On 30 August 1867 the very first race between self powered vehicles was held over a set route from Ashton under Lyne to Old Trafford in Manchester in England. Believed to be the inception of motorsport – and here we are on 30 August 2025 celebrating motorsport with the seventh round of the Lime Property Management Power Series at the Killarney International Raceway 158 years on. The 242nd days of the year leaving just 123 days till the end of 2025!
30 August 1931 (94 years ago) saw Luigi Fagliotti win the inaugural Italian Grand Prix at Monza driving a Maserati whilst Frank Gardner won the first Australian Grand Prix under Formula 5000 rules in 1970 (55 Years ago).
In 1937 the New Zealander, Bruce Leslie McLaren was born and going into the Dutch F1GP the world of F1 remain distinctly orange / papaya as McLaren remain the team to beat in 2025 (75 years since the F1 World Championship started).
Alain Prost won the Dutch F1GP at Zandvoort on 30 August 1981 for Renault and Michael Schumacher won his 1st F1GP at the 30 August 1992 Belgian GP for Benetton, the last victory for an F1 car utilising and H shift manual gearbox and on 30 August 1998 Damon Hill won the Belgian GP for Jordan as his final F1 victory
How many appreciate the fact that the oldest regional championship of any sport in South Africa started in 1964 as the Western Province Rally Championship under the auspices of the Royal Automobile Club and the leadership of Western Province Motor Club? Sonny Bonafede and Ralph Behm becoming the first motorsport regional champions in their Le Mans specification Simca 1000.
Just take the time to study the honour scrolls inside the WPMC Clubhouse (Peter Cromhout – Ralph Behm – Rozario “Sonny Bonafede – John Copeland) or if you watched the 35th Silverstone Classic Festival you might have seen the Team Gunston Lola T212, driven by Gary Furst, in which Dr Helmut Marko and John Love won the 1971 Castrol 3 Hour as part of the Springbok series. Or the Trojan T101 F5000 as raced by 1979 F1GP World Champion Jody Scheckter (winning the SCCA L&M Championship in 1973) or the McLaren M19C in which he made his F1 debut in the USA 1972.
Benjamin Habig and Barry White claimed two outright victories on Rounds 5 and 6 of the South African Rally Championship in their NRC1 VW Polo 2.0 AWD.
Laude Classic Cars 2×9 Laps (37 Entries)
Franco Donadio was expected to be competitive in the 32A Donadio Plant Hire Ford Escort MkI, but then nobody checked with Franco as he simply decided that four cylinders would be quite sufficient and drove to two dominant heat victories in near perfect racing conditions.
Michael Hitchcock clearly struggling as the 67A Cross Cape Forklift Services Ford Mustang Notchback V8 came to a stop in Turn 5 on the final lap of the first heat with terminal transmission problems. Even less fortunate was PW Louw and his 81A PWL Konsult Mazda RX7. The front row in qualifying sadly not featuring on race day.
Boetie van Zyl and the mighty Springbok based 72B Xtreme Auto Ford Fairmont GT 351 a popular second overall and in third it was Ferdi Mouton in his 68B Cross Cape Forklift Services Ford Mustang Notchback V8, followed by Jarryd Evans in the rapid six cylinder 414B Cape Eye Laser Ford Capri 3.4. Keeping everyone honest was Mark Uytenbogaardt in the much tweaked 63C Superior Elevators Ford Fairlane 500 V8. Handling well and sounding even better one could almost hear the Aussies cheering as only Bathurst was missing.
Dave Alhadeff sixth in the neat 95B Intellibus BMW E30 325iS with Layne Hutchings seventh in the rapid Jagermeister replica 74C HSC Racing VW Scirocco and Bruce Avern-Taplin eighth in his incredibly quick 77B Toyota Corolla Sprinter 1806cc. Robert Rowe ninth in the 11C Veldt Reared BMW E30 325i and the top ten completed by the truly impressive 38C Leyland Mini 1380cc of Dion Valentine.
