position at the head of the Class B grid after being classified last in the morning and was gone in a flash as it were. Jagger Robertson set off after Biagioni and passed him after a few laps, with Jan Eversteyn then getting on terms with the Italian to set up a repeat of the morning’s thriller.
In Class C things were developing in mouth-watering fashion. Smith and Makris started at the back of the Class but at the front Alan Hilligenn (C3 Shared Services BMW E36 M3) led with Cochran keen to relieve him of the position. The latter has had a wretched time in 2021 with multiple problems dogging him in races, from faulty oil coolers to persistent misfires. After giving his car a make-over Cochran was like a new man, relishing being able to fight for the top spot.
In Class D Shane Grobler (Mayfair Gearbox BMW E30 325i) initially led with Bernard de Gouveia (de Gouveia Accountants BMW E36 328i) giving chase, but the rest were coming. Hein van der Merwe kept du Plessis at bay in the fight at the front of Class E. As the lap counter fell, Adrian Dalton who was driving without ABS, passed Einkamerer and scampered off at the head of the field to start lapping slower traffic. Meier was in control in Class B.
In Class C the race of the year was unfolding. An eight-car train flew around Zwartkops, some belching flames adding colour and fury to a riveting spectacle. Nek Makris was a man possessed in his quest to get to the front which he eventually did after passing a determined Sanne and a valiant and rejuvenated Cochran. But everyone besides them, Smith, Lamprecht, Matthew Wadeley, and Trevor Long contributed to an awesome exhibition of disciplined and controlled aggression.
Behind them it was almost no less gripping with Ganpath taking the lead in Class D from Shane Grobler. Neil Reynolds had a gearbox problem and fell down the order. Nicholas Herbst emulated his father’s fine performance in the first race by clawing his way to an eventual 2nd place. In Class E Arri van Heerden muscled his way to the front, with Hein van der Merwe in tow and improving race by race. Roelf du Plessis tussled with Nicholas Fischer and Thomas Potgieter (Stonehill Properties BMW E87 128i).
After 10 breath-taking laps Dalton won from Einkamerer, with Meier third and first in class B, limiting the damage from the morning’s faux-pas and keeping a slender lead in the overall standings. In Class C Makris stood tall after a splendid drive in arguably the toughest group. This was a performance to remember. Ganpath was dominant in Class D and in Class E van Heerden‘s efforts earned him a brace for the day and the coveted Driver of the Day accolade, a nice way to be welcomed back to the fold.
Race 2 Results per Class:
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Class A: 1. Adrian Dalton – 01:05.088 2. William Einkamerer – 01:05.506
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Class B: 1. Andreas Meier – 01:06.936 2. Jagger Robertson – 01:07.461 3. Oz Biagioni – 01:08.141 |
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Class C: 1. Nek Makris – 01:10.879 2. Uli Sanne – 01:10.034 3. Troy Cochran – 01:11.296 |
Class D: 1. Varish Ganpath – 01:13.276 2. Nicholas Herbst – 01:13.258 3. Shane Grobler – 01:15.320 |
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Class E: 1. Arri van Heerden – 01:15.222 2. Hein Van Der Merwe – 01:16.209 3. Nicholas Fischer – 01:17.448 |
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Fastest Lap: Adrian Dalton – 01:05.088 in Lap 2 |
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The Bridgestone BMW Club Racing Series returns a month hence at the SAES Endurance weekend on 14 July.
Story by Tony Alves.
Report and Event Photographs: www.RacePics.co.za
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BMW Car Club Gauteng
Website: www.bmwcarclub.co.za
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