Brackendowns racer shines at wet Historic Inland Racing Tour

The Zwartkops Raceway hosted the second round of the Historic Inland Racing Tour on April 5.

The changing weather posed challenges for the competitors, officials and spectators but led to spectacular on-track action.

Bruce van Niekerk of Brackendowns competed in the Formula Libre category for open-wheeled single-seater race cars and had an eventful weekend.

In practice on Friday, he picked up an issue with his tyres, and it looked like he would not continue competing. In the spirit of Formula Libre, Megan Archer, who also competed in Formula Libre, stepped in and loaned Van Niekerk a set of tyres for the weekend.

Qualifying happened on a wet track on Friday afternoon, and Van Niekerk qualified in fifth place overall and first in class D.

The first heat on Saturday morning took place on a cold but dry track, and Van Niekerk finished eighth overall, winning class D in the process.

The second heat was in soaking conditions, which caught out a few competitors. Van Niekerk came from eighth place to finish fifth overall, again winning class D.

These results earned him sixth place overall for the day.

On the track, the spectators see only the car and driver, but competing would be impossible without the support and help of family and friends.

“I thank the members of Team Omega ’91 who helped me prepare our car and supported me at the track. Gerrit, Dixie, Donna and Da Mhre, thank you very much. Also, a big thank you to my family and friends for the assistance and support behind the scenes,” said Van Niekerk.

Racing would also be impossible without a venue.

“A big thank you to the Zwartkops management team, the track officials, and the medical and the track maintenance teams, without whose efforts we could not have raced,” he said.

The next round of the Historic Inland tour is at the Red Star Raceway near Delmas on June 7. Team Omega ’91 hopes to see you there.