Dave Rowley dominated class D despite completing the first heat minus the front windscreen on the 148D Flat4Racing Volkswagen Beetle 2380cc and second place in the class went to the 195D Intellibus Alfa Romeo GTAm replica driven by Malcolm Pheiffer. Calcin Beekman was made to work hard for victory in class E with the 42E Rob Tissington Morris Minor 1293cc with Bradley Rowe, 27E Veldt Reared BMW 2002 1.8, and Germaine Bedien, 148E Bedien Racing Datsun 1200GX, second an third.
The normally immaculate 70C Porsche 914 of Charles Arton failed on the opening lap and the 86C Flat4Racing Toyota Conquest RSi 1.8 of Deon Conradie joined the Brian Evans 441B Cape Eye Laser Ford Escort MkI on the sidelines. Trevor Momberg withdrw the 71B All Scale Ford Capri 3.4 due to “driver injury” and the Jaco Oosthuizen 127C Ravenol Toyota Conquest RSi also failed to make the start.
Kaltron Fine Cars 2×9 Laps (9 Entries)
Günther Appelgryn have sold his Spiderman Class B VW Golf MkI 1.8 to Monique Engelbrecht (WBMK Race4Life Gymkhana) but then the 13 Appelgryn Trading BMW E36 325i presented itself as a diesel. The smoking engine forcing withdrawal.
The only car that is driven absolutely flatout around Killarney has to be the Roger Lewis MGA 1.6 and his consistency netted Index of Performance success with Natasha Tischendorf second in her Volkwagen Jetta Cli and in third spot it was André Fourie in his PHB Racing Volkwagen Jetta 2.0. Marius Fourie fourth in his 313 PHB Racing BMW E36 325i and in fifth it was Jolinda Fourie in het 131 PHB Racing BMW 131 3.5.
Francoise Groenewald unfortunate to blow the engine of his 65 BMW E36 325i in such spectacular fashion it resulted in a red flag going into Sarel’s Sweep (Turn 4).
BATT Tech STC650 & SSP300 Motorcycles 2×9 Laps (10 Entries)
Nicholas Hutchings did take overall victory on his 72 HSC Racing Suzuki SV650 but for once he did not win both heats as Abigail Bosson netted her first ever heat win enroute to second place overall aboard her 51 Project 60 Kawasaki ER650. Nicholas seemingly lost some body parts on his machine and had to settle for second spot, but in all fairness Abigail also rode extremely well.
Adrian Solomon third on the 4 Pool King Kawasaki ER650 with Raymond Alexander fourth aboard his SSP300 winning 11 Rayder Cycles Kawasaki Ninja 400. Elmé Mostert fifth on her 94 Samurai Racing Suzuki SV650 and the top six completed by Peter Hill on his 6 Hillbilly Racing Yamaha R7.
Bradley Mustoe seventh on the 7 CCHSA KTM RC390 with James Luyt eighth on his 74 RSRA Kawasaki Ninja 400 and in ninth spot it was Wesley Hendricks on his 78 Motorwise Motorcycles Kawasaki ER650. Tenth spot to Cody Redelinghuys – the third lady in the top ten.
BMW CCCT Series 2×8 Laps (24 Entries)
Shane Smith found himself “banned” from the Clubmans series as he had ducked below the time limit of class A and opted to take on the BMW CCCT Series. The result was that he had Mansoor Parker working extremely hard in his 46B Parkers Auto Parts BMW E46 M3 Turbo. Leading both heats till his 22A Truckport Logistics BMW E36 Turbo ran into gremlins their tussle certainly proved entertaining and should have the top runners in the series concerned.
Marco Retter drove the 50D Progress Precision Engineering BMW E36 328i to an excellent second overall with Nian du Toit third on debut in the 20E Dr Mike Verrier owned BMW E36 328i. Dillon Joubert lived in the boot of this car for most of the two races and the 444D Powder Coating World BMW E46 330i never stopped pushing. Ernest Page, 19E CRA Racing BMW E36 328i, and Zac Laden, 64E Incledon BMW E36 328i, also disputed the exact same spot of tarmac for two entire heats and crossed the line almost as one in fifth and sixth spots respectively.
