CAPE TOWN MOTORSPORT FESTIVAL

Beautiful weather conditions set the scene for the Cape Town Motorsport Festival at the Killarney International Raceway on Sunday 14 December 2025. Sunday indeed as the World Supercross Championship was hosted in the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday night, truly turning the weekend into an international motorsport festival.

Not only did the Livingstone Baths 43rd 150cc Motorcycle 8 Hour Endurance race sport two entire teams from Mauritius they also had John Craig Snr riding his 43rd event as member of the No Rush Racing Honda CBR150 team.

On the main circuit it was a mixture of a new concept and nostalgia with many legendary names in attendance for the Bruce Jack Wines 6 Hour Endurance Race. Split into two 3 Hour events the final result would be determined on combined times with support races by non championship sprint events for the Kaltron Supercars, Kaltron Fine Cars and the ever popular Laude Classic Cars.

Kaltron Fine Cars
Jaco Lambert won on outright pace and Index of Performance in his 61 Lambert Racing VW Jetta MkI with Marius Fourie second on both accounts in his 313 PHN Racing BMW E36 325i and in third spot it was Melani Lambert in her 90 Lambert Racing VW Fox.

Di Dugmore fourth past the flag in the 44 Piripiri Racing Morgan Plus 4 1.6 with Albert Cook fifth in his 14 VW Scirocco. The top six completed by the 2025 Kaltron Fine Cars champion, Natasha Tischendorf in het 285 VW Jetta MkI CLi.

Kaltron Supercars
Andrew Moffitt claimed first overall in his 39 Greymo Construction Opel with surprise entry, Claudio Piazza-Musso second in the 18 CRA / ABMS Opel normally campaigned by Shane Boscombe. The single seater ace outperformed his RDSA limits through Pertamina Fastron during the final lap of the first heat but recovered well to take second overall. Pierre Pienaar did well to secure third spot in the 7 LPM Dynamic Cleaning Opel with Brad Fenner fourth in his 9 Pro Oil Opel.
Craig Hume fifth overall in the 21 LPM / Armaguard Opel and the top six completed by Kirk Williams in the 40 Safestop Opel. Glen Phillips and Kyle Hallick not having a great day.

Laude Classic Cars
Divan Lazarus claimed first place overall on debut in his 99X Porsche 911 RSR but ruffled a few feathers with some determined defence on track. Jarryd Evans traded cars with Brian Evans for the day and pleced the rapid 441B Cape Eye Laser Ford Escort MkI 2.0 second overall with Dave Köpke celebrating his return in third spot with the legendary 23A Mazda R100 Rotary. 37 years and still going strong he will hopefully be a more regular entry in 2026.

André Diedericks drove consistently to place his neat Team Gunston replica 182X Ford Capri Perana 5.0 V8 fourth on debut with Ian Richards fifth in his neat 64C VW Scirocco MkI 2.0. The top six completed by Bruce Avern-Taplin in his always impressive 77C Toyota Corolla Sprinter 1.8. A busy man as he was also contesting the six hour.

Brian Evans drove the 414B Cape Eyer Laser Ford Capri MkI V6 to seventh with Robert Rowe eighth in his 11C Veldt Reared BMW E30 325i. Dave Rowley and the indecently quick 148C Flat Four Racing VW Beetle 2380cc ninth and the top ten completed by Jaco Oosthuizen in his neat 127C Ravenol Toyota Conquest RSi 1.6.

The awesome 32A Donadio Chevrolet Firenza Can Am V8 of Franco Donadio dominated the first race until something expired on it and he returned to the second race in his more regular 32A Donadio Ford Escort MkI 2.1 and together with Divan Luzmore and Dave Köpke the threesome truly put on a great show. Whatever the arguments for or against Franco was nerved onto the outside of Turn 5 and later Dave tangled with Divan on the inside, which spoiled the dice of the day. We hope for more good racing in 2026.

Herman de Kock won Class D in his neat 59D Ford Escort MkI 1.6 with visiting Sean Hepburn second after having blown the race engine on his neat 65 AA Datsun GX Coupé on Friday, spending the night on a rebuild. Piet Mathee third in his 944D Porsche 944 S2 3.0.

Daniël Lötter won class E in his 14E Globetrotter Ford Escort MkI 1.6 with the 2025 overall Classic Car champion , Calvin Beekman, content in second spot with the 42E Rob Tissington Morris Minor 1293cc. Leon van Lienden third in his 179E Gregg Smith Ford Escort MkII 2.0.

Bruce Jack Wines Cape 6 Hour Endurance
Run over two 3 Hour races the drama started during practice when pretty well nothing ran in favor for the Team Africa Le Mans effort of Dr Greg Mills and his international contingent of drivers which included 5x Le Mans winner Emanuele Pirro and his engineering sons Cris and Goofy (Italy), 1988 Le Mans winner Jan Lammers and his son Rayan and Jeroen Bleekemolen (Netherlands).

