Flat out in the Free State!
Story: Rupert Giessing
Pictures: Racepics
The weekend of 16 to 17 August saw the BMW Car Club Gauteng brigade making the annual trek down to the Free State flats for the Phakisa track and race weekend. Most of the competitors arrived on the Friday already, making the most of the available track time, but of course also to join in the fun that is the Friday night pit braai. And what a party it was, with a few brave men still standing at around midnight (note that activities started at 6 o’ clock on Saturday morning…)
Phakisa as a technical circuit is one of the most challenging and rewarding, and at the same time fairly forgiving if you get it wrong where the most bravery is required in the last sector, and it’s also here where a lot of time can be made up, or lost. Quite a few of the drivers on the day managed to improve their lap times, with the tyres looking worse for wear due to the extremely abrasive surface.
With most of the scrutineering done on Friday, drivers briefing and other formalities taken care of, and Bridgestone windscreen stickers in place, engines were fired up and time trial participants started making their way onto the track for their first session of the day. Competitors put in their best efforts to score the fastest time of the day, with the spoils ultimately going to Leon Loubser in his 335i, with a fastest time of 1:42.174
For anyone wishing to experience the thrill and excitement of going flat out around a race track, our ever popular hot lap sessions offer you that opportunity. For only R100 per person, eager adrenaline junkies got to get the full track experience, as they were treated to two flying laps in our club race car “Sandbag”, a semi stripped out and fully caged E46 325i Touring. This is always a very memorable experience, especially if you’ve never been around a race track before. After a session out on track, passengers emerge from the car with a big smile on their faces, surprised about what “Sandbag” the station wagon is capable of! Especially so, due to the fact that the car is fitted with the excellent, super sticky and durable Bridgestone Potenza RE-11S semi-slick rubber.
Combining our race series with our time trial events, attending one of our track and race days is also very enjoyable from a spectator perspective (and did I mention that it’s absolutely free for spectators). You get to see some of the most competitive and entertaining racing, as well as some of the most beautifully prepared BMW race cars in the country. Rick Loureiro was the double race winner on the day, congratulations to him on a great drive.
Thank you once again to our amazing sponsor, Bridgestone, and our dedicated committee for pulling off another memorable event. Without your hard work and generosity we would not be able to host these events and use our Bavarian (and other) beauties in a safe and enjoyable environment to their full capabilities.
If you want to find out more about our trackdays, or if you are keen to join us, you can get in touch with Bernard De Gouveia onThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
More about BMW Car Club Gauteng
The Club was formed in 1981 to afford likeminded enthusiasts the opportunity to interact with each other through a comprehensive calendar of events, a club magazine and website portal. The Club also organizes adrenaline and social based events such as breakfast runs, classic car gatherings, Concours d’Elegance competitions, social events, weekend trips, gymkhana’s and top speed events. The Club is proud of its family ethos where all enthusiasts are welcome. More information is available HERE
Time Trial results of the day can be found by CLICKING HERE.
Time Trial Championship standings by class can be found by CLICKING HERE.
Time Trial Championship standings overall can be found by CLICKING HERE.
Pics of the day were taken by Paul Blackburn and his team from RacePics.co.za and can be viewed and ordered by CLICKING HERE.