Sean Teubes seventh in his 33 RGBC BMW E36 328i and in eighth it was Lloyd Brady in his 41E Schildkrote BMW E90 3.0. The ninth placed 911E Alkom Tool & Die BMW E36 328i if Arno Michels really sounded sweet and looked much quicker on track. Kobus de kock tested the “new” airbag barriers in Turn 3 with the 77E Interactive Signs BMW E36 328i actually suffering surprisingly little damage compared to the sound of the impact.
Their numbers keep growing, but somehow the class E wars are stealing the thunder from the bigger cars with great race action.
Bejo Trustees Formula Libre 2×10 Laps (13 Entries)
As expected it was Byron Mitchell, 21S Dolphin Engineering FVW Reynard, and Dee-Jay Booysen, 20S The Burner Factory FVW Reynard, that drove off into the distance with Damian White in third with his 29B Draken racing FGTi Ray.
Richard Carr followed up from East London with fourth overall in his well sorted 49 ERA Racing Rhema 2 FVee and he was followed home by Nick van der Westhuizen, 77 N&W Logistics FVee Forza, Donovan Ramsay, 95 Kerston Foods FVee Rhema and Ricky Anderson, 96 N&W Logistics FVee Forza.
API Property GTi Challenge 2×8 Laps (23 Entries)
Schalk Geldenhuys, 10A G&A Motorsport VW Polo R6, withdrew from the overall race challenge by running straight of at Turn 1 and it was Shane Williams that finally found his form to race to overall victory in the 46A VW Polo R6. Oliver Hintenaus, 76A Coastal Engineering Services VW Polo R6, and Ian Kapp, 65A Hydrocor Hydraulic VW Polo R6, never stopped trying.
Danie Sandenbergh drove his 49b Eikestad Panelbeaters VW Polo to fourth overall without requiring the eservices of his sponsor with Zac Laden, 64B Incledon VW Polo Sedan, second in class and Weylin Volschenk third in his 52B IMC-SA VW Polo. Danie Sandenbergh (the second) fourth in class with his 77B Eikestad Panelbeaters VW Polo. Zaki Hendricks and Mohammed T Khalfey tripped over each other in Pertamina Fastron (Turn 5) dropping out of class contention.
After the normal check for penalties Mark Fontini claimed class C in the 31C Goch & Cooper VW Golf mkI 1.8 with Ros Schroder second in the 16C API Property Group VW Golf MkI 1.8 and in third it was his API teammate Daniël Munna in the 33C API Property Group VW Golf Mki 1.8. Adriano Ferroli (4C Ferroli Performance Centre) fourth, Flash Finneran (25C Blokkoin) fifth and Luke Corbett (72C) sixth.
Owen Ashley Challenge – Pirelli V8 Masters 2×8 Laps (13 Entries)
Best field of the year actually made the Masters sound an look very good on track and optimistic that these numbers will continue to grow. Sean Moore nabbed first place in his 73G Endcliff APV347is after Fabio Tafani proved that he was human after all, spinning the second heat lead into the soft tyre barriers starting heat two. Just to prove the point he then managed to rejoin after a red flag bought him an escape clause and promptly spun again going into T2 Castrol on the restart to really drop back behind even the Kaltron Supercars.
Just for fun he accepted the challenge and fough this way back to sixth and still managed second overall for the day with Mark Ridgway third in the yellow 53 GET Worth APV347is. Allister Brown fourth in his red 22 NAC Helicopters APV347is, Mark Voget fifth in the 21 Great South APV347is. Mark having gone south into Sarel’s Sweep (T4) and Ian Parsons completed the top six in his 7 Master Power technologies APV347is.