Even with all hands on deck the little Pilbeam was parked with a persistent top end miss and the GT3 Ginetta’s combined binding brakes and overheating engines to frustrate their efforts. The only car sort of doing what was expected was the Ginetta GT4. Somehow they braved smiles and their spirits lifted when SA legend Sarel van der Merwe dropped by in the pits with a few words of encouragement.

Geoff Mortimer was to celebrate 70 years involvement in South African motorsport by driving a replica of his 1970 Star Production Car championship winning 126W Renault Gordini but even that refused to reach the timeline and he traded seats with Harry Smith who kindly made his private Renault R8 Gordini available for Geoff to lead the car club parade on circuit.

Denis “Mr Killarney” Joubert enjoyed the company of Sandy Roux in his Cobra V8 and Sarel van der Merwe hopped into the Cobra V8 of Brian Gallacher. A great assortment of Cobra V8 cars were joined by a number of modern and classic Ford Mustang V8’s, Alfa Romeo’s included the veteran 1968 Alfa Romeo GT Junior Velocé of Eddie and Lenie Visser, Jim Page and Theodore Edward bear Esq in the Harper, Guy Davies joining in with his hand controlled Liqui Moly Porsche 911 Carrera and some interesting “large” motorcycles completed the parade.

With Nick Alston keeping everyone on their toes in the Pheiffer Lounge with his 10 year old 3.7m 15kg reticulated python named Avatar, Sarel van der Merwe spent some time autographing a selection of 1:18 scale models of Porsche’s he had driven in his career.

Tony Martin was present with eleven Backdraft entries and exciting news for 2026 when he anticipates the potential of 30 or more Backdraft entries as international and local interest in the new series is on the rise. Really a case of watch this space!

With Team Africa Le Mans struggling for reliability it was pretty much a case of a Cobra was going to take victory, but which one? André Bettencourt (Portugal) and Remi Guigue had it in the back with their 269D Backdraft Cobra but was then hit by a hefty penalty for short stopping in the pits, eventually dropping to third overall.

M Gray and Mark Owens (Britain) still made it an international victory in the 127D Backdraft Cobra with veterans Mike McLoughlin and Steve Clark second in their 72D Backdraft Cobra. Fourth overall going to Jamie Going (Britain) and Liam Turnbull (Britain) in their 131D Backdraft Cobra. Kishoor Pitamber and Mikaeel Pitamber fifth overall in their pink 3C Backdraft Cobra Hardtop 5.0 and the top six completed by Fikile Holomisa and Olerato Sekudu in their class winning 11E Team Qhubani Backdraft Lexus 4.0.

Steve Truter and Mario da Silva seventh in their 33E Backdraft Roadster and Giacomo Chignoli and Fabienne Lanz eighth in their 16D Backdraft Cobra. Dan Hirsch (Chigaco Illinois USA) and Richard van Heerde claiming ninth in their 42D Backdraft Cobra and the top ten completed by the 91D Backdraft Cobra of Jonno Wilson and John-Henri Vaughan and Mark Owens (Britain).

Lloyd brady and Matt-Jason Köhler the first non Backdraft in eleventn spot with their 41E Schildkrote Racing BMW E90 3.0. They were followed home by Bradley Sickle and Isabella Sickle in their 23F BMW E36 328i and the 19H VW Golf MkI 2.0 of Clare Vale and Dean Hogg.

Bruce Avern-Taplin and André Steenkamp 14th in their 20D Backdraft Cobra with Jenson O’Neil (Britain) and David May (Britain) 15th. Brett Swanevelder and West Coast oval ace Antonie Tallie 16th in the 74E Wespunt Drukkers Nissan 350Z.
Jeroen Bleekemolen (Netherlands), Jan Lammers (Netherlands), Rayan Lammers (Netherlands) brought the 555B Ginetta Gt4 home in 17th spot as consolation for Team Africa Le Mans whilst Wayne Hoffman and Troy Dolinschek was classified 18th in the rapid 27C Hoffman Property Porsche 991.1 GT3. They won the first 3 hour but then fell foul of electrical problems in the second race.

Martin Bensch – Jason Ibbotson and Tiaan Burger represented the V8 Master Drivers but the 45D VW Golf GTi only made 19th overall with Sean McCarthy – Steven McCarthy – Brian Fourie 20th having only done the first three hour in their 44D Sujean Property BMW M3.

Emanuelle Pirro, Cris Pirro and Goofy Pirro claiming the final three places in a variety of Team Africa le Mans machinery after a truly testing day.

Livingstone Baths 43rd 8 Hour Motorcycle Endurance Race
Eight hours around a twisty 1km meant 550laps in really hot conditions on a very uncomfortable 150cc CBR Honda. John Craig has been doing this for 43 years and still calls it fun!

Published by: Patrick Vermaak

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