Owen Ashley Challenge – Kaltron Supercars 2×8 Laps (10 Entries)
Now consistently attracting 10 entries with improved reliability certainly has moved the series forward but at the front it is still a two driver series with Glen Phillips and Andrew Moffitt leading the way. That is if their cars last and this time Moffitt had to retire from the challenge.
Glen Phillips winning overall in the 33 Pro Oil Opel Supercar with Kyle Hallick second in his 31 Pro Oil Opel Supercar and in third it was Brad Fenner in his 9 Pro Oil Opel Supercar. Lime property Management fourth in the hands of 23 William Janse van Rensburg with Robin de Vos (36) fifth and Nashrené Schloss (24) sixth
Pirelli Seal Pro Winelands SBK Challenge Masters 600cc 2×9 Laps (15)
Watching Tristin Pienaar and Slade van Niekerk racing each other in the opening heat of the Superbikes truly was awe inspiring and simply put them in another class. Just 0.024sec separating Slade and Tristin past the chequered flag. The 50 Missile Motorcycles Honda CBR1000 and the 111 Project 60 Kawasaki ZX10R in spectacular form.
Malcolm Rapson (M) was back and third place well deserved for the 46 Racebase Suzuki GSXR1000 with the incredible Jonny Towers fourth aboard his 17 Missile Motorcycles Honda CBR600. Mark van Rensburg (M) fifth on his 96 GFP Superbike Acc Suzuki GSXR1000 and in sixth it was Deon Ebel (M) aboard his classic 27 Honda CBR1000RRSP. Eeden Heyns in seventh spot aboard his 82 Project 60 BMW S1000Rr and in eighth it was Michael du Toit on the 99 Quickpos Yamaha R1. Still saving on front tyre wear.
Znader Taljaard made the trip from Kareedouw worth the effort with ninth spot on his 888 Kareewouw Konstruksie Honda CBR600RR. The top ten completed by Alastair Hyatt on the 22 JA 10 Moto Kawasaki ZX10R.
Cannot wait for Ronald Slamet and Trevor Westman to return.
Thermo Fires Clubman Saloons 2×8 Laps (42 Entries)
Twenty six cars on track does not compare well to the printed 42 entries and by the time heat one started Shane Smith and Jaco Lambert found themselves spectating as they were now too fast?
Jess Huggett is celebrating 60 years as an active racing driver and the sprightly 70 year old steered his normally aspirated 70A Origen Oil Volkswagen Jetta 2.2 to overall victory in faultless style!
Dillon Joubert second overall in the 444C Powder Coating World BMW E46 330i with Francois van Tonder third in his 44C FOD Marketing VW Polo 2.0. Jemma Olen impressed with fourth spot in her 36D Alkom Tool & Die BMW E36 328i and in fifth spot it was the unique Steve’s Auto Services 37D Ford escort Mk5 of Steve Griffin-Wintle. Sixth spot going to Arno Michels in his 911D Alkom Tool & Die BMW E36 328i.
Peter Kannemeyer eighth in the 12D Speed Precision Engineering VW Golf MkI, followed by the neat 100F Stylesey Alfa Romeo 155 of Cody Alberts and the 58F Lambert Racing VW Beetle of Dewald Lambert.
Steve Heydenrych (69X VW Golf II), Mario Roux (20X VW Polo) and Nieyaaz Modack (47 Ford Focus ST) new combinations
Pirelli MGA Racing Clubman – Classic & Breakfast Run 2×9 Laps (12 Entries)
There were no Breakfast Run entries on this occasion but at the front it was Coenie Botes who dominated aboard hi 84 Snap Change BMW S1000RR and in second place IT WAS Ewert Koots aboard his classic 69 Koorts Engineering Honda NSR with Juan Momberg third on his 9 Motorwise Suzuki GSXR750.
Wayne Gresse fourth on his 95 E van Wyk Kawasaki ZX10R with Mario Ferreira fifth aboard the rather large 44 Willies Service Station Cagiva 1000 and the top six completed by Gerhard Joubert aboard his 47 Triumph Daytona 675.
Summary
A great day in great weather
Published by: Patrick Vermaak
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